He may not be what he was but he still feels like Football to me....
Pat Summerall, who underwent a liver transplant in April, is headed to ESPN.
The network announced Monday that Summerall will work as a play-by-play announcer with analysts Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire for four NFL preseason telecasts, beginning with Atlanta at Baltimore on August 12.
The long-time voice of the NFL with CBS and Fox, Summerall will fill in for ESPN Sunday night regular Mike Patrick, who is scheduled for heart bypass surgery this month. Patrick is expected to resume his play-by-play duties for the September 12 regular season opener.
"Our first priority is seeing that Mike has a full and smooth recovery," ESPN executive vice president Mark Shapiro said. "In the meantime, who better to come off the bench than a legendary voice like Pat Summerall."
The 73-year-old Summerall underwent a liver transplant on April 10 at the Mayo Clinic's St. Luke's Hospital, but told the Dallas Morning News last week that he feels better than he has in the last five years.
Summerall spent time at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1992 after years of heavy drinking, and his wife admitted that his alcoholism was the reason he required a transplant.
Summerall called more than 1,000 NFL games in a career that started on CBS and ended on the Fox Network in 2002. In 1993, he was presented with an Emmy award for lifetime achievement followed a year later by the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.
In April 1997, Summerall was inducted to the NFL Alumni's Order of the Leather Helmet in recognition of his contributions to the sport.
Summerall moved to the broadcast booth in 1961 after a 10-year playing career with the Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants.
Pat Summerall, who underwent a liver transplant in April, is headed to ESPN.
The network announced Monday that Summerall will work as a play-by-play announcer with analysts Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire for four NFL preseason telecasts, beginning with Atlanta at Baltimore on August 12.
The long-time voice of the NFL with CBS and Fox, Summerall will fill in for ESPN Sunday night regular Mike Patrick, who is scheduled for heart bypass surgery this month. Patrick is expected to resume his play-by-play duties for the September 12 regular season opener.
"Our first priority is seeing that Mike has a full and smooth recovery," ESPN executive vice president Mark Shapiro said. "In the meantime, who better to come off the bench than a legendary voice like Pat Summerall."
The 73-year-old Summerall underwent a liver transplant on April 10 at the Mayo Clinic's St. Luke's Hospital, but told the Dallas Morning News last week that he feels better than he has in the last five years.
Summerall spent time at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1992 after years of heavy drinking, and his wife admitted that his alcoholism was the reason he required a transplant.
Summerall called more than 1,000 NFL games in a career that started on CBS and ended on the Fox Network in 2002. In 1993, he was presented with an Emmy award for lifetime achievement followed a year later by the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.
In April 1997, Summerall was inducted to the NFL Alumni's Order of the Leather Helmet in recognition of his contributions to the sport.
Summerall moved to the broadcast booth in 1961 after a 10-year playing career with the Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants.
