Former Miss America Phyllis George became one of the nation’s first—and highly memorable—female sportscasters when she was named cohost of The NFL Today on CBS in 1975. George interviewed athletes and presented feature stories alongside such football broadcasting heavyweights as Brent Musburger, Irv Cross, and Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder. Though some questioned her knowledge about sports, her ability to add character and depth to story lines made her an appealing standout. Her ease in interviews caused numerous athletes to open up and reveal a personal side, which, though common today, was not part of the sports reporting landscape of the midseventies. While at CBS George conducted many landmark interviews, including “gets” with Joe Namath, Roger Staubach, Muhammad Ali, and Reggie Jackson.George credits her upbringing in Texas with her interest in sports. “Growing up in a sports minded state like Texas,” she wrote, “instilled in me an appreciation for competition.” In her time at CBS Sports, George cohosted CBS’s NFL pregame show, and also covered three Super Bowl broadcasts and five Rose Bowl Parades. She has also coanchored CBS Morning News and hosted 1994’s A Phyllis George Special and various Miss America pageants.
Phyllis George was born on June 25, 1949, in Denton, Texas. As a child, she always wanted to be in the spotlight—she recalls prancing around a church at the age of three, wanting attention and, as she said, “knowing [sic] I was cute.” After attending both the University of North Texas and Texas Christian University, George won the 1971 Miss America pageant.
In her yearlong stint as Miss America, George appeared on numerous talk shows, including three interviews on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. As a result of the publicity she garnered after being crowned, CBS producers approached her to become a sportscaster in 1975. That year, she joined the cast of NFL Today, cohosting live pregame, halftime, and postgame broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games.
Though viewers originally questioned the network for choosing George over a woman with more experience, audiences soon warmed to her. On air, her human interest stories contrasted nicely with the usual Xs-and-Os-on-a-chalk-board strategy talk. In one much discussed candid interview with the then quarterback of the New York Jets, Joe Namath, George managed to do something few sportscasters can—get an athlete to admit weakness. Namath told George that the Jets were having a rough year and even said that he himself had performed poorly. Another famous moment for George was her interview with then quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, Roger Staubach, who had the reputation of being straight laced and asexual. Unlike most interviewers, George had the guts to ask Staubach about his representation in the media. He happily opened up about his irritation over the subject—in front of his young wife and children, he explained that he was happy with his sex life. In another interview, George did the polka with former Philadelphia Eagles player Chuck Bednarik. Interviews like these contributed to NFL Today winning Emmys for Best Live Series in Sports Television in both 1976 and 1977.
While covering the Super Bowl, George upheld her reputation for laid back and sincere conversation pieces, conducting interviews with celebrities and sports figures. George translated her easy interview style into a brief stint on a television news version of People magazine in 1978 and a job as a morning television talk show host—she coanchored the CBS Morning News in 1985. As coanchor, she interviewed newsmakers including then–First Lady Nancy Reagan. Since that time, George has sporadically returned to the media spotlight, hosting her own prime-time talk show, 1994’s A Phyllis George Special, on which she interviewed President Bill Clinton, and a 1998 talk show called Women’s Day on the cable network Pax. She has also written four books—three about crafts and one on dieting—and founded the Chicken by GEORGE product line, a division of Hormel Foods.