Thursday, 07 May 2026

Pat Summerall

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Commentators 2026
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Football, Golf & Tennis
Statistics & Accolades: National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame
American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame
Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame
Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award
Sports Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award
Pat Summerall had the physique of a football player, and he showed it over ten years in the National Football League, but he had the voice meant to announce.

Following the end of his playing career, Summerall moved into color commentary for CBS, and when the network discontinued the practice of assigning crews to specific teams, he was promoted to the lead color man. However, year after year, it became clear that Summerall was meant to be the play-by-play man, and in 1974, that is what he became.

A master of minimalism, Summerall’s authoritative voice always said something when it was worthy of being said. This also made him the perfect straight man, and when he was paired with the bombastic John Madden, magic happened, as they were vaulted to the top duo in all North American Sports. They were so important that when Fox outbid CBS for the NFL, the first thing they did was sign Summerall and Madden as their lead team, which automatically legitimized Fox’s network coverage of football. Over his career, Summerall called 11 Super Bowls.

In addition to his work in football, Summerall called multiple golf and tennis events, as well as basketball when needed.

We are proud to nominate Pat Summerall for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.

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