35 Facts About Irv Cross

Irvin Acie Cross was an American professional football player and sportscaster.

Irv Cross played cornerback in the National Football League and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Irv Cross was an initial co-host of The NFL Today, which became the pregame show standard for all television networks.

Irv Cross played six of his nine NFL seasons with the Eagles.

Irv Cross was traded to the Los Angeles Rams and played there for three seasons before returning to the Eagles and finishing his playing career.

Irv Cross joined CBS in 1971, where he worked until 1994.

Irv Cross was an athletic director at Idaho State University and Macalester College.

Irv Cross was born in Hammond, Indiana, as the eighth of 15 children.

Irv Cross attended Hammond High, where he played football and basketball and was a track athlete.

Irv Cross was inducted into the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame.

Irv Cross graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy in 1961, the same graduating class as future broadcasting colleague Brent Musburger.

Irv Cross was part of Ara Parseghian's first recruiting class with the Wildcats.

Irv Cross was a team captain and an honorable-mention all-conference selection in the Big Ten in 1960.

Irv Cross starred in track and was honored as the university's Male Athlete of the Year as a senior.

Irv Cross was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 1961 NFL Draft.

Irv Cross was one of the first African-American starters for the franchise.

Irv Cross suffered numerous concussions that year, prompting his teammates to call him "Paper Head".

Irv Cross had consecutive Pro Bowl seasons in 1964 and 1965, before he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for Aaron Martin and Willie Brown in 1966.

Irv Cross retired from play before the 1970 season, becoming a coach for the Eagles.

Irv Cross finished his playing career with 22 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries, eight forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns.

Irv Cross was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.

Irv Cross was the first black person to do TV sports reports in Philadelphia.

Irv Cross became an analyst and commentator for CBS Sports in 1971, when he became the first African American to work as a sports analyst on national television.

Irv Cross co-hosted The NFL Today from its inception through 1989.

In 1990, the network revamped the show after firing Musburger in a contract dispute, ending Irv Cross's run on the show.

Irv Cross worked as an analyst through the conclusion of the 1991 season.

Irv Cross served as athletic director at Idaho State University from 1996 to 1998.

Irv Cross then was the director of athletics at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, for six years until June 2005.

Irv Cross was the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota until May 2010, and returned to football commentary for the Twin Cities' Fox station KMSP-TV.

Irv Cross had two daughters from a first marriage and two children with his second wife Elizabeth.

Irv Cross was diagnosed with a mild form of dementia in 2018.

Irv Cross suspected that the condition, along with his headaches, neck pain, and backaches, was a result of chronic traumatic encephalopathy caused by hits to the head that he had suffered during his playing career.

Irv Cross arranged to have his brain donated to the Boston University CTE Center after his death, and it was later confirmed that he had the most severe level of CTE, stage 4.

Irv Cross is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with this disease.

Irv Cross died on February 28,2021, aged 81, at a hospice in North Oaks, Minnesota, near his home in Roseville.