Pat Summerall To Receive Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award At WFUV 90.7 FM Spring Gala

March 4, 2011 - PRLog -- New York—Pat Summerall, for decades the premier play-by-play broadcaster of National Football League network games on both CBS and FOX, will be honored with the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting at WFUV Radio’s Spring Gala on Monday, May 2, in New York City. Summerall, the former NFL placekicker and tight end with the New York Giants and Chicago Cardinals, becomes the fourth recipient of the Scully Award presented by Fordham University’s powerhouse 50,000 watt National Public Radio Station. Summerall will be feted along with Emmy Award-winning news anchor Tom Brokaw, who will receive the Charles Osgood Lifetime Achievement Award in Broadcast Journalism, and Grammy Award-winning band Los Lobos, which has been tabbed as WFUV’s “Artist of the Year” and will receive the WFUV Sound & Vision Award. Scully, the iconic Voice of the Dodgers for 60 years, and Osgood, the award-winning CBS Sunday Morning anchor, are renowned Fordham graduates, and WFUV was their launch pad.  Past Scully Award winners include: inaugural recipient Scully (2008), Dick Enberg (2009) and Ernie Harwell (2010).    

The benefit in support of New York’s “Rock and Roots” public radio station, licensed to Fordham University, will be held at Three Sixtyo in Tribeca in New York City. For more information about the event or to purchase tickets, please visit www.wfuv.org/gala, email infoevents@fordham.edu or call 212-930-8898. In lasting tribute to legendary broadcasters Charles Osgood and Vin Scully, both of whom started their careers at WFUV, the station established two annual Lifetime Achievement Awards in their names.

Summerall is a member of the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame.  His broadcast career spanned six decades, most notably on CBS and FOX, where he painted the word picture for National Football League games while teaming with John Madden as an unequaled combination. Summerall played 10 years in the NFL as a placekicker and tight end, including four years with the New York Giants.

“As a former professional player and a fine athlete in his own right Pat Summerall
understood what it meant to play competitively,” said Scully. “He translated that knowledge in a basic uncomplicated way that never got in the way of the event. He was a master of the understatement who preferred in most instances to let the action speak for itself thereby giving the viewer a very informative and comfortable broadcast.”

"I am very honored,” said Summerall. “I've been an admirer of Vin Scully for a long time, and always thought he was outstanding at his craft.  I am truly honored."

The iconic Scully, in his sixth decade at the Voice of the Dodgers dating back to their days in Brooklyn, set a standard of play-by-play excellence in sports broadcasting followed by fellow WFUV alum including Mike Breen (Knicks), Michael Kay (Yankees),  Bob Papa (Giants), Chris Carrino (Nets), Spero Dedes (Lakers) and Charlie Slowes (Nationals).

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Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to approximately 14,700 students in its four undergraduate colleges and its six graduate and professional schools.