Pat Summerall has changed his life and IMO deserves some credit.
Pat Summerall, who will be 80 in May had a liver transplant back in 2004. The liver came from a 13 year old boy who died of a brain aneurysm. Pat received no special treatment as he waited on a list like anyone else for a liver.
Summerall keeps busy in his adopted hometown of Dallas, where he lives with his wife of 12 years, Cheri. He's handled play-by-play for the Cotton Bowl, does commercial voice work and is in demand as a speaker. He always welcomes opportunities to talk about his fight with alcoholism — having been sober for over 17 years and counting, following a life where drinking was part of his whirlwind life in the sports spotlight.
His book Summerall: On and Off The Air is very inspirational (available on Amazon).
Some Quotes attributed to Pat Summerall:
But like Mrs. Ford, I think that the more people realize what a difficult and what an insidious disease it is, the sooner people will start to correct that situation.
Pat Summerall
I know I had been successful in football. I had been successful in broadcasting. I didn't think that anything could touch me. I thought, I can beat anything.
Pat Summerall
I've done a lot of Super Bowls and appeared in a lot of big, big events and places and the Masters and what have you, but there was nothing as intimidating as speaking with Billy Graham.
Pat Summerall
In football, there were drinks available everywhere you looked. On a golf tournament, you could find one free anywhere you wanted it. In tennis and NBA basketball, everybody had a hospitality suite, and so you could go there and load up if you wanted to.
Pat Summerall
My MELD score was pretty high. And the worse you get on that scale, the sooner you get a transplant. It's based on how sick you are. And believe me, I was pretty sick.
Pat Summerall
Seemed like everything I tried to do in broadcasting and as a player before that turned out successfully. I was succeeding. I got to the top of the heap in every facet of broadcasting.
Pat Summerall
So, I didn't get moved up because of celebrity status or anything like that. I got in line, and I passed the test. And they realized that I was sick enough, and as soon as the liver became available, I got one.
Pat Summerall
There were a couple of things in the intervention that made me know I needed help. One was a letter from my daughter saying that she was ashamed she had the same last name as I did, which will shock you a little bit.
Pat Summerall
Well, to take me from where I was, and the life I was leading, to the life I lead now with the church and with the Lord and with Jesus Christ, it's a total, total turn-around.
Pat Summerall
When someone saves your life and gives you life, there's gratitude, humility; there's a time you've been so blessed you realize you've been given another chance at life that maybe you did or didn't deserve.
Pat Summerall
wil.
Pat Summerall, who will be 80 in May had a liver transplant back in 2004. The liver came from a 13 year old boy who died of a brain aneurysm. Pat received no special treatment as he waited on a list like anyone else for a liver.
Summerall keeps busy in his adopted hometown of Dallas, where he lives with his wife of 12 years, Cheri. He's handled play-by-play for the Cotton Bowl, does commercial voice work and is in demand as a speaker. He always welcomes opportunities to talk about his fight with alcoholism — having been sober for over 17 years and counting, following a life where drinking was part of his whirlwind life in the sports spotlight.
His book Summerall: On and Off The Air is very inspirational (available on Amazon).
Some Quotes attributed to Pat Summerall:
But like Mrs. Ford, I think that the more people realize what a difficult and what an insidious disease it is, the sooner people will start to correct that situation.
Pat Summerall
I know I had been successful in football. I had been successful in broadcasting. I didn't think that anything could touch me. I thought, I can beat anything.
Pat Summerall
I've done a lot of Super Bowls and appeared in a lot of big, big events and places and the Masters and what have you, but there was nothing as intimidating as speaking with Billy Graham.
Pat Summerall
In football, there were drinks available everywhere you looked. On a golf tournament, you could find one free anywhere you wanted it. In tennis and NBA basketball, everybody had a hospitality suite, and so you could go there and load up if you wanted to.
Pat Summerall
My MELD score was pretty high. And the worse you get on that scale, the sooner you get a transplant. It's based on how sick you are. And believe me, I was pretty sick.
Pat Summerall
Seemed like everything I tried to do in broadcasting and as a player before that turned out successfully. I was succeeding. I got to the top of the heap in every facet of broadcasting.
Pat Summerall
So, I didn't get moved up because of celebrity status or anything like that. I got in line, and I passed the test. And they realized that I was sick enough, and as soon as the liver became available, I got one.
Pat Summerall
There were a couple of things in the intervention that made me know I needed help. One was a letter from my daughter saying that she was ashamed she had the same last name as I did, which will shock you a little bit.
Pat Summerall
Well, to take me from where I was, and the life I was leading, to the life I lead now with the church and with the Lord and with Jesus Christ, it's a total, total turn-around.
Pat Summerall
When someone saves your life and gives you life, there's gratitude, humility; there's a time you've been so blessed you realize you've been given another chance at life that maybe you did or didn't deserve.
Pat Summerall
wil.
In the 70s nothing better than Brooksie and Summerall doing an NFC East game with playoffs on the line. I rememeber Summerall and Gifford doing Giants games on CBS pre MNF when Giants awful. Oh the glory days before 6 days a week of over exposure....hard to get jacked up for a game when there is one on tv every day. Used to be a treat when Sunday rolled around and then the invention of MNF was the most glorious event for an 11 year old.
