WS Chronicle

NFL icon John Madden died last week on Dec. 28, just three days after Christmas at the age of 85.  The name Madden was more synonymous with the sport of football than just about any player.  His presence will truly be missed in the game.

Football is my favorite sport to watch and play and John Madden has been a part of that ever since I can remember.  He almost singlehandedly brought more casual fans to the sport of football than any other person due to his hugely popular video game and his colorful commentary when he commentated games.

Madden was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders for 10 seasons (1969-78).  He won a Super Bowl with the Raiders in 1977.  After coaching, he went into broadcasting and was a color commentator for the NFL until 2009.  

People of a younger age don’t remember how great of a coach Madden was.  His career win/loss record was 103-32-7 which is a 76% winning percentage.  He was also 9-7 overall in the playoffs as well.  He never had a losing season and his winning percentage is second in NFL history.  At the time I received my first Madden video game, all I knew of him was what I saw on television.  After doing a little digging and finding out how great of a coach he was, I gained a newfound respect for Madden beyond the game.

I didn’t know much about Madden when I received my first John Madden football game in 1992, I think it was.  That game not only had the current teams, but it also had some of the best teams in NFL history like Chicago 85’, New York 86’, Pittsburgh 78’, Oakland 76’ and others.  

It was through this game that my knowledge of NFL history began to grow.  Because the game did not include the players names, just their numbers, I had to research and ask my dad about the players from the older teams.

I would play with all of the old teams and my dad would tell me stories about the players on those teams.  That also led me to start watching old NFL Films games to gain more knowledge as well.  All of this was because of my parents buying me a John Madden football game.  

I continued to get every Madden video game that came out for at least the next 10 years.  Every August I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the newest version.  There were competitors throughout the 90s and 2000s, but year in and year out, Madden stood above them all almost every time.  

As a commentator, any game that Madden and his partner Pat Summerall (play by play commentator) were doing, I was watching.  It didn’t matter if it was the Cleveland Browns vs. the Arizona Cardinals, I was glued to the television.  Madden had a way of explaining the game of football that made even the most casual fan understand what was taking place on the screen.

His funny one liners and unique phrases made his games more attractive and they also made you watch a game that you normally wouldn’t have.  I was sad when he retired from broadcasting and I am saddened that he is no longer with us.  His death was felt by many.

“Nobody loved football more than Coach.  He was football,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell 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.”

Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said, “The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Coach Madden.  Few, if any, have had as great an impact on the sport of professional football on so many different levels as Coach Madden.  He was first and foremost a coach.  He was a coach on the field, a coach in the broadcast boot and a coach in life.

“He was dearly loved by millions of football fans worldwide.

“While it’s a very sad day, it’s also a day we should celebrate the life of a man who brought joy through the game of football to millions.  

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Coach Madden’s wife, Virginia; their sons, Joe and Mike; and the entire Madden family during this difficult time.  The Hall of Fame will forever guard Coach Madden’s legacy.  The Hall of Fame flag will be flown at half-staff in his memory.”

Bill Belichick, the greatest coach of this era, also released a statement about the death of Madden, “Our condolences to the Madden family.  It’s a huge loss for the NFL, professional football.  John is just a tremendous person to be around.  I think we all probably set out to try and have a good professional career, and John had about five of them.  He set the standard for coaching in his era, he had the best record, the best teams, championships and all that, the Raiders had a great style of play.  It was very captivating and certainly did a lot for the league and the competitiveness of the league.  He was a great champion for minorities and minority scouting.  Some of the great players they have at the Raiders from the smaller black colleges that he and coach Davis brought into the organization.  Then he moved to broadcasting and increased the popularity of the game, singlehandedly, quite a bit.  I don’t know how you’d ever measure that.  I think everybody that played football enjoyed John’s commentary.  A lot of people who probably didn’t even care about football found John entertaining a watch football because of him.  He brought a lot of people to the game.  He brought a perspective to the game that was very unique but loved by all.”

Those were just a few of the sentiments shared by people about Madden.  Not only did people from the football community, even athletes from other sports and entertainers sent out their condolences and thoughts as well.  

I’m sure football fans all over the world broke out whatever game system they had and played a game of Madden to pay tribute to the great John Madden.  Rest easy John Madden, there will never be another like you.