Summerall: On and Off the Air

Summerall: On and Off the Air, by Pat Summerall

Sports fans and non-sports fans alike will enjoy Summerall: On and Off the Air (Nelson, 2006). Pat Summerall started out life with a "clubfoot", which his parents and doctor decided to break and reset when he was baby. It's a good thing, too, because Pat ended up excelling in high school sports, and eventually played professional football with the Detroit Lions, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Giants. (On the off-season he decided to start a hog farm, which didn't pan out!) He met a lot of interesting and famous people along the way, and even shared a locker with Mickey Mantle at Yankee Stadium! As his football career was coming to a close, he encountered a bit of good fortune. A friend convinced him to audition for a radio announcer's job to broadcast football games. Even though he had no training in this area, he tried out and landed the job. This resulted in a very successful 30-year broadcasting career in football, baseball and golf. Unfortunately, years of alcohol abuse caught up with him and cost him his marriage and his health. Only through the generous donation of a liver donor was he able to survive. During this ordeal, he became a born-again Christian, and his religion has become a prime force in his life. He was able to return to the broadcast booth and resume a normal life. This is a very interesting character study as well as a narrative on professional football.
-Carl