New book enjoyably recounts the golden age of ‘Summerall and Madden’

In retrospect, it seems inevitable and a no-brainer that network TV executives would pair Pat Summerall and John Madden in the broadcast booth for NFL football games.

They were a natural pairing with Summerall’s low-key style giving Madden the time and opportunity to entertain fans with his bombastic style.

But as the new book Madden & Summerall: How they  Revolutionized NFL Broadcasting by author  Rich Podolsky points out,  a lot of things had to fall in place for them to ever share the booth.

It is often forgotten that Summerall was at the top of the profession before he was teamed with Madden. He was fortunate enough to join the Giants late in his career and made a lot of connections in New York, then started in radio and worked his way up to become part of the No. 1 CBS broadcasting team with Tom Brookshier.

They might have spent their careers together except for one problem: This was the Mad Men era in New York, and Summerall and Brooksheier loved to drink and stay out all night. In one bizarre escapade, they unhitched a horse from a hansom cab and tried to walk him up the steps to the Plaza Hotel. Summerall pointed out they had a reservation. The horse didn’t.

After  nearly seven years together, the TV executives decided it was time to split up Summerall and Brookshier after they got negative reviews for their broadcast of Super Bowl XIV. The two leading candidates to pair with Summerall were Vin Scully and Madden, who got started in broadcasting  almost by accident as he was looking for something to do after retiring as the Raiders coach. Madden had a lot to learn and did only six games in 1980. His bigger splash instead was doing a Lite Beer commercial.

Scully, if course, was the legendary Dodgers baseball announcer, but even though Madden was inexperienced, Summerall was the better choice to pair with Madden  because he gave Madden the time between plays to become the Madden we all know. Scully was a storyteller himself, so he wouldn’t have meshed as well with Madden.

Summerall and Madden became the best broadcasting duo in TV history, and when Fox got the NFC rights when CBS declined to match their offer, they quickly signed Madden and Summerall to give them credibility since they had never done NFL games. Thought Madden and Summerall were not buddies like Summerall was with Brookshier, their chemistry in the booth couldn’t have been better.

But there were some bumps along the road. Although Madden didn’t drink, Summerall continued to drink until his friends staged an intervention. He agreed to go to Betty Ford, stayed for 33 days and stayed sober for the rest of his life, although the drinking had taken a toll and he finally needed a liver transplant.

Eventually Summerall started making mistakes, and Fox executives decided it was time for him to retire and called a press conference. But Summerall couldn’t give it up and said at the press conference he wasn’t retiring (although he eventually did so). Fox wanted to pair Madden with Joe Buck but he decided to do Monday Night Football with Al Michaels instead.

The liver transplant gave Summerall nine more years, but after a fall, he broke his hip and had a hip replacement. The hip replacement went well, but he collapsed preparing for his second rehab and had an embolism and died of a blood clot at age 82. Naturally, his widow asked Madden to give the eulogy.

Madden wound up working 13 years with CBS, eight with Fox, four with ESPN and two with NBC before retiring. He eventually made the Hall of Fame as a coach and gave his famous speech about the busts talking to each other at night after the HOF closed each evening.

But Madden wasn’t the retiring type, and his wife suggested the league give him a role, so he was made special assistant to the commissioner and a member of the safety committee.

Madden wound up having a triple bypass and became less mobile as his football injuries caught up with him. He still seemed healthy but died in a car while being driven to a routine doctor’s appointment. They had a small private service, but the eulogies poured in and even Scully said Madden and Summerall had the perfect partnership.

Madden and Summerall now belong to the ages and will be remembered as long as NFL games are broadcast. They set a standard that is not like to be matched. Credit Podolsky for writing a book that will help future generations understand what they meant to pro football. And they can always watch the games they broadcast on videotape.