The history of the <a href="http://archysport.com/2022/01/nfl-raiders-defeated-chargers-in-final-play-in-overtime/" title="NFL: Raiders defeated Chargers in final play in overtime”>Las Vegas Raiders (at the time Oakland Raiders) cannot be understood without the appearance of the legendary John Madden, who forever changed not only the history of the franchise, but also that of the NFL with talent and unique works, which will go down in the history of the sport itself.
Madden’s path was not easy, because – despite having played in high school and as a college student as both an offensive and defensive lineman – His arrival in professional American football was as deserved as it was ephemeral.left without an opportunity due to a knee injury, which He was not even allowed to play a game. after being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles.
But destiny had a wonderful story in store for him with the Raiders, a team he joined after being an assistant in college football. His first position was as a linebackers coach for the then Oakland team.where he had already discovered that his true vocation was beyond what was known as ‘sideline’.
After two years in that position, Madden was promoted to head coach for the 1969 season. and his debut was wonderful, with a record of 12 wins, one draw and one loss, as well as a playoff win and the loss in the American Football League (AFL) championship against the Chiefs, but it was only the beginning.
In the West of the American Conference, Madden never dropped below second place and never had a losing season, the worst of which was recorded with nine wins, four losses and one draw. There were, in total, 10 seasons at the helm of the Raiders, of which he only missed the postseason in two.
Never, if it’s not the Raiders
It was in 1976 when John Madden consecrated what was already a Hall of Fame career, this after winning Super Bowl XI against the Vikings, after also leaving the Patriots and Steelers on the road; The coach was clear, there was nothing beyond the team that always believed in him: a story in which everyone won.
“All the games I coached in my life caused the best feeling in the world, nothing can beat it. It’s something I will carry until the day I die, like winning the Super Bowl. J.I will also be a coach of another team other than the Raiders”Madden once said.
His last season was in 1978 and it was not only his end as Raiders coach, but also the close of his NFL career. saying goodbye with a record of 103 wins and 32 losseswhich leads him to position himself as the best coach the franchise has had since its creation.
He was also the youngest coach to surpass 100 victories, at just 42 years old. and earned induction into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in the class of 2006: “They ask me if I’m a coach, a television commentator, or a video game guy. I am a coach. “I have always been a coach,” he said in his speech.
John Madden passed away on December 28, 2021, leaving behind a unique legacy in the history of sports, a video game valid to this day, a new way of understanding American football, but also and if that were not enough, he left more Raider than ever.