Phyllis George Passed Away!

Phyllis George passed away. First woman in sportsbroadcasting.

A well known businesswoman, actress and sportscaster passed away on Thursday.

Phyllis George passed away at the age of 70.

She was then wife of John Y. Brown, Jr., the former Democratic governor of Kentucky.

Phyllis Ann George was born in Denton, Texas in 1949. She was considered a pioneer in journalism.

She became the first co-anchor of the football pregame show The NFL Today.

Her death was confirmed by her children, CNN's correspondent Pamela Brown and entrepreneur Lincoln Brown.

George was a classical pianist in her youth, she attended North Texas State University before becoming the 50th Miss America in 1971. Her television career started when she began hosting Candid Camera.

CNN reports that Phyllis said that crown catapulted her to national fame. "It was the springboard to everything I've done in my life," George said.

As Miss America, George had made multiple appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and other talk shows, which led Robert Wussler, the president of CBS Sports, to recruit her for a sportscasting job. She joined The NFL Today in 1975, working alongside Brent Musburger, Irv Cross and Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder. She stayed on show until 1979 when her husband decided to run for politics.

She married John Y. Brown, Jr. in 1979. Shortly after their marriage, he decided to run for, and eventually won, the race for Kentucky governor. The local press affectionately called Phyllis "flypaper" because everywhere the Browns went, the crowds turned out for her, not him, much to the pride and amusement of her new husband.

Her children called her Hurricane Phyl. Because she was energetic and boundless.

She served as First Lady of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983. Brown is a businessman and politician who helped Kenny Rogers launch his restaurant chain Kenny Rogers Roasters. Brown served one term as governor of Kentucky.

Still as First Lady of Kentucky, she did have an active role with CBS Sports. She had an opportunity to cover horse racing. She covered the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. She also hosted People Magazine on television.

After leaving Frankfort, CBS offered her a job as co-anchor to CBS Morning News.

She made news with very famous celebrities, politicians and people in the news. She generated controversy when she interviewed a wrongly convicted man. Gary Dotson was set up by a teenager who claimed she was raped by him. The woman, Cathleen Webb made up a story claiming that Dotson raped her. She had sex with her boyfriend and lied to her adoptive parents. She made the claim that Dotson kidnapped her, raped her and threatened to kill her. Webb eventually told the junk food media she made up the claim because she didn't want to get in trouble. Dotson had spent years in the iron college.

Pamela Brown, a CNN reporter said her mother Phyllis George was a trailblazer in journalism.

George hosted the two. At the time, Dotson was upset that he saw the accuser. Webb did formally apologize to Dotson. What would have ended on a handshake was egged on by George to "hug it out."

That was widely condemned by those in the press. Soon after, George was replaced with Maria Shriver. Shriver is the daughter of Eunice Kennedy and Sargent Shriver. She went on to marry actor Arnold Schwarzenegger who went on later to become governor of California. She became the First Lady of California from 2003 to 2011.

Phyllis went on to become a businesswoman. She created food products and beauty care products.

Phyllis George Beauty marketed a line of cosmetics and skincare products that were sold on HSN.

She wrote five book about crafts, one for dieting and an autobiography.

Phyllis is the founder of the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft and was an avid folk and traditional arts collector.

George passed away from complications from Polycythemia vera on May 14 in Lexington.