 Born in Lake City, Florida, on May 10,
1930, sportscasting legend Pat Summerall was the premier
play-by-play football announcer during his more than 40 year
broadcasting career. Before becoming a sportscaster, in 1962,
Summerall was a placekicker for the Chicago Cardinals and New York
Giants. After his playing career he joined the CBS network, first
on radio and then television. He worked at CBS for 32 years, before
moving with broadcasting partner John Madden to FOX, when they
outbid CBS for the
broadcast rights of the NFL, in 1994. Summerall continued to
broadcast with Madden until he retired in 2001. He then came out of
retirement to broadcast the 2002 season, before retiring again
after the season. During his outstanding career, Summerall
broadcast 16 Super Bowls on television, and 10 on radio. He was
also noted for his coverage of major golf and tennis events,
including the Masters and U.S. Open. In recognition of his
outstanding career as a football broadcaster, the Pro Football Hall
of Fame awarded him the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television award in
1994. Among his many other accolades, was his naming as National
Sportscaster of the Year in 1977. Summerall was inducted into the
National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame
on May 2, 1994, for his outstanding contributions as a
sportscaster. |