For years, if one wanted to watch the most intriguing match-up of that Sunday's NFL schedule, the viewer would be hearing Pat Summerall and John Madden on the telecast. This is a very good book on the success of that duo.
Title/Author:
“Madden & Summerall: How They Revolutionized NFL Broadcasting” by Rich Podolsky
Rating:
4 of 5 stars (very good)
Review:
For football fans who watched games on TV in the 1980’s and 1990’s, there were a pair of broadcasters who were assigned to the biggest game played on Sunday: Pat Summerally with the play by play and John Madden as the color commentator. Their chemistry in the booth was fantastic and made the games must-see TV. This book by Rich Podolsky offers an in-depth look at both men during their partnership in the booth.
Both of them became well known before pursuing broadcasting. Summerall had a successful playing career as a kicker, mostly for the New York Giants. Madden had ten highly successful years as head coach of the Oakland Raiders, capping it off with a victory in Super Bowl XI. Their pre-broadcasting days are covered quite well by Podolsky.
Their paths to becoming the most popular and successful broadcasting team took different paths and the book takes the reader onto both trails in a very informative and entertaining manner. Summerall was much more comfortable with the transition to the role of broadcaster and had several successful years with his first partner, Tom Brookshire.
That changed after Madden was hired to do commentary full time after a 4 game audition, one of which was with Summerall. Madden always expressed his gratitude toward Summerall for helping him through those early days. When CBS, the network the two worked for at the time, made the decision to replace Brookshire with Madden, it was like a match made in heaven. Fans, critics and nearly everyone associated with football loved the pairing.
The book doesn’t just talk about the games and broadcasts as many other topics that affected the pair are discussed, for both their professional and personal lives. On the former, that included when Fox outbid CBS for NFL games in 1994 and the pair went to that network where they remained until Summerall’s last game in Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. There’s also Madden’s “turducken” (always mentioned on their Thanksgiving Day game), the telestrator and the All-Madden team.
As for their personal stories, those are covered thoroughly as well. From Summerall’s alcoholism and health issues to Madden’s fear of flying and closed spaces, just about everything you want to know about their personal lives (not all of it bad, despite these examples) is covered in the book. It’s a fun, entertaining and informative read on this iconic broadcasting team.
I wish to thank The Globe Pequot Publishing Group for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
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