The most famous was a 49-yarder through the wind and snow at Yankee Stadium that gave the Giants a 13-10 victory against the Cleveland Browns. The win gave the Giants the home field for a rematch with Cleveland in the playoffs, and a win in that game put New York in the famous title game against Baltimore.
“Pat will always be a great Giant,” team president John Mara said Tuesday. “He was one of my father’s favorites, and his game-winning kick in the snow against the Browns in 1958 is one of the most memorable plays in our franchise’s history.”
In a story distributed by the Giants, former teammate Frank Gifford – a longtime broadcaster himself – said Summerall was an underrated player because coach Jim Lee Howell and offensive assistant Vince Lombardi wanted to preserve him for kicking.
“Lombardi didn’t want him to get hurt,” Gifford said. “But we didn’t need him as a football player, we needed him as a kicker. I was going both ways and doing the kicking, too. We picked him up from the Cardinals and that was the end of my kicking career.”
When asked about his fondest NFL memories during a May 2009 interview with the AP, Summerall said there were things that stood out as a player and broadcaster.
“You always remember the days as a player. I was in four championship games before there was a Super Bowl, so I remember those very well,” he said. “Broadcasting, I remember the last (Super Bowl) I did. Of course, I remember that. I remember the first one most vividly than any of the rest.”