Oh man, this one hurts.
According to a press release from the NFL, coaching and broadcast legend John Madden passed away this morning at the age of 85.
The legendary coach spent his entire NFL career with the Oakland Raiders, first as a linebackers coach before being promoted to head coach after only one season. Madden then served as the Raiders head coach from 1969 – 1978, winning Super Bowl XI over the Minnesota Vikings in 1976.
Though his head coaching career only spanned ten full seasons, he remains the winningest coach in Raiders history, and holds the record for the youngest coach to reach 100 regular season wins, a milestone he reached when he was only 42 years old.
Madden racked up a 103-32-7 record as head coach, and his 76.3% winning percentage still ranks second in NFL history.
But despite his legendary tenure as a coach, Madden may be most remembered for his career in the broadcast booth after he left the sidelines.
After starting his broadcasting career with CBS Sports in 1979, Madden would eventually go on to call games for all four of the major networks until his retirement from television in 2009. During his career in the booth, Madden would call eleven Super Bowls and over 500 games, most as part of the legendary duo with Pat Summerall.
Madden was a 16-time Emmy Award winner, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
And of course, since 1988, Madden has lent his voice and image to the wildly popular Madden NFL video game series from EA Sports.
In their press release announcing his passing, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised Madden for his contributions to the NFL and to the game of football:
“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 is survived by his wife Virginia, his sons Joseph and Michael, and his five grandchildren.
It’s safe to say that there are few who have had, or ever will have, as much of an impact on the NFL and the game of football as John Madden.
Rest in peace, Coach.
