Key sentence:
- John Madden, a legendary football coach and sports broadcaster, has died. At the time, he was 85 years old.
- Following his retirement from coaching, he remained active in the game, becoming one of the game’s most recognizable color commentators.
On Tuesday morning, the National Football League announced that Madden died “unexpectedly.” His cause of death was unknown at the time of his death.
In a statement, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, “On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Virginia, Mike, Joe, and their families.” “We all know him as the Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster who worked for every major network, but he was also a loving husband, father, and grandfather.”
The statement went on to say, “Coach was a die-hard football fan. He was a football player. He was a fantastic sounding board for many other people and me.
There will not be another John Madden, and we’ll be eternally grateful to him for everything he did to shape football and the NFL into the entities that they are today.”
Madden was a professional football player before he became a coach. After being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958, he suffered a knee injury during training camp, effectively ending his professional career before it began.
Since then, he has increased to become one of professional football’s most powerful figures.
He began his coaching career with the Oakland Raiders as the linebacker coach in 1967. He became head coach after two seasons at the age of 32, making him the American Football League’s youngest coach.
In Super Bowl XI, he led the Raiders to a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on January 9, 1977. He led the team to a 103-win, 32-loss, and 7-tie record in ten seasons as head coach.
Following his retirement from coaching, he remained active in the game, becoming one of the game’s most recognizable color commentators. He worked as an analyst for CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC from 1979 to 2008.
He’s also the brains behind the popular “Madden” video games. Madden was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 5, 2006.
