Legendary NFL broadcaster Pat Summerall joined me this afternoon to tell some stories from his new autobiography, “On and Off The Air.”
We talked about his recovery from alcoholism, why CBS broke up the team of Summerall and Tom Brookshier, what is was like broadcasting the first Super Bowl, and names from Jack Buck to Tom Landry to Vince Lombardi.
He also told several stories from his years with John Madden, including the classic “cantilever” segment, the time Madden sat on and crushed Summerall’s headset on the air, and why Madden was so nervous before their first game together.
Summerall revealed the advice he gave Cris Collinsworth in his efforts to become a play-by-play man, the sport that he thinks is the toughest to broadcast, and much more.