NFL icon John Madden dies at age of 85

John Madden (right) (Wikimedia Commons)

John Madden of Austin, Minnesota, one of the most recognizable names and faces in National Football League history, passed away on Tuesday, at the age of 85. Most people associate Madden to broadcasting, and how he revolutionized the sports media industry as an analyst. Madden also was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders for a decade from 1969 to 1978 (winning the Super Bowl in 1977), and lent his voice and name to a video game series for EA Sports that generated global fame.

As a coach, Madden had a record of 103 wins, 32 losses and seven ties in 142 regular season games. Madden’s .759 winning percentage is the second best winning percentage all-time among NFL coaches. The only coach who had a higher winning percentage was Guy Chamberlin of Blue Springs, Nebraska, who had a winning percentage of .784 while coaching the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Bulldogs, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, and the Chicago Cardinals from 1922 to 1927. In that time frame, Chamberlin posted a record of 58 wins, 16 losses, and seven ties.

Madden’s Super Bowl title came on January 9, 1977. Clarence Davis had 137 yards rushing as the Raiders defeated the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 in Pasadena, California. Vikings center Mick Tingelhoff, who played in Super Bowl XI, died on September 11, 2021, at the age of 81. 

At age 42, Madden also set the record for being the youngest head coach ever to record 100 coaching wins in the NFL. He accomplished the feat in a 20-10 Raiders win over the Kansas City Chiefs on November 5, 1978 according to the Associated Press.

As a broadcaster, Madden had the distinction in working for all four major United States networks. He was with CBS from 1979 to 1993, FOX from 1994 to 2001, ABC from 2002 to 2005, and NBC from 2006 to 2008. At CBS and FOX, Madden worked regularly with Pat Summerall, and at ABC and NBC with Al Michaels. Madden revolutionized the broadcasting industry by insisting to conduct direct interviews with coaches and players. Before Madden worked as an analyst, colour-commentators usually got the majority of their information from public relations staff members on NFL teams. In 2006, Madden was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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