During Super Bowl week, Dan Patrick made a surprise pit stop at The Pat McAfee Show in Las Vegas. Patrick, the former famed ESPN anchor, appeared on one of the network’s most popular shows (although it technically aired on YouTube then, as well as ESPN+, the network’s streaming service). While that got much of the attention, something the famed sports anchor-turned-radio host said might have flown under the radar.
If you know Patrick, you might know that he once stumped for a legendary sports commentator to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Patrick made a public stump for the legendary John Facenda. His voice became synonymous with NFL fans for his plethora of contributions to NFL Films. He narrated the famous song “The Autumn Wind,” which became crucial to the history and lore of the Raiders. During his run on The Pat McAfee Show, Patrick did it again. This time, he endorsed the legendary Brent Musburger.
“Can you help me campaign to get Brent Musburger into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?” Patrick asked McAfee, who quickly said yes. Patrick referenced the fact that he pitched for Facenda to get into the Hall before, recalling a story in which the Hall didn’t actually know it was Dan Patrick, but he kept at it anyway.
“Brent Musburger is not in the Hall of Fame as a contributor, and he should be,” Patrick said. He then suggested that McAfee help him, and that he make the pitch for it.
“We’re going to take a stand,” McAfee said, appearing to agree that Musburger belongs in the Hall of Fame.
While many modern-day fans may only recognize and remember Musburger as a college football commentator, he has a significant NFL legacy. He hosted The NFL Today on CBS, a show that’s going to get the full-feature treatment this weekend. Patrick later emphasized that Musburger’s gambling prowess might have kept him out before, but since the world is different now, then he should be allowed entry. It’s tough to argue that point amid the sports gambling surge that we are in. It’s also hard to argue against Musburger’s candidacy, so Patrick makes a solid point here.
May one day the words “You are looking life!” be said from Canton.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022