PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Former Eagles cornerback and legendary broadcasting trailblazer Irv Cross died Sunday morning, according to the team. He was 81.
A cause of death was not provided.
Cross, a seventh-round draft pick out of Northwestern in 1961, played three seasons for the Rams and six for the Eagles — making two Pro Bowls for the latter.
He was also a broadcast pioneer at the national level. He is remembered as the first Black host, anchor and analyst on network sports television, joining CBS Sports in the ’70s. He spent more than 20 years there — a lot of the time on “THE NFL TODAY,” which set the standard for NFL pregame shows.
Cross partnered with Brent Musburger, who he met at Northwestern, for this transformative show, as well as the late Phyllis George Jayne Kennedy, and the late Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder.
His sportscasting career began as off-season work during his playing days. He worked at WIBG radio in Philadelphia, as well as KYW-TV before the network came calling.
Cross also anchored for CBS Sportsbreaks.
In June 2020, Cross and fellow Philadelphia icon Sonny Hill were interviewed by The Athletic’s David Aldridge about being trailblazing Black broadcasters.
Aldridge referenced an excerpt from Cross’ book, “Bearing the Cross,” which he wrote with sportswriter Clifton Brown. The excerpt points out how Cross was aware that if his opportunity on the network level failed, it could be a while before another Black person had a similar opportunity.
In 2009, Cross was the first Black recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Award for exceptional contributions to pro football broadcasting.
In 2018, Cross told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he had mild cognitive dementia. The Inquirer and The Athletic noted how Cross wanted his brain to be examined for CTE after his death.
The Eagles shared that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation or the Concussion Legacy Foundation.