Pat Summerall, the iconic voice best known for his 50 years of broadcasting NFL games at CBS, FOX and ESPN, passed away Tuesday at the age of 82, just a month short of his 83rd birthday.
Summerall had been inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame as well as the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame.
Pat Summerall is perhaps most closely linked with his longtime broadcasting partner John Madden, with whom he called five Super Bowls.
In his illustrious and versatile broadcasting career, Summerall called 16 Super Bowls, 20 U.S. Opens for tennis, and 27 Masters Tournaments in golf.
Since 2006, every Super Bowl weekend has included the giving away of the Pat Summerall Award to a “deserving recipient who through their career has demonstrated the character, integrity and leadership both on and off the job that the name Pat Summerall represents.”
Though us sports fans haven’t had the pleasure of regularly listening to his voice in the booth since 2008, his passing will certainly resonate in the sports world.