John Madden
John Earl Madden was born in Austin, Minnesota on the 10th of April 1936. His father moved the family to Daly City, California when John was young. He attended Jefferson High School and graduated in 1954. A football star in high school, he played one season at the College of San Mateo before earning a scholarship to the University of Oregon. A knee injury forced him to redshirt that year. He later transferred to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo where he earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts in education by 1961.
His playing career ended abruptly after a collarbone injury during an October 1958 game against Long Beach State. The injury cut his senior season short with four games remaining. He suffered another torn knee ligament in August 1959 during Eagles training camp. This injury ended his professional playing ambitions without him ever appearing in a regulation NFL game. Despite this setback, he began coaching shortly thereafter. In 1960 he became an assistant coach at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California.
Al Davis hired Madden as linebackers coach for the Oakland Raiders in 1967. He helped the team reach Super Bowl II that same season. On the 4th of February 1969, Madden became the Raiders head coach at age 32. He was the youngest head coach in AFL/NFL history at that time. His first squad went 12, 1, 1 in 1969 but lost the American Football League Championship Game to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Madden led the Raiders to seven AFC West division championships over ten seasons. They won eight playoff appearances and reached seven AFL/AFC Championship Games. One famous playoff defeat occurred in 1972 when Franco Harris caught the Immaculate Reception pass to beat Pittsburgh 13, 7. The Steelers eliminated the Raiders again in 1974 and 1975 AFC Championship Games.
In 1976 the Raiders finished 13, 1 in the regular season. They defeated the New England Patriots 24, 21 in a controversial first round victory. That year they also beat their nemesis the Steelers 24, 7 to reach Super Bowl XI. On the 9th of January 1977, Madden won his only NFL title with a 32, 14 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He retired on the 4th of January 1979 due to an ulcer and burnout.
Madden joined CBS as a color commentator in 1979. He worked lower-profile contests before teaming up with Pat Summerall in 1981. Their duo called eight Super Bowls together. In 1994 Fox gained rights to NFC games and offered him a contract worth more than any NFL player earned annually. His deal was reportedly $8 million for 2003 alone.
He became the first sportscaster to work for all four major U.S. broadcast networks. ABC hired him in 2002 for Monday Night Football at $5 million per year. NBC brought him aboard in 2006 for Sunday night games. His final game aired on the 1st of February 2009 during Super Bowl XLIII between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers. He announced retirement from broadcasting on the 16th of April 2009.
His style included interjections like Boom! Whap! Bang! and Doink!. He popularized the telestrator device which allowed him to draw diagrams over video footage. This technology became a staple of television coverage across all sports. He won 16 Sports Emmy Awards for his standing as a Sports Event Analyst.
Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins approached Madden in 1984 about creating a football simulation. Madden viewed the project as an educational tool for teaching plays. He stated that the series let people learn the game at a sophisticated level. Entries in the John Madden Football series have consistently been best-sellers since 1988.
Despite retiring from broadcasting in 2009 he continued providing creative input to the franchise. The series became so popular that he was better known as its face than as a Super Bowl winning coach. EA Sports announced on the 1st of June 2022 that all editions of Madden NFL 23 would feature him on the cover. The next gen version showed him celebrating victory after Super Bowl XI.
The franchise spawned TV shows featuring competition between players. It remains the best-selling American football video game series in history. His name and iconography continue to be used following his death in 2021. The All Madden Edition cover was based on the first installment titled John Madden Football.
Madden lost close friends in the 29th of October 1960 Cal Poly team plane crash that killed 16 players. This tragedy shaped his later fear of flying. In 1979 he suffered his first panic attack on a flight originating in Tampa, Florida. He never flew on a commercial airplane again.
His claustrophobia drove him to travel exclusively by bus for decades during his broadcasting career. Greyhound Lines supplied him with a custom bus starting in 1987 called the Madden Cruiser. The bus shells were manufactured by Motor Coach Industries. Sponsors included Walker Advantage Muffler and Outback Steakhouse.
He donated the original Madden Cruiser to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018 where it was restored. During the 11th of September 2001 attacks he provided transportation for ice-skating champion Peggy Fleming whose flight had been grounded. He never did commentary for the Pro Bowl held in Honolulu or any preseason game outside North America.
In June 2016 his bocce tournament raised $5 million for Special Olympics Northern California and diabetes foundations. He began funding six scholarships at Cal Poly in 2021 for students from East Bay high schools. These scholarships supported students from various backgrounds who attended his alma mater.
Cal Poly announced an October 2022 donation toward a total $30-million football facility. The John Madden Football Center will include new lockers strength and conditioning facilities and a nutrition center. It also features offices training rooms and a film-review theater for coaches players and trainers.
The facility encompasses 30,000 square feet and is anticipated to open in 2026. Its entrance sits adjacent to the university memorial for the 1960 airline crash victims many of whom were Madden friends. He died at his home in Pleasanton, California on the 28th of December 2021 at age 85.
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Common questions
When and where was John Madden born?
John Earl Madden was born in Austin, Minnesota on the 10th of April 1936. His family moved to Daly City, California when he was young.
How did John Madden's playing career end before coaching began?
A collarbone injury during an October 1958 game against Long Beach State ended his senior season with four games remaining. A torn knee ligament suffered in August 1959 during Eagles training camp ended his professional playing ambitions without him ever appearing in a regulation NFL game.
What year did John Madden win his only Super Bowl title as head coach?
On the 9th of January 1977, John Madden won his only NFL title with a 32, 14 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He retired from coaching on the 4th of January 1979 due to an ulcer and burnout.
Why did John Madden stop flying on commercial airplanes after 1979?
Madden lost close friends in the 29th of October 1960 Cal Poly team plane crash that killed 16 players. This tragedy shaped his later fear of flying after he suffered his first panic attack on a flight originating in Tampa, Florida in 1979.
When was the John Madden Football Center scheduled to open at Cal Poly?
The facility encompasses 30,000 square feet and is anticipated to open in 2026. Its entrance sits adjacent to the university memorial for the 1960 airline crash victims many of whom were Madden friends.