Summerall ‘was what NFL was all about’
Pat Summerall was the calm alongside John Madden’s storm.
Over four decades, Summerall’s deep, resonant voice described some of the biggest games in America. Simple, spare, he delivered the details on 16 Super Bowls, the Masters and the U.S. Open tennis tournament with a simple, understated style that was the perfect complement for the “booms!” and “bangs!” of Madden, his partner for half of the NFL player-turned-broadcaster’s career.
Summerall died Tuesday at age 82 of cardiac arrest, said University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center spokesperson Jeff Carlton, speaking on behalf of Summerall’s wife, Cheri.
“He was an extraordinary man and a wonderful father,” said Susie Wiles, his daughter. “I know he will be greatly missed.”
His final play-by-play words beside Madden were succinct, of course, as he called the game-ending field goal of the Super Bowl for Fox on Feb. 3, 2002, when New England beat St. Louis 20-17.
“It’s right down the pipe. Adam Vinatieri. No time on the clock. And the Patriots have won Super Bowl XXXVI. Unbelievable,” Summerall said.
Sparse, exciting, perfect. A flawless summation without distracting from the reaction viewers could see on the screen.
At the end of their final broadcast together, Madden described Summerall as “a treasure” and the “spirit of the National Football League” in a tribute to the partner that complemented the boisterous former Oakland Raiders coach so well.
“You are what the NFL is all about, what pro football is all about, and more important, what a man is all about and what a gentleman is all about,” Madden said.
As former teammate and broadcaster Frank Gifford put it in an accompanying video tribute: “America is very comfortable with Pat Summerall.”
Summerall played 10 NFL seasons (1952-61) with the Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants, but it was in his second career that he became a voice familiar to generations of sports fans, not only those of the NFL.
A recovering alcoholic, Summerall had a liver transplant in April 2004. The life-saving surgery was necessary even after 12 years of sobriety.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete.