On Tuesday, the sports world mourned the loss of NFL Hall of Famer, head coach, and broadcaster John Madden, who passed away at the age of 85 years old.
John Madden was born in Austin, Minnesota, on April 10th, 1936. When he was young, his family moved to Daly City, California. After high school, Madden attended college football at Cal Pony. During that time, he injured his knee and had it operated on.
He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles 21st round of the 1958 NFL Draft. However, Madden injured his other knee that ended his career. What came next for Madden solidified him as a legend.
After his playing career, he became an Assistant coach at Allan Hancock College for two seasons before becoming Allan Hancock’s coach in 1962. He spent two years as a head coach before becoming a defensive coordinator at San Diego State for three seasons.
Then, John Madden moved to the NFL as a linebackers coach of the Oakland Raiders. On February 4th, 1969, he was named the Raiders head coach at the age of 32. Madden built the Raiders into a perennial powerhouse.
The Raiders lost five AFC championship games in seven years. On January 9th, 1977, Madden led the Raiders to win Super Bowl XI over the Minnesota Vikings 32-14.
Two years later, Madden retired from coaching due to deteriorating ulcer condition and occupational burnout. Madden finished with the highest winning percentage in NFL history with a record of 103-32-7 (.759 win pct).
After coaching, Madden moved into broadcasting. Two years into broadcasting, Madden was paired with Pat Summerall, and the two were inseparable. It didn’t matter what game they called; everyone was glued to their televisions to watch them call a game. Their style of broadcasting made it a must-see game. Summerall and Madden were the soundtrack of the NFL. The two called eight Super Bowls together, with their last one being Super Bowl XXXVI, Tom Brady’s first Super Bowl win.
Then, Madden went to ABC to team up with Al Michaels and later NBC, becoming the first and only broadcaster to call games for four networks. In 2006, John Madden was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and, in 2008, called his final game in Super Bowl XLIII when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23, ending a 29-year career.
During his 29-year broadcasting career, Madden was involved with EA Sports to create Madden Football. Madden wanted to teach people how the game worked, from play-calling to executing the play and much more. Madden video games are popular among sports fans and have generated over $7 billion in revenue.
John Madden was everyone’s grandfather. He was a major influencer for many of us who were inspired to become broadcasters ourselves. But, he taught us sometimes, what you planned on doing in life doesn’t always work out like his playing career, but he found success elsewhere.
For many, they got to watch Madden grow up from his coaching days to broadcasting to video games. The next generation watched him as a broadcaster and the voice of video games, while the new generation will only know his name through video games and YouTube.
Legendary New York Yankees player Babe Ruth sums up Madden perfectly. “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.”
Madden was a legend in everything he did and will continue to make an impact for years to come. He lived a great life and was loved by many. Now, he is reunited with his friend Pat Summerall, and I can hear them calling a game this weekend.
