Veteran sportswriter, Sports Broadcast Journal columnist, and Episode 233 guest Rich Podolsky ("You Are Looking Live!") returns to the show — this time to explore the story of perhaps the greatest broadcast partnership in NFL history.
In his new book, "Madden & Summerall: How They Revolutionized NFL Broadcasting," Podolsky offers a rare inside look at how kicker-turned-play-by-play man Pat Summerall, and coach-turned-color-analyst John Madden became the voices of America’s Sundays — and why their impact still reverberates across sports media today.
Through Podolsky’s storytelling, we uncover how the duo’s unlikely chemistry — Summerall’s minimalist gravitas paired with Madden’s booming energy and boundless teaching — redefined the way fans understood the game. We trace their journey from the heights of CBS to their groundbreaking leap to Fox, where their presence gave a fledgling network instant credibility. Along the way, Podolsky reveals how Madden transformed the role of analyst, turning film sessions and telestrators into staples of the craft, while Summerall perfected the art of saying more with less.
What emerges is not just a portrait of two men, but of a cultural moment: the rise of the NFL as America’s most powerful television spectacle, carried into living rooms by a duo so iconic that no team since has truly replaced them.
PLUS: Your chance to win a copy of "Madden & Summerall"!
