NFL and Television Icon John Madden Dead at 85

The NFL has announced that John Madden, a former football coach turned NFL broadcasting legend, has passed away at the age of 85. A cause of death was not revealed, although it was noted happened “unexpectedly” this morning.

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 Hall of Fame coach of the Oakland Raiders and broadcaster who worked for every major network, but more than anything, he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football. 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.”

Madden was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders for ten seasons, winning the team’s first championship at Super Bowl XI over the Minnesota Vikings. He never had a losing season from 1969 to 1978, with a 103-32-7 regular season record. He was the youngest coach ever to get over 100 wins, which he did at the age of 42. He’s also the coach with the most wins in Raiders history, and has the best winning percentage of an NFL head coach (with a minimum of 10 seasons) at .759. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 as a coach.

In a statement, the Raiders said: “The Raiders Family is deeply saddened by the passing of the legendary John Madden. Few individuals meant as much to the growth and popularity of professional football as Coach Madden, whose impact on the game both on and off the field was immeasurable.”

Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter added: “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 booth and a coach in life. He was dearly loved by millions of football fans worldwide.”

After he retired in 1979, he went into broadcasting as a color commentator for the NFL, which he did from 1979 to 2008. During that time, he became known as the voice of the game to a lot of people. He also won 16 Emmys for Outstanding Sports Analyst/Personality and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award.

During that time, his name become recognizable to video game fans for the long-running Madden NFL franchise, which is still ongoing and will continue to use his name. Even if you didn’t watch football, you likely saw him as the spokesman for Ace Hardware or Tinactin. He also occasionally worked on Hollywood projects, whether it was appearing as himself for Little Giants or a parody of himself in The Simpsons.

411 would like to give our condolences to the family, friends and fans of Mr. Madden.