John Madden, Iconic NFL Coach and Broadcaster, Dies at 85
John Madden, the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach, broadcaster and video game franchise namesake, has died. He was 85.
Madden’s death was confirmed via the NFL with Commissioner Roger Goodell saying in a statement, “On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Virginia, Mike, Joe and their families. 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.”
Goodell added, “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.”
Madden’s coaching career in the NFL began in 1967 as the Linebackers coach for the Oakland Raiders. He would become Head coach of the Raiders in 1969 and would hold the position for ten seasons. His career win-loss record as a Head coach was 103-32-7 (76.3 winning %) with the Raiders becoming Super Bowl Champions at Super Bowl XI.
As successful as he was as a coach, Madden spent the bulk of his career as a color commentator from 1979-2009, during which he worked for all four major TV broadcast networks. Throughout his decades as a color commentator, he spent 22 seasons alongside Pat Summerall where they’d become one of the most popular play-by-play/color teams in NFL and sports history.
Madden would further cement his legacy thanks to the long-running Madden NFL video game franchise, which began 1988 and was originally titled John Madden Football.
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