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Meredith's humor is complemented by a quick, nervous intelligence and an encompassing fund of football savvy. A native of Mt. Vernon, Texas, he broke a passel of passing records at Southern Methodist, and was a top draft choice of the Cowboys in 1960. His splendid nine-year professional career (1,170 passes completed for 17,199 yds. and 135 touchdowns) was somewhat tarnished by his inability to lead the talented Cowboys to an N.F.L. championship. He retired at the end of the 1968 season to devote himself to his Dallas brokerage business. Last year his old friend, CBS Announcer Frank Gifford, recommended Meredith to Roone Arledge, president of ABC-TV Sports. "I hired him over our first lunch," Arledge recalls. "I told him to say whatever he felt like saying. People are tired of announcers who treat football like a religion, and Meredith is just the touch we needed."
Meredith is enjoying himself immensely. "Could I ask for anything better? I'm not trying to be a stand-up comic, but I don't want to report a game as a catastrophic event either." He concedes that the view from the press box has made him miss football more than ever this year. "It's funny," he muses, "but I still get nervous and can't eat before a game. But as long as I feel that way, I think I can do a good job."