Madden & Summerall - Rich Podolsky

Separately, they were great. Together, they were the greatest ever. Madden and Summerall is about two stalwarts of the game of football, but their story is not without controversy. Summerall was a five-sport star who became a broadcaster by accident. Madden was a larger-than-life Super Bowl-winning coach, and he easily could have been a stand-up comedian.   We all remember the great story-telling John Madden who won sixteen Emmy Awards, but we don’t remember how much he struggled to find his way during first two years on the air. In fact, he was almost fired after his first season, but a rousing appearance at a pre-Super Bowl luncheon changed his life and helped CBS executives see Madden in a new light. It wasn’t until he was paired with Summerall that it all clicked. They were so different, yet so perfect together. But they weren''t without their controversies, among them: how Summerall had to win a two-month battle vs. the beloved Vin Scully to become Madden’s partner and how he threatened to go to NBC or run for U.S. Senate if he lost; how Summerall’s alcoholism nearly cost him his job at CBS and his life after an intervention, a trip to the Betty Ford Center and liver transplant; how Fox outdueled CBS for the NFL contract, leaving Madden and Summerall as free agents, like “Van Gogh paintings at a Christie’s auction," said one colleague; and how Madden went to his Fox bosses when he sensed Summerall started slipping and said, “something has t
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