I don't remember when Madden and Summerall called NFL games together, although I was watching football before Summerall retired. I'm sure I heard the two of them in the booth together. I do very fondly remember Madden and Al Michaels calling Sunday night games (I was so sad when Madden retired and Cris Collingsworth took over).
Coach Madden was a treasure. Have you heard of a turducken? It's because of him. And for 21 years, Pat Summerall was his perfect foil. Pat used to call games with his buddy, Tom Brookshier. Their nights of drunken debauchery are, apparently, legendary (I'm trying to track down Summerall's bio so I can read about them). Eventually CBS broke them up and paired Pat with Coach Madden, who was very new to broadcasting. They weren't friends outside of work but they worked very well together. I went on YouTube to watch some clips and they were hysterical. And boy, has football changed. I saw one play and said "Oh, pass interference!" but no one threw a flag. No foul on the play. Back when they could just *play*.
Pat quit drinking after an intervention but the damage was done. He had a liver transplant in his early 70s and lived another 10 years. Coach Madden retired and then passed away in 2021. A true end to an era.
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