Longtime NFL broadcaster and former player Pat Summerall died Tuesday at the age of 82.
Summerall achieved iconic status among generations of NFL fans as a CBS analyst from 1961 to 1993. In 1994, he would make the switch to call games for FOX, where he and longtime partner John Madden were regularly assigned to work games at Texas Stadium.
Dallas was a fitting locale for Summerall to ply his trademark, less-is-more style of commentary. The former NFL placekicker, who spent time with the Detroit Lions, Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants, lived the latter years of his life in nearby Southlake, Texas, with his wife Cheri.
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said he was saddened to hear of the loss of Summerall, who worked closely with the Cowboys organization following his retirement from broadcasting in 2002.
"Pat was the NFL's narrator for generations, with a voice that was powerful, eloquent and distinctive," Jones said. "His presence at an NFL game elevated that event to a higher level. He was royalty in the broadcast booth. He was respected and admired by players, coaches, commissioners and Presidents of our country—and always a gentleman—someone who had time for the fans in the parking lot after the game."
Jones continued: "Humility and kindness were his closest companions. He was a trusted friend and confidant, and for all of his immense talents as a professional, he was an even better person.
For a man who could dramatically capture a moment with very few words, there simply aren't enough words to adequately describe what he meant to sports and broadcasting in this country.
There is no question that Pat broadcast more Dallas games on CBS and FOX than any other man, and this is a great loss for thousands of Cowboys fans who spent their Sunday afternoons in the living room with Pat.
Our hearts go out to Cheri and his family. Pat was an icon and an American original."
Longtime NFL broadcaster and former player Pat Summerall died Tuesday at the age of 82.
Summerall achieved iconic status among generations of NFL fans as a CBS analyst from 1961 to 1993. In 1994, he would make the switch to call games for FOX, where he and longtime partner John Madden were regularly assigned to work games at Texas Stadium.
Dallas was a fitting locale for Summerall to ply his trademark, less-is-more style of commentary. The former NFL placekicker, who spent time with the Detroit Lions, Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants, lived the latter years of his life in nearby Southlake, Texas, with his wife Cheri.
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said he was saddened to hear of the loss of Summerall, who worked closely with the Cowboys organization following his retirement from broadcasting in 2002.
"Pat was the NFL's narrator for generations, with a voice that was powerful, eloquent and distinctive," Jones said. "His presence at an NFL game elevated that event to a higher level. He was royalty in the broadcast booth. He was respected and admired by players, coaches, commissioners and Presidents of our country—and always a gentleman—someone who had time for the fans in the parking lot after the game."
Jones continued: "Humility and kindness were his closest companions. He was a trusted friend and confidant, and for all of his immense talents as a professional, he was an even better person.
For a man who could dramatically capture a moment with very few words, there simply aren't enough words to adequately describe what he meant to sports and broadcasting in this country.
There is no question that Pat broadcast more Dallas games on CBS and FOX than any other man, and this is a great loss for thousands of Cowboys fans who spent their Sunday afternoons in the living room with Pat.
Our hearts go out to Cheri and his family. Pat was an icon and an American original."
