Madden & Summerall revisits the broadcast booth partnership that helped define televised football in the modern era.
When CBS first paired Pat Summerall’s quiet authority with John Madden’s exuberant energy in 1981, the chemistry was instant – and rapidly became iconic. Over two decades and eight Super Bowls, they set the gold standard for analyst-anchor duos, becoming as essential to the NFL as the games themselves.
Author Rich Podolsky, a CBS Sports veteran who worked with both men, had a front-row seat to their rise. His book traces their on-air evolution and behind-the-scenes dynamic: respectful, professional, occasionally fraught, but always rooted in mutual reliance.
Madden & Summerall focuses primarily on their years in broadcasting – from the founding years at CBS to a brief stint at ABC, following by a pivotal role at the new network, Fox. However, it also briefly sets out their backstories. Madden’s coaching success with the Raiders and Summerall’s kicking career with the Giants both shaped the voices they brought to TV.
Title: Madden & Summerall
Author: Rich Podolsky
First published: Lyons Press, 2025
Buy the Book: Amazon US | Amazon UK*
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The book also explores their post-broadcast legacies, from highs like Madden’s relevance to a new generation through the video game series that bears his name, to the lows of Summerall’s battle with alcoholism. Overall, Madden & Summerall offers a warm if familiar portrait of two football icons.
THE AUTHOR
Rich Podolsky has been a writer and reporter since the 1970s. He has written for ESPN, CBS Sports, The Philadelphia Daily News, and many other publications. He is the author of several books, including You Are Looking Live! and Madden & Summerall.
QUOTES
O’Neil had the entire crew arrive two days before. Then they would all meet with the coaches and star players from each team. This would give them insight into each team’s strategy and more. In doing so, CBS promised not to reveal anything they learned before the game started.
Talking with his hands open and his arms flailing reminded Bender of another time when John almost knocked Gary out. ‘One time in Philadelphia,’ said Bender, ‘he knocked my glasses off and we had to send someone into the stands of Veterans Stadium to retrieve them. So I gave John my headset, and I took the stick mic and we continued on.’
Madden always kept the temperature in the bus at 59 degrees. And he had these rules: Don’t wait for anyone, finish any bottle of water you start, drink right out of the bottle, and never take I-80 in or out of New York.
The following year Madden made the turducken the official Thanksgiving meal for the All-Madden Team. ‘In 1997, we made and sold 250 Turduckens,’ said its creator, Glenn Mistich. ‘But when John made it the official turkey for the All-Madden Team, we went from 250 sold to 6,000 the following year.’
‘The real failure was,’ said a former CBS executive, ‘instead of telling Tisch what it would cost him to buy [NFL broadcast rights], Pilson and Rosenstein and Lund should have had the foresight to say, ‘Here’s what it will cost you NOT to have the property. Here’s what it will cost you if Rupert Murdoch can build a network on this acquisition.’
Broadcast associate Richie Zyontz revealed that Pat usually had a red to-go Solo cup nearby in the broadcast booth, which he presumed was half full of vodka and maybe a little Sprite. The cup, Zyontz said, was never seen on camera.
REVIEWS
Despite Rich Podolsky’s insider perspective, Madden & Summerall struggles to go beyond the well-known highlights of the duo’s careers. Much of the material, such as Madden’s refusal to fly, or Summerall’s battles with alcohol, will be familiar to anyone who read Bryan Burwell’s Madden (2011) or Summerall’s 2006 autobiography On and Off the Air. Indeed, a quick glance through the references shows that those two books are the source for much of the content here. And while there are some firsthand anecdotes, they’re less interesting than the material sourced elsewhere.
Structurally, the book suffers from repetition and a lack of editorial sharpness. Some stories — like Summerall’s infamous attempt to bring a horse into a hotel — are told more than once. Quotes are often dropped in one after another as if the book is an oral history, rather than a narrative. As a result, the book reads more like a collection of notes.
Still, for casual fans or readers new to the story, this is a light, affectionate overview of one of football’s most iconic pairings. Just don’t expect new revelations.
Shane Richmond, Pigskin Books
“Madden & Summerall” has some fresh stories inside of it, as some new interviews with co-workers and family members supply some good information. The writing style is easy and breezy, as befits a book that just crawls past the 200-page line. But some of the material about the two men feels a bit like filler, such as the coverage of negotiations involving the move of the NFL broadcasts from CBS to Fox. Since both Madden and Summerall wrote autobiographies (Madden wrote three of them, naturally), it’s a little difficult to judge whether the new book contributes much to the conversation about the work of the two men.
Budd Bailey, The Sports Bookshelf
For older football fans, this book will be like a nostalgic trip down memory lane, made even sweeter with additional details. For younger readers, it will serve as an essential historical record of two men who were pioneers in sports broadcasting. Podolsky’s storytelling ability and his honest opinions will appeal to all audiences.
Steve Dixon, Library Journal
Madden and Summerall now belong to the ages and will be remembered as long as NFL games are broadcast. They set a standard that is not like to be matched. Credit Podolsky for writing a book that will help future generations understand what they meant to pro football. And they can always watch the games they broadcast on videotape.
Vito Stellino
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