John Madden, NFL Hall of Fame coach, legendary broadcaster and head of Madden NFL Football, died at age 85.
As reported by NFL.com, Madden died unexpectedly last Tuesday (28), but no other cause was given.
“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. “We all know him as the Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster who’s worked for all the major broadcasters, but more than anything, he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather.”
“No one loved football more than the coach. He was the sport. He was an amazing sounding board for me and so many others. There will never be another John Madden and we will be forever grateful to him for everything he did to make football American and the NFL what it is today.”
John Madden was born in Austin, Minnesota, on April 10, 1936, and quickly became a star in the football world. He was drafted in the 21st round of the NFL draft in 1958 for the Philadelphia Eagles, but injured his knee during his first training camp and never got a chance to play in the NFL.
Although his dream of playing in the NFL ended sooner than expected, he quickly discovered love as a coach. Madden began his coaching career in 1960 as an assistant at Allan Hancock College and quickly assumed the role of head coach in 1962. He would move to San Diego State before finally being hired by Al Davis as NFL linebacker coach. Oakland Raiders in 1967.
In 1969, Madden was promoted to head coach of the Raiders and became the youngest head coach in the NFL at the time, at 32 years old. During his time as head coach of the Oakland Raiders, Madden’s record was 103-32-7 (VDE) in the regular season and 9-7 in the playoffs. He would win his one and only Super Bowl on January 9, 1977, and he retired as a coach just two years later, in 1979. In 2006, Madden was nominated for the Professional Football Hall of Fame.
Although he had a long and successful broadcast career that would earn him 16 Emmy Awards, one of his other biggest claims to fame was to lend his name to EA’s Madden NFL Football game series.
In 1986, EA wanted to create a unique football game and its then president Trip Hawkins, programmer Robin Atonick and other team members introduced the idea to John Madden. They quickly learned that Madden wasn’t the type of person to give his name willingly.
“If it’s not 11 on 11, it’s not real football,” said Madden. Due to the limits of technology at the time, EA tried to limit the players on each side to six or seven. Madden didn’t care. “I won’t put my name on this if it’s not real,” Madden said at the time.
Madden would work with the team to create an authentic NFL experience for players around the world, from the playbook to the feeling of being in the game. In 1988, the first John Madden Football was released on the Apple II and started what would become one of the most successful and profitable franchises in all games.
As of 2021, Madden NFL Football is the only officially licensed NFL video game series, and as of 2013, it generated more than $4 billion in sales. Since its first title, the series has sold more than 250 million copies and shows no signs of stopping.
John Madden is survived by his wife, Virginia, and their two children, Joseph and Michael.
*Translated by Jeancarlos Mota
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