Tom Brookshier played pro football for the Philadelphia Eagles and then became a local sportscaster for Philadelphia’s WCAU-TV and a morning radio host for WIP. The nation got to know him as a Sunday NFL broadcaster, partnering with Pat Summerall.
Born in Roswell, New Mexico, Brookshier graduated from high school with all-state honors in football, basketball, and baseball. He played college football at the University of Colorado, where he was a defensive back, fullback, and return specialist. One of his teammates was future astronaut Jack Swigert.
Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1953 as a tenth-round selection, Brookshier served in the Air Force and missed the 1954 and 1955 football seasons. The time away from the game didn’t hurt him as a player. Brookshier, a defensive back, led the Philadelphia Eagles to the 1960 NFL Championship.
Overall, he intercepted 20 passes during his NFL career and played in two Pro Bowls. Brookshier’s career ended in 1961 when he fractured his leg in a game against the Chicago Bears.
Brookshier (foreground) with Summerall (photo courtesy NY Post)
Brookshier began his broadcasting career at WCAU-TV in 1962. In the 1970s, he teamed up with Pat Summerall on Sunday NFL games. “With Brookie, it was more of a conversation, like two guys in a saloon,” Pat Summerall told The New York Times. The late essayist, Wilfrid Sheed, commented on the chemistry between Brookshier and Summerall. “This pair has actually been known to approach the foothills of adult conversation. Brookshier is a natural wag who doesn’t have to strain, and Summerall sounds like a real friend and not a hasty arrangement.”
Although adept in the booth, Brookshier caused his share of controversy. For example, he once called out members of a college basketball team, asserting that they “had a collective I.Q. of about 40.” Suspended for that comment, he later visited the team’s campus to deliver an in-person apology.
Overall, though, Brookshier was widely acclaimed as an outstanding broadcaster. In 2007, the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted him into their Hall of Fame.
Tom Brookshier died in 2010 at the age of 78.
