Pat Summerall Wife: Surprising Truth Revealed (2026)

Pat Summerall Wife is a phrase that really points to two central figures in his life story: his first wife, Katherine “Kathy” Jacobs, and his second wife, Cherilyn “Cheri” Burns. Kathy was by his side as he climbed from NFL placekicker to national broadcasting icon, managing the home and raising their children while his career kept him constantly on the road.

Cheri came into his life later, during his sober, reflective years, when faith, health, and legacy mattered more than ratings and travel schedules. Together, Pat Summerall and his wives form a narrative of early sacrifice, personal struggle, and eventual emotional renewal that gives deeper context to the man sports fans knew only as a steady voice on Sunday afternoons.

Pat Summerall Wife

His personal life, struggles and NFL broadcasting career are often referenced to his marriage to longtime wife Katherine “Kathy” Jacobs, who was the mother of his three children, from 1955 until her death in 1995. They were married for decades and she was a close friend during his transition from NFL placekicker to legendary sports broadcaster, as well as his journey of overcoming alcoholism and living a healthy lifestyle.

He remarried in 1996 to Cherilyn “Cheri” Burns, who is also mentioned in many stories about his later years in Dallas, his return to faith and his career as a football commentator and sports media personality. Cheri is mentioned in news reports on Pat Summerall‘s retirement years, his Christian conversion, and even legal and health concerns related to his NFL career and broadcasting years in American football.

Who Was Pat Summerall?

Pat Summerall (born George Allen Summerall) was an American football player turned legendary television sportscaster, best known as the calm, authoritative play‑by‑play voice of the NFL for more than four decades. A former placekicker for the Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants in the 1950s and early 1960s, he seamlessly shifted from the field to the broadcast booth, becoming synonymous with big Sunday games and championship broadcasts.

He has broadcasted more Super Bowls on TV and radio than anyone else in the history of the NFL and has been the voice of major golf and tennis tournaments, such as the Masters and the U.S. Open, alongside John Madden, one of sports media’s most iconic duos. Known for his professionalism and style, he received the National Sportscaster of the Year Award, was inducted into several halls of fame, and won the Pete Rozelle Radio‑Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is one of the most important voices in American sports broadcasting history.

Pat Summerall Wife Biography: Age, Background & More

Katherine “Kathy” Jacobs Summerall was Pat Summerall’s first wife and the woman most closely associated with his family life and early career. She was born on May 17, 1934, in Plainwell, Michigan, and died on December 8, 2005, at the age of 71. Kathy married Pat Summerall in July 1955 in Florida and they had three children together: Susan (Susie), Jay, and Kyle, building a home that moved with his career from Connecticut to Saddle River, New Jersey. Friends remembered her as gentle, spirited, and deeply involved in community and youth activities, even serving as a Girl Scout camp counselor in her younger years.

In Pat’s later reflections, he credited Kathy with raising their children “virtually on her own” while his football and broadcasting schedule kept him away, acknowledging he had failed them during critical years because of his career focus.

Cherilyn “Cheri” Burns Summerall, Pat’s second wife, became his partner after he divorced Kathy in 1995; they married on March 16, 1996, and remained together until his death in 2013. Cheri lived with him in the Dallas area and was described in his obituary as his “loving wife and best friend,” standing by him through health issues and his later‑life Christian commitment. In the years after his passing, she helped protect and extend his legacy, including being involved in legal and health‑related matters tied to his long NFL career and the effects of football on former players.

Together with his three adult children and ten grandchildren, Cheri formed the core of the Summerall family circle that carried his name and story forward beyond his broadcasting days.

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How Pat Summerall Met His Wife

Pat Summerall met his first wife, Katherine “Kathy” Jacobs, in Florida during the early phase of his post‑college life, when he was back home in the offseason balancing football with work and studies. While teaching at Lake City High School, he encountered Kathy, who was then a Florida State University student interning at the school, and their professional connection quickly grew into a personal relationship.

After dating through this period, they married on July 2, 1955, just as his playing career with teams like the Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants was taking shape, intertwining her life with his rise in the NFL. Their meeting in that small‑town school setting became the quiet starting point of a decades‑long marriage that would see her deeply involved in his family life and later in confronting his alcoholism and health issues.

Pat Summerall and His Wife Love Story

The love story of Pat Summerall and his first wife Katherine “Kathy” Jacobs began quietly in Florida, where he was balancing early football work with teaching and she was a young Florida State University intern at a local high school. Their connection grew from shared everyday life rather than celebrity glamour, and they married in 1955, just as his professional NFL journey was starting to take off.

Over nearly four decades, Kathy anchored the home front while Pat chased road games, broadcasts, and rising fame, often holding the family together during long stretches when he was away. Behind the iconic on‑air voice was a marriage marked by loyalty and strain, as his success, schedule, and drinking gradually pulled them into separate emotional worlds.

Their relationship carried both deep affection and painful sacrifice: Kathy pushed him toward treatment when alcoholism was destroying his health, a turning point that saved his life but also forced both to admit how far they had grown apart. Even after their eventual divorce, Pat spoke with respect about her role in raising their children and enduring the pressures of his career.

In his later years, his second marriage to Cherilyn “Cheri” Burns brought a different chapter of companionship, faith, and stability in Dallas, but the long, complicated love story with Kathy remained the emotional spine of his family history. It is remembered today as a mix of early romance, quiet devotion, and the hard reality of a life lived under the bright lights of American football and national television.

