By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
This Raiders season that has been emotionally trying on so many levels is now coping with another loss.
John Madden, the Super Bowl-winning coach with a stunning winning percentage for the Oakland Raiders at such a young age for an NFL coach, died Tuesday at the age of 85.
The Raiders issued a statement, which began, “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.”
The NFL offered this statement through its commissioner: “On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Virginia, Mike, Joe and their families,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday. “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.”
The Raiders, the franchise that planted roots in Las Vegas in 2020 thanks to a palatial new domed stadium a short walk from the Strip, gave the boisterous Madden a national platform when Raiders owner Al Davis hired him when he was only 32 years old.
Madden coached the Silver and Black for 10 seasons and compiled a sparkling 103-32-7 regular season record.
From 1969-78, the Raiders posted winning records in each season, won seven division titles and qualified for the playoffs eight times. In 1976, Madden coached the Raiders to a 13-1 regular season record and a 32-14 triumph over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI, marking the franchise’s first title.
He retired in 1079, two years after winning the Super Bowl.
Madden then became an NFL game analyst for CBS Sports and his energy from the sideline as coach translated well to his energy as a broadcaster in the TV media box.
Madden was such a bigger-than-life figure that his persona transcended the National Football League and the Raiders. He became a pop culture figure in this country because of his colorful TV broadcasting style that was featured on four networks that televised NFL games — CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC.
Madden’s large football shadow also included video games besides coaching and broadcasting. EA Sports enlisted Madden for its popular game and the Madden video game moniker became synonymous with the video form of the sport. The Madden brand was so big that the Madden video game generated more than $7 billion in revenues.
The magic of Madden was that he took football and made it appealing to the masses and non-traditional demographic groups, He even hosted Saturday Night Live. Bottom line: Madden the down-to-earth and authentic celebrity connected to America, urban and rural. He was one of us, not matter how diverse us was.
After Madden became the Raiders coach and he grew older, generations of Americans got to know different versions of Madden: the famed football coach, the TV broadcaster with the man-on-the-street quips (Boom!, doink) and the video game guy.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
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. — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
In 2006, Madden was presented for enshrinement to the Pro Football Hall of Fame by Davis, who opened his speech by calling Madden, “A brilliant coach. A loyal and trusted friend. A Raider.”
Fox’s John Madden documentary, “All Madden,” was broadcast on Christmas Day and will be available after Jan. 1. The documentary addressed Madden’s decision to not fly on airplanes, choosing to ride on his Madden cruiser from game to game after a harrowing experience and panic attack on a jet during a flight from Tampa to the west coast in 1980 after broadcasting a Buccaneers game.
Reactions from across the league and country poured in.
We lost an icon in the world of football, certainly in the National Football League, but really the world of football has lost an icon. It’s hard to say that you can find another person that has gone through all the genres that he’s gone through and been ultra-successful like that. I had a chance to meet him when I was a young coach in the NFL in Tampa, and he came through and I just had a chance to shake his hand and it was kind of like my hand disappeared. He was such a big man and he lit up the room and he had this way in which he made everyone else in the room feel really good about themselves, and you’re actually excited about meeting Coach Madden. In my conversation with Owner Mark [Davis] yesterday, his comment was, ‘He’s a Raider.’ So, I certainly understand that and have a great understanding of what a Raider is certainly by the example that Coach Madden left here along with the entire National Football League. So, it’s a great loss, and again, our thoughts and prayers are with his family. — Interim Raiders coach Rich Bisaccia