Co-Host of the CBS NFL Today Show, crew member and ex NFL player Irv Cross in this portrait on the air circa late 1970's during an NFL Football Game. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) 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.