Pat Summerall, the former football player turned legendary play-by-play announcer, died Tuesday of sudden cardiac arrest, Jeff Carlton, a spokesman for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center said.
Summerall played defensive end, tight end and placekicker at the University of Arkansas from 1949-1951. He was taken in the fourth round of the 1952 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.
Summerall primarily was a kicker in the pros and spent 10 years in the league.
After retiring from football, Summerall was hired by CBS Sports in 1962 as a color commentator for NFL coverage. In 1974 he shifted over to play-by-play commentary.
Summerall worked a record 16 Super Bowls on network television and was with CBS from 1961 to 1993. He retired after the 2002 season.
“We are all deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Pat Summerall,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. “As one of the most recognizable graduates of the University of Arkansas, Pat was an ambassador for the Razorback program, our university and the entire state throughout his distinguished career.”
Summerall was a captain for the Razorbacks in 1951. His kick against No. 4 Texas is one of the most memorable plays in Razorback football history. The kick gave Arkansas a 16-14 win over the No. 4 Longhorns and gave the Hogs their first win over Texas in Fayetteville.
In 2012, he became the 19th Razorback to be honored in the Southeastern Conference Legends Program. Summerall is a member of the Arkansas All-Century Team (selected in 1994) as a kicker and was named to the 1940s All-Decade team as an end. He is also a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
