John Madden, Super Bowl Winner, NFL Commentator, and Video Game Star, Dies at 85
The legendary John Madden, known as an excitable NFL commentator and former Super Bowl-winning coach, has passed away at the age of 85. It was announced by the NFL that Madden died unexpectedly on Tuesday morning. His passing arrives just days after a documentary honoring his contribution to the video game world aired on TV. In addition to his coaching and commentary, he was the face of EA Sports’ Madden video game, a multi-billion dollar franchise.
NFL, Raiders pay tribute to legend John Madden
On Tuesday evening, the NFL reported that Hall of Famer John Madden had passed away unexpectedly earlier this morning at the age of 85. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958 but unfortunately suffered a knee injury during his first training camp, ending his playing career.
Years later, Madden coached the Oakland Raiders, remaining as head coach from 1969 until 1978, and claiming a Super Bowl victory in 1976.
Upon his retirement from coaching, he became a popular commentator covering games on four networks. In addition to that, he is known for his TV ads and the long-running Madden NFL video game franchise.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement upon the news of John Madden’s unexpected death.
“On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Virginia, Mike, Joe and their families,” the statement read. “We all know him as the Hall of Fame coach of the Oakland Raiders and broadcaster who worked for every major network, but more than anything, he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather.”
“Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many others. There will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today,” Goodell said in the statement.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Madden underwent major heart surgery back in December of 2015 and six months later had hip replacement surgery. As of this report, his cause of death is unknown.
Madden was Emmy-winning commentator
As a head coach, he compiled a 103-32-7 record during his career and a 9-7 record in the postseason. In 1976, he was at the helm as the Oakland Raiders reached Super Bowl XI and defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14 to capture the Lombardi Trophy. Nearly three decades after he had stopped coaching the Raiders, John Madden was inducted into the 2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Oakland Raiders shared a tribute to the late John Madden on their official Instagram page on Tuesday.
Following his time coaching in the league, John Madden moved into a role as a commentator for NFL games. He worked with CBS from 1979 until 1993, before joining FOX Sports in 1994.
In 2002, he joined ABC’s Monday Night Football and worked alongside Al Michaels for three years. From 2006 through 2008, he worked with NBC Sports covering Sunday Night Football.
Per THR, Madden provided the commentary for the Super Bowl for four different TV networks during his career. He officially retired as a commentator in 2009. He is a 16-time Emmy winner for his work as a sports analyst and commentator.
Madden had successful EA video game, recent documentary
John Madden’s football legend has also become intertwined with the successful EA Sports video game bearing his name. Based on THR’s report, the Madden video game franchise has sold around 130 million copies and made over $7 billion since it first arrived in 1988.
The game has undergone numerous updates and changes over the years and has remained a steady title despite the changing landscape of video game consoles.
The first game, John Madden Football in 1988, was available for MS-DOS PC, with the game made available in 1990 for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. More recent versions are available for Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as well as their newer consoles, the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
The most recent edition of the game arrived this past August. Madden NFL 22 features recent Super Bowl quarterbacks Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes as its co-cover stars.
On Christmas Day, FOX aired the documentary All Madden which highlighted John Madden’s rise to fame as an NFL coach and broadcaster. The Madden 22 video game recently honored the legend in-game with a special coach card given free to players using the Ultimate Team mode.
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