Graceful writer dies at 78

Frank Deford, the award-winning sportswriter and commentator whose elegant reportage was a staple for years at Sports Illustrated and National Public Radio, died Sunday at age 78 in Key West, Fla., his family said Monday.

Mr. Deford was a six-time sportswriter of the year and a member of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame. He retired this month from NPR's Morning Edition after 37 years as a contributor.

"Frank was dealing with an audience that doesn't turn to the sports pages first thing," said Tom Goldman, an NPR sports correspondent. "And he was proudest of the many comments he got over the years from people saying, 'I don't really like sports, but I like what you did, and you made me more interested in it.' "

He was the first sportswriter awarded the National Humanities Medal. In 2013, President Barack Obama honored him for "transforming how we think about sports."

Mr. Deford's profiles were for years a showcase in Sports Illustrated.

He was a prolific book author and contributed commentaries to HBO's Real Sports program.

Mr. Deford grew up in Baltimore and graduated from Princeton. He was editor-in-chief of The National, the nation's first sports daily that was founded in 1990 and folded the following year.