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Pat Summerall Wife and Family Life

Pat Summerall married his first wife, Katherine, in 1955, and they had three children: Susie, Jay, and Kyle. Their family moved frequently to follow his NFL and broadcasting career, living in places like Connecticut and New Jersey. Long road trips and TV commitments meant he was away from home much of the time. This distance, plus his struggle with alcoholism, put heavy strain on the marriage and family life.

After divorcing Kathy in the mid‑1990s, Pat married Cherilyn “Cheri” Burns in 1996. With Cheri, he built a later‑life home base in the Dallas area while continuing select broadcasting and public appearances. She supported him through health issues and his deepened commitment to Christian faith. Pat’s immediate family at the end of his life included Cheri, his three adult children, and multiple grandchildren.

Pat Summerall Wife Role During His Career

During his playing and broadcasting years, Katherine “Kathy” Jacobs Summerall carried almost all of the day‑to‑day load at home, raising their three children while Pat was constantly traveling for NFL seasons, TV games, and promotional work. He later wrote that she “raised our children virtually on her own” and admitted he had failed them as a father by putting his career first, highlighting how much of the emotional and practical family work fell on her shoulders.

Kathy also endured the chaos of his alcoholism era, covering for his absences and holding the family together even as his drinking escalated and his public profile grew. Her quiet stability, more than anything, allowed Pat to maintain the professional focus and reliability that made him a trusted national NFL broadcaster for decades.

Pat Summerall Wife Life Away From the Spotlight

Katherine “Kathy” Jacobs Summerall lived almost entirely outside the cameras, focusing on home, parenting, and church and community activities while Pat’s profile grew in the NFL and on television. She managed moves, school routines, and most discipline for their three children, creating stability so he could travel constantly for games, production meetings, and sponsor work. Friends and family remember her more as a steady, private presence than a “sports celebrity spouse,” rarely giving interviews or seeking public attention. As Pat later sobered up and reflected on his life, he often framed her years of behind‑the‑scenes effort as a quiet sacrifice that had gone largely unseen by fans.

His second wife, Cherilyn “Cheri” Burns Summerall, likewise preferred a low profile, shaping their life in Texas around close friends, church, and hosting understated gatherings rather than media events. She helped set a new tone after his recovery, with alcohol‑free holiday parties at their Southlake home and a calmer social circle than in his earlier broadcasting days. Away from the spotlight, Cheri’s role centered on managing his health needs, supporting his Christian walk, and protecting his time from over‑commitment as he aged. Her influence was felt more in the quiet routines of their backyard walks and family get‑togethers than in any public persona, giving his final years a more grounded, domestic rhythm.

What Happened to Pat Summerall Wife After His Death?

After Pat Summerall died in 2013, his second wife Cherilyn “Cheri” Summerall largely stayed out of the public eye but remained active in protecting his legacy and advocating on issues tied to his playing days. She filed a concussion‑related claim in connection with the NFL settlement, explaining that Pat had supported the lawsuit because he believed the league should properly care for the men who built the game.

In statements, Cheri emphasized that the claim was made out of principle and solidarity with other former players, not out of bitterness toward the NFL. She has also appeared at events linked to his name, such as presentations of the Pat Summerall Award, helping keep his memory alive in the football and broadcasting community.

Challenges Pat Summerall and His Wife Faced Together

Pat Summerall and his wives faced three big, intertwined challenges: the grind of his NFL and broadcasting schedule, his long struggle with alcoholism, and the emotional fallout that came with recovery. Years of constant travel and high‑pressure work meant missed family time, leaving his first wife Katherine “Kathy” Jacobs to shoulder almost all parenting and household responsibilities, which slowly eroded their marriage.

His escalating drinking in the booth era forced the family, including his daughter Susie Wiles, to stage a painful intervention that led to treatment at the Betty Ford Center and, eventually, a liver transplant. Sobriety saved his life but did not save the relationship; he and Kathy ultimately separated after decades together, while his second wife Cheri Summerall later walked with him through lingering health issues and concussion‑related concerns tied to his playing days.

Final Word

Pat Summerall life with his wives shows how demanding fame can both build and break what happens at home. His first marriage to Katherine “Kathy” Jacobs held together decades of moves, child‑raising, and quiet sacrifice while his career in the NFL and the broadcast booth exploded. His later years with Cherilyn “Cheri” Summerall brought a calmer season of faith, health battles, and legacy‑building, with family at the center rather than work. Taken together, their stories show a man who paid a heavy personal price for success, but who also spent his final years trying to live with more honesty, gratitude, and love than he had during his prime.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What was Pat Summerall religion?

Pat Summerall identified as a Christian later in life, after a clear conversion experience in his mid‑60s. Following treatment for alcoholism, he began reading the Bible, embraced evangelical Christian faith, and was baptized at a Baptist church in Texas. He became known in his later years for giving his testimony in churches and Christian media, describing himself as “born again.”

What is the Net worth of Pat Summerall?

Most public estimates place Pat Summerall’s net worth at around 10 million dollars at the time of his death in 2013. This figure reflects combined earnings from his NFL playing days and, much more significantly, his long, high‑profile career as a leading television sportscaster with major networks such as CBS and Fox.