“No one loved football more than the coach. He was football. He was an incredible soundboard for me and many others. He would never be another John Madden, and we would forever be indebted to him for everything he did to create football. What the NFL is today.”
During his 10 seasons of training with the Raiders, Madden’s teams never had a failed record, and he led Auckland to the playoffs eight times. In January 1977, the Raiders won the Super Bowl XI, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 under Madden’s guidance.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 as a coach.
Madden provided commentary on 30 seasons of NFL games for Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC. He won 16 Emmys as Best Sports Personality / Sports Event Analyst.
Madden was much admired for his flamboyant broadcast style, and his analysis of “Boom!” Or “Wham!” Or “Doink!”
Madden wanted to use a telecaster, a video marker that could help a person draw television pictures, and help explain the game to hardcore and casual fans across the United States.
He presented awards such as the All-Madden Team to hard-working players, and awards such as the turkey legs to the most valuable players in the games he aired at the Thanksgiving event.
His biggest food gift was to use his TV sermon to express his preference over some dressing with a dish called Durducan – rotten turkey, duck and chicken.
When I think of a sports person who deserves the word “bigger than life”, I always think of John. I always do, ”said Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Madden NFL, which began as John Madden Football in 1988, is named after one of the best-selling sports video game series.
Madden’s enthusiastic and fashionable personality made him famous as a pitchman, with Miller describing light, ace hardware and antifungal treatment as reminiscent of his “duff acting ‘dinactin”.
Game life ended with injury
Madden Quarterback began studying filmmaking with Norm von Brocklyn and enjoyed analyzing and training.
Madden trained as an assistant at Alan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California in 1960. Two years later he was promoted to head coach and moved to San Diego State in 1964, where he was the defensive coordinator for three years.
He joined the Raiders as a linebackers coach at the American Football League before the 1967 season. In 1969, Al Davis replaced 32-year-old Madonna as head coach.
The Raiders joined the NFL in the 1970 season when 10 AFL teams officially joined the league.
“John Madden was really the epitome of the NFL, and at the time brought the NFL into everyone’s home,” CNN sports analyst and USA Today correspondent Christine Brennan told CNN’s Jim Acosta.
Brennan said he knew Madden was kind, gentle, intelligent and “a handsome man”.
In his Hall of Fame debut, Madden talked about his best football moment.
“I would like to say in the end that this is a great ride,” he said. “I want to thank everyone who was with me, no matter what.
“Speaking of the best rides, I’m lucky enough to be lifted off the field after we win Super Bowl XI. I was told that it took five or six people to lift me up, and then they dropped me off. But that’s right, because it’s me and it’s them. They’re not going to take me. You’m going to lift him up for a while, Boom! You’m going to throw him to the ground. But it’s the happiest moment of my life.
Kevin Dodson of CNN contributed to this report.
“Communicator. Music aficionado. Certified bacon trailblazer. Travel advocate. Subtly charming social media fanatic.”
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