J-Speaks: The Passing of An Iconic NFL Head Coach, Broadcaster, And Sports Video Game Symbol

 

One week ago, Tuesday, the National Football League (NFL) and the entire sports world said goodbye to an iconic head coach, who would go on to be a transformative broadcaster, a remarkable product promoter, particularly to video game that bared his name for 34 seasons, which became a staple of every tween, teenager and even adults.

Last Tuesday Hall of Fame head coach of the Oakland Raiders for a decade John Madden passed away at the age of 85. He is survived by his wife of 62 years Virginia, two sons Joseph and Michael and five grandchildren.

On Sunday, Madden’s life was celebrated at every NFL stadium on gameday and on every network broadcast on FOX Sports, CBS Sports, and NBC’s “Football Night in America.”

The Raiders in their 23-20 win at the Indianapolis Colts wore the decal “JM” on the back of their helmets in honor of Coach Madden.

“On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Virginia, Mike, Joe and their families,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement last Wednesday. “We all know him as the Hall of Fame coach of the Oakland Raiders and broadcaster who worked 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.”

Longtime host of ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown and “NFL Primetime” Chris Berman said on the night edition of “Sportscenter” Los Angeles to Stan Verrett that our nation just “lost a friend.”

“Whether you had ever met him or just heard him or saw him or thought about him, you felt like if you were in a room with you would be very friendly,” Berman said of how Madden treated everyone he came into contact with.

Born in Austin, MN on Apr. 10, 1936 Madden grew up in Daly City, CA attended Catholic Parochial School with John Robinson at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, graduating in 1950 and then moved on to Jefferson High School, where he graduated in 1954.

After a star football career in high school, Madden played one season of college football at the College of San Mateo in 1954 before earning a football scholarship at the University of Oregon, where he studied pre-law and played football with his friend from childhood John Robinson. After redshirting because of a bad knee, Madden attended College of San Mateo in 1955, then Grays Harbor College, playing in the fall of 1956 before he transferred to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, playing both offense and defense for the Mustangs in 1957. Madden earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1959 and a Master of Arts in education two years later.

Madden was drafted No. 244 overall in NFL Draft by Philadelphia Eagles in 1958 but a knee injury first day of training camp brought an abrupt end to his pro career without playing a snap in the NFL.

Madden’s coaching career began as an assistant at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, CA at age 24, where he was promoted to head coach in 1962. One year later, Madden was hired as a defensive assistant coach at San Diego State, where he served for three seasons. In his last season with the Aztecs in 1966, they were ranked amongst the top institutions in the country. At San Diego, Madden coached what would become one of the best offensive minds in NFL history in Don Coryell, who Madden gave credit to being one of the most influential people to who he would become as a coach.

Madden’s legendary career as an NFL head coach began when the late owner of the now Las Vegas Raiders (then Oakland) hired him as the linebackers coach in 1967 when they were a part of the American Football League (AFL), where he would become a part of the coaching tree of Hall of Famer Sid Gillman. One year after then head coach John Rauch resigned from the Raiders to take the same position with the Buffalo Bills, Madden was named head coach on Feb. 4, 1969 at age 32, becoming the youngest professional football head coach at that time.

In 10 seasons as the Raiders (1969-78) leader on the sidelines compiled a 103-32-7 record, registering the highest winning percentage in NFL history (.759) for a coach that had minimum of 100 games under their respective belt, only having two losing seasons. His 103 wins remains a Raiders franchise record. Madden, after losing five AFC title games in his first seven years, suffering memorable defeats all the way, Madden led the Raiders to a 32-14 win in Super Bowl XI over the Minnesota Vikings. 

Madden’s common man personality, that allowed him to build a connections to everyone he met in person or connected with those that watched him on the television set made him an exceptional head coach that was beloved by some of the most colorful and intriguing personalities to every play football in Hall of Fame quarterback Kenny “The Snake” Stabler, Ted Hendricks, John Matuszak, Fred Biletnikoff that made them appointment television.

