John Madden, the legendary Hall of Fame coach, broadcast icon, and the man behind the Madden NFL videogame series, has passed away at age 85. At this time, no cause of death has been released. Madden’s influence on football, broadcasting, and culture is immeasurable and he will be missed greatly.
Thanks, Coach pic.twitter.com/jGx8aVdRPj
— Madden NFL 22 (@EAMaddenNFL) December 29, 2021
“On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to (wife) Virginia, (son) Mike, (Son) Joe and their families,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “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.”
During his 10 seasons coaching the Raiders, Madden’s teams never had a losing record and he led Oakland to the playoffs eight times. In January 1977, the Raiders won Super Bowl XI, beating the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 under Madden’s leadership.
