Phyllis George, a longtime TV broadcaster and the 1971 winner of the Miss America pageant, died Friday from complications arising from a blood disorder. George hosted a wide swath of TV programs during her career, often as the only woman onscreen, from “NFL Today” to CBS’ morning news show to People’s self-titled celebrity news show to broadcasts of the Belmont Stakes. She was one of the first women to become a major player in sports news. As the wife of the governor of Kentucky, she founded the state’s Museum of Art and Craft. She was 70. Her ex-husband, former Kentucky governor and owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken, John Brown, Jr., told the Courier-Journal, “Phyllis was a great asset to Kentucky.”
