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Phyllis George died in Lexington, Kentucky, on May 14, 2020, at age 70. Her family said complications from polycythemia vera, a rare blood disorder, caused her death.
What caused Phyllis George’s death?
George’s family said she had been diagnosed with polycythemia vera in 1985 and had lived with complications of the illness for decades. Her son Lincoln Brown described her as having fought the disease for many years. Former Kentucky governor John Y. Brown Jr., her former husband, said, “Phyllis was a fighter and her children have shown her incredible love during this struggle.”
The family’s account is the basis for the cause of death. Contemporary reports sometimes used the broader phrase “blood disorder,” while The Washington Post identified polycythemia vera specifically. The available accounts do not establish further medical details about symptoms or treatment.
What was Phyllis George known for?
George became nationally known after winning Miss America in 1971, then built a career that moved through sports television, entertainment, morning news, politics, publishing and consumer businesses. Her most influential broadcasting work came on CBS Sports’ The NFL Today, where she was a prominent woman on a major national football program at a time when women were uncommon in sports television.
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CBS Sports described her as the first female sportscaster to work at a major television network. That is a description from CBS Sports rather than an uncontested universal ranking, but it captures why her role mattered: she helped make a woman’s presence in a high-profile football studio ordinary to viewers who had rarely seen it.
From Miss America to CBS Sports
Born in Denton, Texas, George won Miss Texas in 1970 and Miss America the following year. The Washington Post reported that about 80 million people watched the 1970 Miss America broadcast on which she was crowned.
She joined CBS in 1974 and initially worked as a sideline reporter. According to the Washington Post, she pressed producers for clearer assignments and developed a stronger role interviewing athletes. In 1975 she joined The NFL Today alongside Brent Musburger and Irv Cross. The Television Academy records her tenure on the program as 1975–1983.
George also became the first woman to co-host a Super Bowl broadcast, doing so in 1976. Her interviews added a personality-focused element to a program otherwise centered on analysis and game coverage.
Rank #3
Career timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1949 | Born June 25 in Denton, Texas. |
| 1970 | Won Miss Texas. |
| 1971 | Won Miss America. |
| 1974 | Joined CBS. |
| 1975–1983 | Co-hosted The NFL Today with Brent Musburger and Irv Cross. |
| 1976 | Co-hosted a Super Bowl broadcast, becoming the first woman to do so. |
| 1979–1983 | Served as Kentucky’s first lady. |
| 1984–1985 | Co-anchored CBS Morning News for about eight months. |
A short move into morning news
After her sports years, George hosted People and co-anchored CBS Morning News in 1984–85. The Television Academy lists interviews with figures including Nancy Reagan and Fred Astaire. The move from sports and entertainment into hard news proved difficult and ended after roughly eight months, a period the Washington Post characterized as an unsuccessful, high-pressure transition.
Kentucky’s first lady
George married businessman John Y. Brown Jr. in 1979 while he was campaigning for governor. When he took office, she became Kentucky’s first lady, serving through 1983.
Rank #4
In that role she promoted Kentucky arts and crafts and helped raise money for renovation of the Governor’s Mansion. Brown later said, “She was an incredible first lady for Kentucky.” The couple divorced in 1998 and had two children, Lincoln and Pamela.
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George founded Chicken by George, a prepared-chicken brand launched in 1986 and sold to Hormel in 1988, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. She later marketed cosmetics and skin-care products.
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She also wrote five books. The Lexington Herald-Leader identified The I Love America Diet, published in 1982, as her first. Current retail availability is not established here, so the title should be treated as a biographical reference rather than a recommendation of a currently stocked edition.
Her screen work included a small role in Meet the Parents, another example of how far her career extended beyond the football studio.
How she is remembered
George’s career connected several public identities that were rarely combined in one person: beauty-pageant winner, national sports broadcaster, morning-news anchor, governor’s spouse, author and entrepreneur. Her daughter Pamela Brown said, “She was a go-getter, and she had big dreams. And she left her career at the top to be a mom.”
George’s own career advice was characteristically direct: “When you do something that is not right for you, you know it almost immediately.” Her long run on The NFL Today, rather than the brief morning-news tenure, remains the central measure of her broadcasting legacy.
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