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John madden nfl9/25/2023 ![]() ![]() The hiring was a jaw-dropper at the time, but as an assistant on the Raiders staff under John Rauch, Madden was beloved and respected by what was a wild, old-school roster. He'd been named Raiders coach in 1969 as a 32-year-old. "I'm a coach and a teacher, period," he always said. He insisted that Hall of Fame voters evaluate him as a coach, without the "other stuff" as he sometimes said to refer to his second, third and fourth lives as a pioneering broadcaster, product pitchman and esports innovator. Like almost every moment in his entire life, John Madden had once again picked the perfect moment to say goodbye.ĪBOVE ALL ELSE, John Madden wanted to be known as a coach. ![]() John Madden was 85 years old.įamily and friends spent the next 48 hours shedding some tears, but there were a lot of smiles about that Christmas Day screening. 26, he and Virginia celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary together. So he often chose his words carefully, then worked hard to broadcast them out. In his final years, Madden's hearing wasn't great, which impacted his booming voice. Finally, after everybody spoke, it was Madden's turn. When the film ended, Madden asked every person in the room what they thought, even the kids.Īnd on and on, around the room. On screen, he had a big smile on his face. On Christmas, his loved ones then watched Madden watch himself as he watched the finished product. Much of the doc is centered around a July shoot with Madden at his home studio, in which he sat in a chair and watched video of his family and football luminaries rave about him. It was a meta moment for many in the room. Over 90 minutes, the story of Madden's astounding life unfolds, beginning with the injured lineman who washed out as a pro football player, became a coaching legend, stunned the world by walking away 10 years later, then stunned the world even more by becoming the biggest broadcaster and video game luminary in sports history. They had no idea that for most of them, it was the last time they'd share with their beloved patriarch.Īnd what a time it was. They were proud of him, and Madden considered his career to be theirs, too.Īs he sank down into his big chair in the Madden TV room, his wife and sons, their spouses and his grandkids gathered around and watched the film. "Virginia raised the kids," he'd tell friends.īut his family also had invested deeply in Madden's success, and this documentary served as a perfect coda to their family story. He'd often acknowledge that he missed more of his boys' young lives than he ever wanted. Many of the people in the room with him - namely, his wife, Virginia, and sons, Joe and Mike - had made tremendous sacrifices over the decades as Madden rose to stardom, first as a Hall of Fame coach, then as a broadcaster, then as an esports pioneer. A documentary about him and his tall-tale life, "All Madden," was airing on Fox, and he wanted to watch it with the people he loved the most. ON CHRISTMAS DAY, John Madden gathered his close family members and friends around his TV at 2 p.m. NFL, Las Vegas Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers The final, beautiful goodbye of NFL legend John Madden The youngest generation of football fans that can’t even remember him as a broadcaster, let alone as a coach, is still influenced by Madden’s giant presence in the sport.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser Everyone loved him.Īnd then Madden had his video game, which he didn’t just lend his name to but took an active role in developing, always insisting that it needed to be as realistic as possible. In the broadcasting booth, Madden became a sensation, not just the best broadcaster in football but one of the most popular figures in America, as famous as any movie star but as down-to-earth as any guy you’d talk about sports with at the barbershop. He was the youngest head coach in pro football when Al Davis hired him to coach the Oakland Raiders, and he led them to a Super Bowl title while having so much success that he still has the all-time highest winning percentage among all coaches who won at least 100 games.īut as great a coach as he was, he did more for the sport after he retired from coaching. Madden’s influence on the sport of football is impossible to overstate. The NFL announced Madden’s passing today. John Madden, a legendary figure known to one generation as a Hall of Fame coach, another generation as the sport’s greatest announcer, and yet another generation for the video game that bears his name, has died at the age of 85. ![]()
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