When it came to getting the job done between the lines though, those players respected Madden and they brought each time they took the gridiron.

“I think if you play for somebody, you can’t ask to play for anybody more dedicated to the football team. That’s the only thing he cares about,” Stable said about his former head coach.

Al Davis echoed those same sentiments calling Madden in a 1999 interview “smart” and a “teacher.”

“He handled the players. He grew as a coach, and obviously he made his place in the sun as a truly great coach.”

Raiders current owner Mark Davis honored Madden at 6 p.m. lit the torch at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas NV, the original kickoff time for Monday Night Football tweeting @Raiders, “Tonight I light the torch in honor of and tribute to John Madden and Al Davis, who declared that the fire that burns the brightest in the Raiders Organization is the will to win.”

Raiders current quarterback Derek Carr said via Twitter last week @derekcarrqb, “Sad to hear of John Madden passing. Praying for his family.”

Berman said one of the great pleasures of his life was being the host of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, particularly for Madden’s in 2006 and the reaction of the members going in with Madden and the those currently in the Hall of Fame in attendance when Madden gave his Hall of Fame speech. It is those images of Madden greeting Warren Moon, Al Davis, and many others that Berman said will stick with him for a long time.

Madden was inducted into the Hall of Fame first as a broadcaster when he received the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television award as a coach and then as a coach four years later.

“Today feels like the second time in my life I’m being carried off the shoulders of others,” Madden said 16 years ago at his Hall of Fame induction referring to when his Raiders players carried him off the field after the Super Bowl XI win.

Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who played for the San Francisco 49ers, Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, tweeted @Jerry Rice, “A coaching and broadcasting legend and loved by all You will be missed. RIP John Madden.”

Super Bowling winning offensive signal caller Patrick Mahomes II tweeted @Patrick Mahomes, “A coaching legend. A broadcasting icon. Beloved by football fans everywhere. Remembering John Madden.”

Hall of Fame quarterback and current color analyst for NFL on Troy Aikman tweeted @TroyAikman, “John Madden was a treasure. He was a gift. And he has incredible friend. RIP John.” 

What also made the Raiders appointment television on gameday was Coach Madden’s demonstrative behavior at times on the sidelines, particularly after one of the most memorable but gut-wrenching conclusions to a playoff game in NFL history when the Raiders lost at the Pittsburgh Steelers what is now dubbed “The Immaculate Reception.”

Madden went to his grave believing that the reception and run for the game-winning touchdown by Steelers’ Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris a half a century ago should have not been ruled a no catch because the ball hit the ground and should have been ruled incomplete.

For those that dared to discuss that play with Madden, would see him turn red in the face with anger because he is convinced that play robbed the Raiders of a chance to be in another Super Bowl.

After Madden retired from the NFL after the 1978 NFL season at age 42, he would embark on a career as one of the greatest color analyst in not just the NFL but all of professional sports commentary from 1979-2009, where he would win 16 Emmy Awards covering the NFL for all four major networks—CBS (1979-93), FOX (1994-2001), ABC 2002-05, and NBC (2006-08). A great deal those 30 years Madden spent in the NFL broadcast booth were alongside late legendary play-by-play man Pat Summerall with CBS and FOX Sports and with Al Michaels on ABC’s “Monday Night Football” and NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.”

Madden when not paired with Summerall during his time with CBS called games with the late greats Vin Scully, Dick Stockton, Frank Glieber, and Gary Bender.

Following Summerall and Madden in 2001 was now longtime lead play-by-play man now for FOX Joe Buck and current “Sunday Night Football” color analyst in former Cincinnati Bengals wideout Chris Collinsworth, who replaced Madden twice. Collinsworth said that Madden was a “man of the people.”

When people saw him in a hotel lobby, Madden Collinsworth said would just sit down and as that crowd would grow larger and he would break out into a story from his days as a football coach. Then he would leave and people would be stunned that they spent time with an NFL legend.

