Tributes are coming in for Pat Summerall:
John Madden on his long-time partner at CBS and Fox: “Pat was my broadcasting partner for a long time, but more than that he was my friend for all of these years. We never had one argument, and that was because of Pat. He was a great broadcaster and a great man. He always had a joke. Pat never complained and we never had an unhappy moment. He was something very special. Pat Summerall is the voice of football and always will be.”
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CBS noted Summerall’s impact on its coverage of sports:
Pat Summerall worked for CBS Sports from 1962-94. He called 13 Super Bowls, 26 Masters and 21 U.S. Open Tennis Championships for the Network.
“There is no one more closely associated with the great legacy and tradition of CBS Sports than Pat Summerall. His voice was synonymous with big events whether it was NFL football and the Super Bowl, the Masters or U.S. Open Tennis.” – Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports
“Pat Summerall was a hero to me. I treasured the gift of friendship that I had with him. I was his understudy for 10 years. He could not have been more generous or kind to a young broadcaster. He was a giant and one of the iconic figures in the history of the CBS Television Network.” – CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz
“In 1976 I was a junior in college and Chuck Will put me in the 18th tower as a spotter for Pat Summerall. He told me, ‘You’re not going to meet a finer man in this business than Pat Summerall.’ And to this day, I never have. He was kind to everyone. When you were around him you never knew that he was the number one broadcaster. He taught me so much, not only about this business, but how to treat people. I’m sad on this day, but also smiling because I know he will be with his good buddy Tom Brookshier.” – Lance Barrow, Coordinating Producer, CBS Sports, Golf and NFL
“Pat was a friend of nearly 40 years. He was a master of restraint in his commentary, an example for all of us. He was also one of the great storytellers who ever spoke into a microphone.” – CBS Sports’ Verne Lundquist
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Fox Sports noted Summerall and Madden gave their new sports enterprise instant credibility:
Pat was an icon in his profession, and was the voice that defined the NFL on television for generations of fans. He and John Madden helped give FOX Sports and the NFL on FOX credibility when it launched almost 20 years ago, and for that we’ll be forever grateful. Pat’s 50-year record as an NFL player and broadcaster is truly unique, and it will be very difficult for anyone to ever walk in his footsteps. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to Pat’s wife Cheri and the Summerall family.
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Al Michaels told Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead what made Summerall so good:
Pat Summerall was just a classy, classy man. He had a very soothing style. Pat was what I would call a very comfortable listen. You could sit back and enjoy the game, and by design, he was more of a minimalist in how he approached things.
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Mike Tirico on ESPN:
Pat was the gold standard….When the moment got bigger, Pat had a way to find the right phrase, right word that set the tone, captured the moment, but never got in the way of the event.
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And there will be more.