Tom Brookshier Thomas Jefferson " Tom " Brookshier ( December 16 , 1931 – January 29 , 2010 ) was an American professional football player , coach and sportscaster . He was a starting defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles for seven seasons from 1953 to 1961 . He later paired with Pat Summerall on the primary broadcast team for National Football League ( NFL ) games on CBS during the 1970s . Early life . Brookshier attended high school at Roswell High School in his hometown of Roswell , New Mexico . At Roswell , he received all - state honors in football , basketball and baseball . As a three - year letterman in football at the University of Colorado from 1950 through 1952 , he was a defensive back , fullback and return specialist . One of his gridiron teammates was astronaut Jack Swigert , who was on the crew of the ill - fated Apollo 13 . Brookshier was also a relief pitcher on the university ' s baseball team . While in College they played Missouri Tigers at Columbia . He Blocked a Punt . They next day it was reported as - Brookshire Blocked a punt with his head , it broke his nose , and it looked like a Green Pickle , and was headed in the General Direction of his Left ear . NFL career . He was a 10th - round NFL draft pick . He played defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League from 1953 to 1961 , missing both the 1954 and 1955 seasons to serve in the United States Air Force . He was a starter on the Eagles ' NFL Championship team in 1960 , and was selected for the Pro Bowl twice . Brookshier ' s playing career ended because of a compound leg fracture , sustained while making a tackle on Willie Galimore in an Eagles ' 16 – 14 victory over the Chicago Bears at Franklin Field on November 5 , 1961 . He was a member of the Eagles ' Honor Roll and was one of only eight players to have their number ( 40 ) retired by the team . As a lieutenant , he was a backfield coach at the United States Air Force Academy for one year in 1955 . Broadcasting career . Brookshier began sportscasting for WCAU - AM - FM - TV in Philadelphia in 1962 , eventually becoming the station ' s sports director . He joined CBS in 1965 as a color commentator for Eagles telecasts , and continued to call regional action after the network moved away from dedicated team announcers in 1968 . In the early - 1970s , Brookshier and Summerall co - hosted " This Week in Pro Football " , a weekly syndicated highlights show produced by NFL Films . After CBS dismissed its main pro football voice Ray Scott in 1974 , the network went against its standard practice of using a professional announcer for play - by - play by promoting Summerall and partnering him with Brookshier . The two former NFL players became arguably American television ' s most popular sports broadcasting team for the remainder of the decade . Describing the pair ' s on - air rapport , Summerall said , " With Brookie , it was more of a conversation , like two guys in a saloon . " Besides many regular - season and playoff contests , most of which involved the Dallas Cowboys who were the National Football Conference ' s most dominant franchise at the time , the duo called Super Bowl s X , XII and XIV . Brookshier also worked pre - and post - game shows for four other Super Bowls . He and Summerall also appeared as themselves in the 1977 film " Black Sunday " , which was partially filmed at Super Bowl X . In 1981 , Brookshier switched to calling play - by - play for the network , with John Madden taking his place as color commentator alongside Summerall . Controversy . Brookshier became the subject of controversy because of a remark he made during a Philadelphia Eagles vs . New Orleans Saints game broadcast on December 11 , 1983 . After a program note for an upcoming telecast of an NCAA men ' s basketball game between North Carolina State and the University of Louisville , Brookshier said that the players on the Louisville team had " a collective I . Q . of about 40 " . This resulted in Neal Pilson , then president of CBS Sports , apologizing to Louisville school officials and later suspending Brookshier for the last weekend of the NFL ' s regular season . Louisville ' s athletic director , Bill Olsen , felt that the remark was racist , since Louisville ' s starting five were all African American . Brookshier later apologized , calling his remark " stupid " and " dumb " , but was angered over CBS ' s reaction , saying " I ' m not about to be judged on one comment . " He added , " I ' ve done a lot of things for charity . Now my own network is bailing out on me and taking me off the air . After 20 years at CBS , I deserve better than this . " The apology was accepted by the university , as its president , Donald Swain , invited Brookshier to be the featured speaker at the school ' s annual football kickoff luncheon in Clarksville , Indiana on August 2 , 1984 . Brookshier was reinstated in CBS ' s announcing lineup for the 1984 season , continuing as a network commentator through 1987 . Later life . In 1989 , he hosted the morning show of the then - nascent 610 WIP ( AM ) sports format ; the program was called " Breakfast with Brookshier " , before he was paired with Angelo Cataldi and the program re - dubbed " Brookie and the Rookie " , and then finally simply " Brookshier and Cataldi " . He left broadcasting and was last known to be working as a consultant for CB Richard Ellis , an international commercial real - estate firm . Brookshier died from cancer at Lankenau Hospital on January 29 , 2010 . The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Brookshier into their Hall of Fame in 2007 .