Cross was a seventh-round defensive back pick out of Northwestern by Philadelphia in 1961 and went to two Pro Bowls as an Eagle. Also played for the Rams.
But of course he's most well known for being the first African American commentator in NFL history and had an outstanding 14-year run on the greatest pregame show of all time:
https://youtu.be/4vMA22xJEcQ
Sun-Times PHILADELPHIA Irv Cross, the former NFL defensive back who became the first Black man to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television, died Sunday. He was 81. The Philadelphia Eagles, the team Cross spent his six of his nine NFL seasons with, said Cross’ son, Matthew, confirmed his father died near his home in Roseville, Minnesota. The cause of death was not provided. “All of us at CBS Sports are saddened by the news of Irv Cross’ passing,” CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus said in a statement. “Irv was a pioneer who made significant contributions to the storied history and tradition of CBS Sports and, along with Phyllis George and Brent Musburger, set the standard for NFL pregame shows with `The NFL Today.’ He was a true gentleman and a trail blazer in the sports television industry and will be remembered for his accomplishments and the paths he paved for those who followed.”
Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout begins, "Nomadland" won big at the Golden Globes, baseball is back with Day 1 of spring training and more in the Roundup.
For Irv Cross, the eighth of 15 children in an impoverished family in Hammond, Ind., football was a lifeline, a gateway to a Northwestern degree, a pro career and the first full-time sports analyst job on network television for a Black man.