“But that’s what he loved to do the most,” Collinsworth said on Sunday’s edition of “Football Night in America.”  

Madden use of colorful observations of what was taking place on the field using simple and expressive language like “Boom!” “Whap!” and “Doink!” to describe a place kicker bounces a field goal attempt off the upright.

The first time Madden used his signature “Boom!” call was his first NFL Broadcast for CBS Sept. 23, 1979 between the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers when now Super Bowl winning head coach of the Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tony Dungy was trying to tackle Chuck Muncie after had a long run.

“I did not know I was involved in the first ‘Boom!’ What an honor,” Dungy said last Sunday.

Coach Dungy also said that in his second season as head coach of the Buccaneers Maddon and Summerall broadcasted their contest he invited his friend from Pittsburgh Mack Gray. Of all the things got the chance to do on gameday because of Dungy, the one great memory he had was being introduced to Coach Madden and getting the chance to go on the Madden Bus and take a photo with Madden.

“That was the highlight of his week getting to meet John Madden,” Coach Dungy said.

Super Bowl winning quarterback Drew Brees, who played with the then San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers and the Saints said of having Madden call his game when the Saints played at the Dallas Cowboys in a game to decide the No. 2 Seed in NFC how he remembered walking into the production meeting and seeing Madden.

Brees said that he was more interested in asking Madden questions then the other way around.

“Just a man that left an indelible mark on this league [NFL] and had such a strong impact on all of us,” Brees said.

Another former NFL quarterback who said that Madden left a lasting impact on him when meeting was NBC Sports’ Chris Simms, the son of Super Bowl winning quarterback for the New York Giants and longtime co-host of “Inside the NFL” on Paramount+ and the NFL Today on CBS Phill Simms who said that he felt like Madden was the narrator of his father’s life growing up in the late 1980s and 1990s.

At around age 9 or 10 one day when the younger Simms was at Giants Saturday walk-through practice Madden and Summerall walked the field and Madden conversed with Simms and brought him on the Madden Crusier.

“This was a special thing. From that point, just great to me whenever he saw me. It’s like we were friends. Two peas in a pod,” Simms said of his interactions with Madden. “A really special, special guy.”     

Super Bowl winning safety Rodney Harrison, who played for the Chargers and Patriots said that Madden during a broadcast of one of his games said in his unique voice said that he was a “box safety.”

Harrison said that moment “pushed” him and “motivated” him to become a better football player.

He made the game understandable for everyone that watched from the casual fan to a diehard fans of pro football. Madden made the game of pro football fun. Madden particularly highlighted the offensive and defensive lineman describing their movements from the synergy of the offensive line.

Madden was a particular fan of Washington Football team offensive line during the Joe Gibbs era, where they won three Super Bowls in 1987, 1988 and 1991 dubbed the “Hogs.” 

He also pioneered the use of the word that has become commonplace to describe the machine that produces instant replays or what is used to diagram what is on display on our television sets, called the “telestrator.”

Coach Madden’s final call of an NFL Game was Super Bowl XLII between the Arizona Cardinals and Steelers Feb. 2, 2009. He officially announced his retirement from broadcasting on Apr. 16, 2009.

“The term ‘Renaissance Man’ is tossed around a little too loosely these days, but John was as close as you can come,” Michaels, a five-time Emmy Award winner said in a statement on Tuesday. “A dear friend, a wonderful partner in the broadcast booth and a man who brought so much joy to so many people, I’ll miss him enormously.”

What also made Madden a legend in the broadcast booth, he never made it about him or his time as a head coach unless it could be done within the context of the broadcast. It was all about the players and the coaches.

“He put a smile on everyone’s face and you didn’t dare leave the room or turn the dial,” Berman said of Madden’s color commentary style. “When John Madden’s I really don’t need to go anywhere right now.”

Of the 11 Super Bowls Madden commentated, eight of them he teamed up to call with Summerall.

