Broadcasting Legend Pat Summerall Dies At 82
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Pat Summerall, the deep-voiced NFL player-turned-broadcaster who spent half of his four decades calling sports famously paired with John Madden, died Tuesday. He was 82.
Susie Wiles, Summerall's daughter, said her father died in Dallas.
"He was an extraordinary man and a wonderful father," Wiles said. "I know he will be greatly missed."
Summerall began working for CBS in 1961 and stayed there for 31 years before moving to Fox for the final eight years of his career.
Summerall spent much of his time honing a fantastic chemistry with the most famous football analyst in history, John Madden, and tributes have began pouring in on social media from those who associate Summerall with the big-time football games of their youth.
"When it comes to play by play, Pat Summerall is the gold standard" said Dallas Broadcaster Brad Sham on 105.3 The Fan.
Brad Sham remember broadcasting legend Pat Summerall
And in North Texas, Pat Summerall wasn't just an institution for fans of the Dallas Cowboys...he had the respect of the players as well. KRLD's L-P Phillips spoke with Dallas Cowboys legend Roger Staubach about Pat.
Roger Staubach remembers Pat Summerall
Summerall played 10 seasons in the NFL (1952-61) with the Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants.
Long before broadcasting Super Bowl games, 16 for television and 10 more for radio -- in fact, before there was even a Super Bowl -- Summerall played a role in what is known in football circles as "The Greatest Game Ever Played," the 1958 NFL championship. The Giants lost to the Baltimore Colts 23-17 in the NFL's first-ever overtime game.
Besides the NFL he also covered the the Masters from 1968-94, and the U.S. Open tennis tournament.
(© Copyright 2013 CBS Local Media a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report)
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