LEXINGTON, Ky. — Miss America, sportscaster, First Lady of Kentucky, just a few of the titles of Phyllis George.
A family spokeswoman said George died Thursday at a Lexington hospital after a long fight with a blood disorder. She was 70-years-old.
George was married twice in her life; first to Hollywood director Robert Evans and then to John Y. Brown in 1979. She was the first lady during both of Brown's terms. The two divorced in 1998.
Her children, Lincoln Tyler George Brown and CNN White House correspondent Pamela Ashley Brown, released a joint statement, saying:
“For many, Mom was known by her incredible accomplishments as the pioneering female sportscaster, 50th Miss America, and first lady. But this was all before we were born and never how we viewed Mom. To us, she was the most incredible mother we could ever ask for, and it is all of the defining qualities the public never saw, especially against the winds of adversity, that symbolize how extraordinary she is more than anything else. The beauty so many recognized on the outside was a mere fraction of her internal beauty, only to be outdone by an unwavering spirit that allowed her to persevere against all the odds.”
Governor Andy Beshear joined many others in tweeting condolences Saturday night.
George was born in Denton, Texas on June 25, 1949. She grew up in the town outside of Dallas and attended North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas, for three years until she was crowned Miss Texas in 1970. She would win her Miss America crown in 1971.
George joined Brent Musburger and Irv Cross in 1975 on “The NFL Today.” Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder later was added to the cast. She became one of the first women to have a featured role in a televised sportscast.
“Phyllis George was special. Her smile lit up millions of homes for the NFL Today,” Musburger tweeted. “Phyllis didn’t receive nearly enough credit for opening the sports broadcasting door for the dozens of talented women who took her lead and soared.”
George spent three seasons on the live pregame show, returned in 1980, and left in 1983, winning plaudits for the warmth of her interviews with star athletes. She also covered horse racing, hosted the entertainment show “People” and co-anchored the “CBS Morning News.”
Here in Kentucky, George is responsible for the 1981 creation of the Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, now the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft (KMAC). She started the foundation as a way to build interest in the state’s craft heritage. She was also a founding member of the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship.
The businesswoman also founded “Chicken By George,” an eight-item line of fresh, marinated chicken breast entrees, and sold it two years later to Geo. A. Hormel & Co. She created “Phyllis George Beauty” in 2003. The cosmetic and skincare product line was sold through a TV home shopping network.
She also wrote several other books and had roles in a pair of Hollywood comedy films.
“Phyllis is a pioneer. Her range is what impresses me the most,” former Kentucky and Louisville coach Rick Pitino, now at Iona, wrote in the foreword to her memoir, “Never Say Never: Ten lessons to turn you can’t into YES I CAN.”
“She entered a highly competitive pageant and emerged as Miss America,” Pitino wrote. “She became the first national female sports broadcaster. She flourished in the limelight as First Lady in the state of Kentucky. She’s been successful in business. And she is a respected humanitarian. Each step along the way, she embraced the mission at hand.”