John Madden [1936-2021] : An NFL legend dies

Many know him because he lent his name to the famous video game Madden. Others were marked by his monster impact as an analyst of NFL games on TV, but it was above all his career as head coach of the Raiders that opened the doors to the Hall of Fame. For all these reasons, the football world is in mourning for the legendary John Madden, who died on Tuesday.

At 85, the man whose passion for football had been contagious since the late 1960s died unexpectedly in California.

At the time of this writing, the cause of death, which is survived by his wife and two sons, was not known.

In 1958, he was drafted in the 21st round by the Philadelphia Eagles. His playing career ended without him playing a single game in the NFL, but it was only the beginning of a long adventure for the Minnesota native.

“We all know him as a Raiders coach and commentator who worked for all the major networks, but first and foremost he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. No one loved football more than Coach.

“There will never be another John Madden and we are eternally grateful for what he did to make the NFL what it is today,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.

Prolific trainer

As early as 1960, Madden started coaching at Allan Hancock College.

In 1964, he became defensive coordinator at San Diego State University. At 32, in 1969, the Oakland Raiders made him the youngest head coach in the NFL.

Under his rule, the Raiders had an extremely prolific period until his premature retirement in 1978.

In 10 seasons at the helm, he guided his team to seven division championships, seven conference finals and a Super Bowl conquest on January 9, 1977, against the Minnesota Vikings.

Madden capped off his career with a sparkling record of 103 wins, 32 losses and seven draws. To date, he is still the winningest coach in Raiders history.

At a time when NFL coaches were stoic and sullen, Madden stood out with his colorful style and closeness to his players.

A revered analyst

Despite his extensive coaching record, it was in his role as an analyst that Madden wowed the masses, from his sensational first steps in 1979 to his last game in February 2009.

His vigorous passion, his amusing expressions and his talent for popularizing have made him a mythical figure.

On the airwaves of CBS (from 1979 to 1993), Fox (from 1994 to 2001), ABC (from 2002 to 2005) and NBC (from 2006 to 2009), he won 16 Emmy awards, given to outstanding personalities of American television.

He has also caused a stir by annually awarding players in the shadows as part of his famous team. All Madden.

It was in 2006 that he was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame.

In video games

In 1988, the first version of the video game Madden NFL, to which he lent his voice and expertise in another effort to democratize the sport, came out.

The success became monster, to the point where, today, the franchise is still rolling and more than 250 million copies have been sold.

Since undergoing open-heart surgery in November 2015, Madden has barely made any public appearances.

Last week, the Fox network aired the documentary All Madden, which recounts his successful career.

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