| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, The life of a legendary sports broadcaster drew to a |
|
|
close with the passing of Pat Summerall on April 16, 2013, at the |
|
|
age of 82; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, George Allen Summerall was born in Florida on May |
|
|
10, 1930; nicknamed "Pat" by his aunt and uncle, Mr. Summerall was a |
|
|
gifted multisport athlete in high school; he went on to play |
|
|
football, basketball, and baseball at the University of Arkansas, |
|
|
where he earned a bachelor's degree in education and, later, a |
|
|
master's degree in Russian history; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Selected by the Detroit Lions in the 1952 National |
|
|
Football League draft, Mr. Summerall spent one year with that team |
|
|
and five seasons with the Chicago Cardinals before joining the New |
|
|
York Giants in 1958; though he sometimes played as a tight end or |
|
|
defensive end, he became best known as a placekicker, and during his |
|
|
first year with New York, he kicked a game-winning field goal in a |
|
|
snowstorm to lead the team to the playoffs; he competed in three NFL |
|
|
championship games with the Giants, and he retired after the 1961 |
|
|
season, having scored 563 points during his 10 years in the league; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Summerall got his start as an announcer at CBS |
|
|
Radio, where he was hired to voice short feature stories while still |
|
|
with the Giants; after concluding his playing career, he began |
|
|
broadcasting NFL games, and during his more than 40 years in the |
|
|
booth, he became one of the most popular announcers in professional |
|
|
sports; known as "the voice of football," Mr. Summerall covered 37 |
|
|
NFL seasons, including 16 Super Bowls, and he was part of two famous |
|
|
partnerships, working with Tom Brookshier in the 1970s and with |
|
|
John Madden from 1981 to 2001; his understated style and |
|
|
authoritative tone perfectly balanced Mr. Madden's lively and |
|
|
detailed delivery, and the duo produced numerous memorable |
|
|
broadcasts, including Super Bowl XVI, the most-watched game in NFL |
|
|
history; Mr. Summerall also served as an announcer for other |
|
|
sports, calling 26 Masters Championships in golf and 21 U.S. Open |
|
|
tennis tournaments; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, He retired from broadcasting in 2002, having earned |
|
|
numerous accolades; he was named National Sportscaster of the Year |
|
|
by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association in |
|
|
1977, and the organization inducted him into their hall of fame in |
|
|
1994; he was a member of the American Sportscasters Association |
|
|
Hall of Fame as well, and he was also the recipient of the lifetime |
|
|
achievement award from the National Academy of Television Arts and |
|
|
Sciences and the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro |
|
|
Football Hall of Fame; since 2006, the NFL has presented the annual |
|
|
Pat Summerall Award during Super Bowl weekend to a person whose |
|
|
career has "demonstrated the character, integrity, and leadership |
|
|
both on and off the job that the name Pat Summerall represents"; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, A longtime resident of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, |
|
|
Mr. Summerall was baptized at First Baptist Church in Euless and was |
|
|
a member of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano; in all his |
|
|
endeavors, he enjoyed the support of his loving wife and best |
|
|
friend, Cheri Summerall; he was the father of 3 children, Susan, |
|
|
Jay, and Kyle, and saw his family grow to include 10 grandchildren; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Over the course of four decades, Pat Summerall was a |
|
|
beloved and respected voice for millions of sports fans, and his |
|
|
legacy will continue to be revered for many years to come; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Pat Summerall and |
|
|
extend deepest condolences to the members of his family: to his |
|
|
wife, Cheri Summerall; to his children, Susan Wiles and her |
|
|
husband, Lanny, Jay Summerall and his wife, Kathy, and Kyle |
|
|
Summerall and his wife, Dana; to his grandchildren, Katharine Wiles |
|
|
Luebker and her husband, Garrett, Caroline Wiles, and Mary Beth, |
|
|
Patrick, Ann, William, Charlotte, Emily, Sarah Rose, and Marian |
|
|
Summerall; and to his other relatives and many friends; and, be it |
|
|
further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
|
|
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Pat |
|
|
Summerall. |