A new book argues that Pat Summerall and John Madden were the greatest NFL broadcast duo of all time.
Summerall and Madden worked together for 21 years, first at CBS and later at FOX.
The book highlights how Madden, a former Super Bowl-winning coach, became a beloved football teacher for the nation.
Pat Summerall and John Madden, the greatest NFL broadcast duo to ever do it.
That’s what author Rich Podolsky argues in his new book, “Madden & Summerall: How They Revolutionized NFL Broadcasting” (Lyons Press, hardcover $32.95).
Over 21 years, Madden and Summerall became the voice of the NFL, from their early days together at CBS in the 1980s to their joint transition to FOX in 1994 until 2001.
The next year debuted the broadcast pairing of Joe Buck and Tory Aikman (Cris Collinsworth was there, too) on FOX, and together Buck and Aikman became the modern-day version of Summerall and Madden for new NFL fans.
With this being their 24th season under their belt, they are the longest-serving television duo to call the NFL.
Buck and Aikman wrote the dual forewords of Podolsky’s book – Aikman honored Madden, while Buck wrote about Summerall, mirroring the roles they hold in their respective books. And like Madden and Summerall went to FOX together, Buck and Aikman arrived at ESPN in a package deal.
By bringing in Buck and Aikman, Disney solved its problem of a struggling “MNF” booth in one fell swoop and the move allowed the NFL to bring the company back into its Super Bowl rotation; ESPN and ABC have Super Bowl 61 in 2027, and Aikman and Buck will be on the call.
Best NFL TV pairings ever? Madden, Summerall might be No. 1
What’s interesting about Madden’s rise is that it was one of those “gradually, then suddenly” deals. After his early retirement from coaching, which included a Super Bowl title with the Oakland Raiders, Madden agreed to call five games in 1979. He hadn’t been anointed as some superstar announcer before he entered the booth (although the cottage industry that traffic in sports media coverage was not yet as robust). But after a few games, it became clear of his potential, hence the tryout between Summerall and Vin Scully to be Madden’s full-time partner.
Summerall’s backstory as a player who was a defensive end and kicker and his transition to being a full-time radio man in New York in the 1960s is well-chronicled. The book does a good job of making the breakup of the Tom Brookshier-Summerall partnership the big deal it was at the time. The duo’s partying had irked CBS executives, the book details, with their nights on the town reaching levels of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. That opened the seat next to Summerall, which Madden filled for 21 years.
An ideal booth pairing is capable of playing off one another. Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth excel at this, and their call of the tie between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers on Sunday was a perfect example. Even though both were talking as the frenetic final throw from Jordan Love occurred, they managed to play off one another.
And that’s the magic Summerall and Madden had. It didn’t take a book to be written for the world to know that he said a lot without saying much. The style paired perfectly with Madden, who could go on his tangents and lean into his teaching. Often, Podolsky notes, Summerall could lead Madden down the desired path with a simple “Yes?” or “Really?”
Aikman and Buck have worked together enough to achieve a similar level of shared-brain broadcasting.
The best TV partnerships are more fortuitous than manufactured. Look at Ian Eagle and JJ Watt currently on CBS. Buck and Aikman had met only once before they started working together. FOX doesn’t have to look far for what Burkhardt and Greg Olsen had, but it’s worth noting that pairing benefited from the good fortune that the two had known each other for decades.
The tales of Madden essentially saving his job at a luncheon for advertising executives the week of the Super Bowl and how he reluctantly entered the business – although his dissatisfaction with the announcers piqued his interest in the gig – were amusing.
Madden is known beyond the broadcasting booth. The video game franchise. The turducken. The All-Madden team. The Madden Mobile. But the main idea the book conveys about Madden is that he was the nation’s foremost football teacher. The professorial nature has been marred by the Frank Caliendo impersonation that influences the modern generation, but the level to which film breakdowns have become popular starts with Madden bringing it mainstream on TV.
Another interesting note was how those who worked on Madden-Summerall broadcasts now call shots for the biggest games and still affect how we consume the NFL. Richie Zyontz, for example, is now FOX’s lead game producer for the NFL and works on a weekly basis with Brady and Burkhardt – he started as a CBS security guard before breaking into the production truck.
The fingerprints of both Madden and Summerall remain all over NFL television broadcasts.