NFL icon and football legend John Madden died Tuesday morning at age 85.
The Hall of Fame coach-turned-broadcaster whose eponymous video games delighted millions for 30 years died unexpectedly, and no cause of death was released.
Madden gained fame during a 10-year run as coach of the Oakland Raiders, making it to seven AFC championship games and winning the Super Bowl following the ‘76 season. He compiled a 103-32-7 regular-season record, and his .759 winning percentage is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games.
“Few individuals meant as much to the growth and popularity of professional football as Coach Madden, whose impact on the game both on and off the field was immeasurable,” the Raiders said in a statement, hours before team owner Mark Davis lit the Al Davis Torch in honor of Madden, the first person to ever light the torch on Oct. 16, 2011.
After retiring from coaching at age 42, Madden really made his mark. He began bestowing his wisdom weekly in the broadcast booth and became the face of Madden Football, one of the most popular video game franchises of all time.
“Today, we lost a hero,” EA Sports, makers of the Madden franchise, said in a statement. “John Madden was synonymous with the sport of football for more than 50 years. His knowledge of the game was second only to his love for it, and his appreciation for everyone that stepped on the gridiron. A humble champion, a willing teacher, and forever a coach. Our hearts and sympathies go out to John’s family, friends, and millions of fans. He will be greatly missed, always remembered, and never forgotten.”
The top dog of television sports analysis for the better part of his three decades calling games, Madden took home 16 Emmy Awards for outstanding sports analyst/personality and covered 11 Super Bowls for four networks from 1979 to 2009.
“People always ask, ‘Are you a coach or a broadcaster or a video game guy?’” Madden said when was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. “I’m a coach, always been a coach.”
Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said the Hall of Fame flag will be flown at half-staff in Madden’s memory.
Madden began his broadcasting career at CBS after leaving coaching in large part due to his fear of flying. He and Pat Summerall became the network’s top announcing duo. Madden then went to FOX in 1994 and went on to call games at ABC and NBC before retiring after Super Bowl XLIII in 2009.
“Nobody loved football more than Coach; he was football,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “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.”
Al Michaels, Madden’s broadcast partner for seven years, said working with him “was like hitting the lottery.”
“He was so much more than just football—a keen observer of everything around him and a man who could carry on a smart conversation about hundreds and hundreds of topics,” he said. “The term ‘Renaissance man’ is tossed around a little too loosely these days, but John was as close as you can come.”
Madden was raised in Daly City, California. He played on both the offensive and defensive lines for Cal Poly in 1957 and 1958 and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the school.
He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, but a knee injury dashed any hopes of playing professionally. Madden then decided to get into coaching—at CA’s Hancock Junior College then as defensive coordinator at San Diego State.
Davis brought him to the Raiders as a linebackers coach in 1967, and the team went to the Super Bowl in his first year. He replaced John Rauch as head coach after the 1968 season at age 32, beginning his 10-year run with the team.
A longtime resident of Bay Area suburb Pleasanton, California, John and Virginia Madden’s 62nd wedding anniversary was two days before his death.