“John will always have a unique place in the history of pro football,” Michaels said when Madden left NBC 13 years ago. “No one has made the sport more interesting, more relevant and more enjoyable to watch and listen to than John. There’s never been anyone like him, and he’s been the gold standard for analysts for three decades.

In his 30 years as a broadcaster, Madden never got to the site of each game by plane because of his well-known fear of flying which came from claustrophobia.

So instead of flying, Madden traveled in tailor made bus called, “The Madden Cruiser,” which was first supplied in 1987 through Greyhound Lines in exchange for advertising and speaking events. The other coach-bus sponsors over the years have included Walker Advantage Muffler and Outback Steakhouse.

That fear of flying is why during his broadcasting career Madden never commentated the Pro Bowl, which used to then be held in Honolulu or any preseason games held outside North America.

“First game together, I remember him sweating and thinking he’s nervous about being on camera. We did the opening I didn’t realize that the time he had such fear of heights. He’s so claustrophobic.”

Back in 1988 Electronic Arts Sports (EA Sports) approached him about endorsing a new video game called “Madden,” which became a part of pop culture having sold 100 million copies worldwide and counting.

“When we first started out, it was even before video games. It was a computer game,” Madden said in 1999. “In your wildest dreams, you didn’t expect it to be what it is.”

NBC Sports’ Jac Collinsworth said on Sunday that one of the best days of his life is when Coach Madden gave him a copy of “Madden 07” which Collinsworth said how kids like him fell in love with the game of football.

Harrison concurred saying that it was not just kids that love the “Madden” video game, it was adults like him. So much so, that he spent more time playing “Madden” until about 4,5. till 6 a.m. every morning that it nearly cost him his marriage.

“That game has influenced, impacted millions of people. What an incredible man Coach Madden was,” Harrison said.

Along with being a legendary pro football coach, broadcaster and video game icon, Madden was one of the fiercest advocates for player’s safety.

NBC Sports NFL Insider Mike Florio of “Pro Football Talk” said during the “Football Night in America” broadcast on Sunday that after Madden retired from NBC as a television color analyst he became an unpaid advisor to the NFL, who worked tirelessly producing ways to make the game safer.

One specific focal point of his was making sure any player that suffered a concussion is removed from play immediately.

On those occasions when a player was clearly in distress after taking a hit to the head and was not taken off the field, Madden Florio said would be very “livid” when that took place and pushed harder to make sure that players were taken out of the game if they showed an signs of a concussion.

Florio was also told that Madden spent a couple of years trying to remove the three-point stance at every level of football high school, college and pro because he was convinced that as offensive and defensive lineman fired off the ball that those helmet-to-helmet collisions, even at low speed had no place in the game of football or the players.

“He was interested in making everything safer for everyone who put on a helmet and played football,” Florio said about Madden.

For four decades, John Madden was one of the most recognizable and most influential figures in National Football League. He was legend as a head coach on the gird iron for the Oakland Raiders. He became a legend in the broadcast booth for three decades. He became a legendary ad person for many products. On Sunday, we said goodbye to a man who put his life and soul into the game of football and the people that played it, coach it, and watched it live or at home. More than that, John Madden got as much joy being in the room with people as they got joy being in a room with him.

“I never worked a day in my life. I went from player to coach, to broadcaster and I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” Madden also said at his Hall of Fame induction speech about his life in pro football.

Information and quotations are courtesy of 12/29/2021 Newsday articles “The Gold Standard On” by Neil Best and “NFL’s Goodwill Ambassador,” by Bob Glauber; 12/29/2021 3 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter” from Los Angeles, CA With Ashley Brewer and Stan Verrett, and Chris Berman; 12/31/2021 7 p.m. NBC’s “Football Night In America,” with Maria Taylor, Tony Dungy, Brew Brees, Chris Simms, Jack Collinsworth, Rodney Harrison, and Mike Florio; 1/1/2022 7 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter” With Nicole Briscoe and Randy Scott; 1/3/2022 6 a.m. edition of ESPN’s “Sportscenter With Scott Van Pelt” from Washington, D.C.; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Madden.