On the field, as coach of the Raiders, between 1969 and 1978, John Madden compiled a spectacular 112-39-7 record; it was Coach of the Year in 1969 (at age 32) and won Super Bowl XI, among many other achievements.
However, when he retired and began his career as a television analyst, Madden radically changed the way we watch the NFL, and forever.
Madden made his television debut in 1976 on CBS. Shared the broadcast booth with Pat Summerall for most of their 22 seasons on CBS and FOX, where they both moved in 1994.
And it was precisely in August 1994 when FOX debuted, in an NFL preseason game, what was then known as the ‘Fox Box’, a small graphic in the upper left corner of the screen that showed, throughout the game , the score, the quarter and the remaining time.
That was Madden’s idea.
Immediately other sports and leagues copied the concept and today a sports broadcast is not conceived without that graphic that indicates, at least, the score and the time. Now that “box” includes a lot of elements: time-outs, the personnel on the field, the punishment handkerchiefs, and so on.
Another idea of his: the yellow virtual line that helps to identify the first and ten mark.
Meetings and analysis
At that time, it was not customary for the commentators, and in general the production team, to have a meeting with the coaches before the game that they had to broadcast. And it was Madden who insisted on the importance of that talk, which, without a doubt, greatly enriches a transmission.
“He was a Hall of Fame coach. He was a gigantic television star. Why? Because the little advice that everyone receives is easy to say but difficult to follow: be yourself, “he said. Bob Costas to NFL Films. “He could be himself … and people loved him.”
Watching the games that Madden analyzed was a delight. Beyond the “whams” and “booms” that he unleashed with a spectacular tackle or block, the coach helped you understand what was happening in the trenches, where games are won or lost.
The zone blocking, the “stunts” of a defensive tackle, the importance of the hands of a defensive end or an offensive tackle and many other concepts that help to understand the “fine” part of football.
With Madden seeing the ball was the least of it. In the end, the cameras would lead you to him hopelessly.
“He set the standard for commentators,” he said. Al Michaels, with whom he worked on both ABC’s “Monday Night Football” and NBC’s “Sunday Night.” “There was only one John Madden.”
The NFL owes him a lot, and everyone who likes this sport has to be grateful to the one and only John Madden.
Rest in peace, coach.
