American Football: Pat Summerall veteran Broadcaster awaits transplant

Pat Summerall, the veteran broadcaster once considered the voice of the NFL, was hospitalized in stable condition awaiting a donor organ for a liver transplant.Erik Kaldor, a spokesman for St. Luke's Hospital, confirmed the Summerall, 73, is on the hospital's waiting list, but he could not say how long it would take before he receives a transplant. Through Wednesday, St. Luke's, which is owned by the Mayo Clinic, has performed 62 liver transplants this year.

Kaldor said Jacksonville has the shortest waiting list for liver transplants in the country.The broadcaster was flown Thursday by air ambulance to Jacksonville from Fort Worth, Texas, where he had been hospitalized in Methodist Medical Center's intensive case unit since early this week. Summerall is a recovering alcoholic.

Summerall is qualified for a transplant through blood tests that rank potential recipients anonymously with a computerized system known as the MELD Model, which raised the priority level for his transplant, Kaldor said.Kaldor said Summerall's fame or age have nothing to do with his ranking on the transplant system. He said Summerall has an uncommon blood type, which would have to match a donor.

It looks as though Pat is doing alright now, he drove himself to the Cowboys minicamp today -

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