February 1 marks the beginning of Black History Month, a time to remember people and their contributions. One of those contributors in sports is Irv Cross, the first African American co-anchor of a nationally broadcast sports program.
While many sports fans remember Irv Cross for his work on Sundays on CBS’s pre-game show, it’s important to note that he began his career as a football player. He played for Ara Parseghian at Northwestern University, one of the most notable college coaches ever, and Cross was a wide receiver and defensive back for the Wildcats. Then, he embarked on a nine-year NFL career, first with the Philadelphia Eagles, the team that selected him in the 1961 NFL Draft, then with the Rams, and finally back with the Eagles.
Cross was known for being an aggressive tackler. The great Jim Brown once said, “No one in the league tackles harder than Cross.” Cross earned that accolade and was named an NFL Pro Bowler in 1964 and 1965.
After football came his stint with CBS and NFL Today, teaming up with Brent Musberger, Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder, and Phyllis George in one of the most popular football-related shows on national television. The year was 1975, and Cross continued on the program until 1989 when a contract dispute with Musburger led to the network breaking up of the team.
Cross was the first African American to co-anchor a national sports show, and he realized the importance of that milestone. “The TV landscape was much different (back then), very white, but I never focused on that, even though I was keenly aware that if I failed, it might be a long time before another Black person got a similar opportunity.”
On NFL Today, Cross interviewed players, analyzed upcoming games, and provided half-time scores. Despite the program’s success and Cross’s contribution to it, he never returned to network television after his stint on NFL Today. Instead, he worked in college athletic administration, serving as the athletic director at Idaho State and Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. He also worked in the nonprofit sector and returned to sports media work in a local TV market.
In 2009, Cross was awarded the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award, the first African American to receive this award. Irv Cross died in 2021 at the age of 81, and an autopsy revealed that he suffered Level 4 (highest level) of CTE, a malady caused by repeated trauma to the brain, which was attributed to his years of playing the game and the numerous concussions he had suffered.
Brent Musberger: He was one of the finest gentlemen I’ve ever been with. We met at Northwestern, and he later became my go-to mainstay on the NFL Today. No one ever had a bad thing to say about Irv. He led African Americans to host NFL and other sports shows. Rest in peace, my friend.
It is an honor to remember the great Irv Cross.
