Republican President-elect Donald Trump named campaign chief Susie Wiles as his White House Chief of Staff after his election victory, but not many are aware that her father is Pat Summerall.
The soon-to-be 47th President of the United States has been connected to the NFL in some form for a very long time, and he kept that up this week when he named Wiles his chief of staff on Thursday for when he takes the Oval Office in January after she helped lead Trump’s campaign to victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on Election Day.
For fans who are old enough to remember, Summerall was a household name for football fans for decades. He was on call for 16 Super Bowls and was part of the broadcast duo alongside another football legend, John Madden.
Susie Wiles’ father was a former football player for the Arkansas Razorbacks who won the NFL Championship with the Detroit Lions before he stepped foot in the broadcasting booth. He also played with the Cardinals and Giants over a 10-year career in pro football.
He played defensive end, tight end, and placekicker for Arkansas from 1949 to 1951.
Before he died in 2013 at the age of 82, Pat Summerrall credited her with helping him get sober and checking in to an alcohol rehab program.
Summerall was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2010 after the Pro Football Hall of Fame honored him in 1994 with the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.
Susie Wiles is Paving Her Own Name In The History Books, Just Like Her Father, Pat Summerall
Donald Trump named Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff in his first major appointment as president-elect.
Just like her father, Pat Summerall, paved the way for many in the NFL, she is also a trailblazer.
She will be the first female in history to take up the role.
In his victory speech this week, Donald Trump described Susie Wiles as an “ice maiden” and credited her with his “best-run” campaign.
