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 the former Oakland Raiders coach badly wanted to keep – and did – when he had to switch networks 20 years ago.
“Pat was my broadcasting partner for a long time, but more than that he was my friend for all of these years,” Madden said in a statement Tuesday. “Pat Summerall is the voice of football and always will be.”
Summerall played 10 NFL seasons from 1952 to 1961 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.
“Pat was a friend of nearly 40 years,” CBS Sports broadcaster Verne Lundquist said. “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.”