What was Pat Summerall's Net Worth?
Pat Summerall was an American professional football player and television sportscaster who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. During his playing career, which lasted from 1952 to 1961, he played for the NFL's Detroit Lions, Chicago Cardinals, and New York Giants. Summerall went on to become a prolific sportscaster for CBS and Fox, calling major golf, tennis, and basketball events in addition to football.
Early Life and Education
Pat Summerall was born as George Summerall on May 10, 1930 in Lake City, Florida. There, he went to Columbia High School, where he was a four-sport athlete in football, tennis, basketball, and baseball. In both football and basketball, Summerall was named an All-State selection. He went on to attend the University of Arkansas, where he played college football with the Razorbacks from 1949 to 1951. Summerall alternated between defensive end, tight end, and placekicker during his time at Arkansas.
NFL Career
In the 1952 NFL draft, Summerall was chosen by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round. However, after breaking his arm in the preseason, he was unable to play in the regular 1952 season. Summerall was subsequently traded to the Chicago Cardinals in 1953; he ultimately played five seasons with the team through 1957. He finished his NFL career with the New York Giants, with which he had some of his best career seasons. One of Summerall's most memorable games was the 1958 regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns, when he came on with just two minutes left on the clock to score a 49-yard field goal that broke a 10-10 tie. His final game with the Giants, and his final professional game overall, was the 1961 NFL Championship Game on New Year's Eve. Ultimately, the Green Bay Packers routed the Giants 37-0.
Football Sportscasting
In 1962, following his retirement from playing, Summerall became a color commentator for NFL coverage on CBS Sports. Originally, he was paired with Chris Schenkel to cover Giants games; after a few years, he was paired with Jim Gibbons on Washington Redskins games. In early 1967, Summerall covered the first-ever Super Bowl, and handled the trophy presentation with NBC's George Ratterman. For Super Bowl III in 1969, he joined NBC's coverage. Back on CBS, Summerall became a play-by-play announcer during the 1974 NFL season, and was paired with Tom Brookshier. The pair would go on to cover Super Bowls X, XII, and XIV. Summerall began his longest-lasting partnership in 1981, when he was paired with former Oakland Raiders coach John Madden. The partnership ended up lasting for 22 NFL seasons across two different networks. For CBS, Summerall and Madden called Super Bowls XVI, XVIII, XXI, XXIV, and XXVI. The last game called by the duo on CBS was the 1993 NFC Championship Game.
After the NFC television contract was purchased by Fox, Summerall and Madden became the network's lead announcing team. On Fox, they called Super Bowls XXXI, XXXIII, and XXXVI. Following the lattermost game, in early 2002, Summerall announced he would be retiring from announcing. However, he soon came out of retirement and re-signed with Fox for the 2002 season. Paired with Brian Baldinger on regional telecasts, Summerall mostly covered Dallas Cowboys games. He subsequently retired once again. In 2004, Summerall returned to television to call some preseason and early regular-season NFL games for ESPN. Back on Fox in 2006, he served as a substitute for Kenny Albert to announce a game with Baldinger. Summerall called another game the next year. From 2007 to 2010, he served as a play-by-play announcer for Fox's coverage of the Cotton Bowl Classic; he was paired with Baldinger for the first three years and then Daryl Johnston for the final year.
Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images
Other Sports Coverage
In addition to football, Summerall covered major golf, tennis, and basketball events for television. On CBS, he announced PGA Tour golf tournaments, including 26 total Masters Tournaments between 1968 and 1994. Summerall also covered 21 total US Opens. Among his other assignments for CBS, he was a play-by-play announcer for the 1974 NBA Finals, an announcer for NCAA men's college basketball, and a color commentator for a 1987 MLB game between the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Later in his career, from 2005 to 2012, Summerall hosted the syndicated program "Sports Stars of Tomorrow," which covered high school and collegiate sports.
Honors and Accolades
Summerall earned many honors for his sportscasting career. In 1977, he was named National Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. The group inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1994. That same year, Summerall received the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Personal Life and Death
Summerall married his first wife, Katherine, in 1955. They had three children, and divorced in 1995. Summerall went on to marry a woman named Cheri.
Summerall dealt with a number of health issues during his life. In 1990, he was hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer, and in 2004 he had a liver transplant due to his formerly alcoholic lifestyle. Summerall underwent cataract surgery in 2006, and hip replacement surgery in 2008. He later broke his hip and was admitted to a hospital in Dallas, Texas. On April 16, 2013, Summerall died in the hospital from cardiac arrest.
Texas Mansion
In 1996, Pat bought a 10 acre property in Southlake, Texas. He split the lot into two and proceeded to build two mansions. The mansion he built for himself was an 8,500-square-foot mansion, which he named "Amazing Grace." He listed the home for sale in 2010 for $3.9 million. His family sold the home in January 2014, a few months after his death, for a little under $3 million. The home was listed for sale again in 2017 for $6.75 million. It sold again in June 2021 for a little under $5 million. Unfortunately, just one month later the home was completely destroyed in a fire. A new mansion was constructed in its place. Meanwhile, on the second lot, he constructed a 14,000-square-foot mansion, which was sold in 2013 for an undisclosed amount. This home was listed for sale in April 2023 for $7.75 million but has not sold as of this writing.
