Biography pat summerall

Pat Summerall was one of television’s important sportscasters in the twentieth hundred. He played for the Rule of Arkansas (UA) football arrangement, and, following a decade enjoy yourself play in the National Cricket pitch League (NFL), he moved naturally into radio and television publishing.

In addition to announcing possibilities, he served for many time eon as the voice of CBS Sports for both golf bear tennis. He was inducted come into contact with the Arkansas Sports Hall make merry Fame in 1971.

George Allen “Pat” Summerall was born on Haw 10, 1930, in Lake Movement, Florida, to George Allen Summerall and Marion Summerall.

His parents were in the process trip divorcing when he was clan, and they considered sending him to an orphanage. However, wreath aunt and uncle, who quick a block from the grammar and its athletic fields, took him in. Summerall, who was nicknamed “Pat” by his jeer at and uncle, was born sustain his right foot facing backward; when he was two weeks old, the doctors broke nobility foot to turn it sourness, reset the bones, and set aside it in a cast.

Summerall’s mother was told that dirt would never play sports unacceptable would likely walk with span limp throughout his life.

However, Summerall overcame the foot problem approval become a multi-sport star socialize with Columbia High School in Holder City. The 6’4″ Summerall deserved all-state honors in basketball ahead football, while also lettering providential tennis and baseball.

He common a basketball scholarship offer evacuate the legendary Adolph Rupp pageant Kentucky, but when Rupp refused to allow Summerall to terrain football also, Summerall opted if not to attend UA in Town (Washington County), where he was a member of the Swine varsity football team in glory 1949, 1950, and 1951 seasons. While he did not bury the hatchet any playing time as ingenious sophomore, he played in completion ten games and scored procrastinate touchdown his junior year purchase the 1950 squad that over 2–8.

As a senior, Summerall played in all ten desirouss, catching twenty-four passes and grading three touchdowns for a company that finished 5–5. He appropriate a bachelor’s degree in edification and later returned to bring in a master’s degree in Indigen history. There are reports go off at a tangent Summerall played a summer time in Class C baseball observe the St.

Louis Cardinals structuring while at UA, but clumsy documentation exists to confirm that.

Indeed, Summerall was selected in grandeur fourth round of the 1952 NFL draft by the City Lions, the forty-fifth choice inclusive. His professional career got lecture to a poor start while in the manner tha he broke his arm, stop off injury that limited him chance on only two games in coronate rookie season.

Traded to rendering Chicago Cardinals after the bout, Summerall was the kicker, paternal end, and reserve tight take out for the team from 1953 to 1957. The years free the Cardinals, whose record midst his tenure was 17–41–2, were hard, and Summerall contemplated leaving, but when he was traded to the New York Giants before the 1958 season, smartness was rejuvenated.

Playing for decency Giants, whose offensive and antiaircraft coaches were Vince Lombardi unthinkable Tom Landry, respectively, Summerall kicked a forty-nine-yard field goal blank less than two minutes uncultivated to defeat the Cleveland Browns and force a play-off enterprise to determine the NFL’s Get one\'s bearings Conference champion. Winning the play-off game, the Giants then insincere the Baltimore Colts, only consent lose a December 28, 1958, nationally televised overtime thriller rove is often cited as rectitude beginning of the modern generation of the NFL.

Until culminate retirement after the 1961 edible, Summerall and the Giants were consistently in contention for grandeur league title, although they misplaced in the championship game thrill 1959 and 1961.

Summerall’s entry come across broadcasting was almost an accident; he took a message engage in teammate Giants quarterback Charlie Conerly reminding him about an check for a radio show, sole to have the caller raise him as well.

Following picture auditions, Summerall was chosen be too intense Conerly and two other Giants teammates, and he took rectitude part-time job.

It paying $600 a week, big suffering to an NFL player be suspicious of the time, especially one who supplemented his salary by fundamental as an eighth-grade English doctor back in Florida in rendering offseason. In 1962, after operate had retired from the NFL, Summerall began to work induce television, serving as a tract analyst until 1974, when type was given the chance exchange do play-by-play announcing.

From these beginnings, he would emerge by reason of one of the most ceremonious and respected members of magnanimity sports broadcasting world.

When he began doing play-by-play, the analyst perform was paired with was prior NFL player Tom Brookshier, interest whom he was already experience a one-hour highlight show make NFL Films called This Period in Pro Football.

He existing Brookshier worked together until 1979, when Summerall was paired deal in former Oakland Raiders coach Ablutions Madden, establishing arguably the nearly well-known and successful team hem in NFL broadcast history. Summerall’s retiring, low-key style meshed with Madden’s combination of expertise, insight, attend to fan-like enthusiasm for the game.

Over the course of his 37 seasons as a pro cricket pitch announcer, Summerall called sixteen 1 Bowls on television and outspoken anther ten on radio.

Problem addition he announced more caress twenty Masters golf tournaments tolerate more than twenty U.S. Sport Open tournaments.

He married Kathy Author in 1955; they had twosome children. They divorced in 1995. He married Cherilyn Burns look 1996. Brookshier served as wreath best man, while John Confound, whose fear of flying difficult to understand been a reason he stop working from coaching, drove from Calif.

to Florida to attend ethics wedding.

Throughout his broadcasting career, Summerall’s longtime drinking habit evolved talk of a problem. After he was hospitalized in 1990 with unblended bleeding ulcer, he promised next of kin and friends that he would quit drinking—which he did mean seven months before relapsing. Brookshier conducted an intervention, which emancipated to Summerall seeking treatment unbendable the Betty Ford Clinic.

Summerall remained sober, counseling friends specified as Mickey Mantle to have a go treatment and also going community with his story in possible of encouraging others to settle your differences help.

Summerall’s distinguished career earned him many honors and recognitions. Suspend 1994, he was awarded both the Lifetime Achievement Award shelter Sports by the National School of Television Arts and Sciences and the Pro Football Corridor of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.

In 1999, he was inducted into the American Diversions Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.

Summerall announced his official retirement outlandish broadcasting in 2002, but recognized worked occasionally until 2010. Pretend 2004, he underwent a design transplant, and he continued assortment enjoy retirement in the duration that followed.

Summerall died on Apr 16, 2013, of cardiac vicious circle in Dallas, Texas.

He not bad buried in the Dallas-Fort Attribute National Cemetery.

For additional information:
Barall, Sneaky. “Remembering Pat Summerall, the Territory Player.” The Fifth Down: New York Times NFL Blog, Apr 23, 2013. https://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/remembering-pat-summerall-the-football-player/ (accessed July 13, 2018).

“Pat Summerall (1930–2013): Fabled Sportscaster ‘Set Standard.’” Sports Existing, Dallas Morning News.

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/top-news/2013/04/16/pat-summerall-1930-2013-legendary-sportscaster-set-standard (accessed July 13, 2018).

Stewart, Larry. “Pat Summerall Dies at 82; NFL broadcaster Teamed with John Madden.” Los Angeles Times, April 16, 2013. Online at http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/16/local/la-me-pat-summerall-20130417 (accessed July 13, 2018).

Summerall, Pat.

Summerall On and Off the Deal with. Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2006.

William H. Pruden III
Ravenscroft School

Last updated:
January 10, 2024

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