Hall of Fame football coach John Madden died unexpectedly yesterday morning. He was 85.
The first pro football game that I attended was the last game Madden coached.
December 17, 1978
Minnesota Vikings @ Oakland Raiders
I was a 14-year old kid experiencing heaven on earth. The first NFL figure that I saw at my first NFL game was John Madden. He was walking the field. Smoking a cigarette. On a very rainy Sunday, the Raiders head coach appeared to be checking the condition of the field. Al Davis soon materialized at his side. It’s a picture that’s as vivid today as it was that rainy day.
The Raiders won the game. 27-20.
John Madden won 103 regular season games in his ten years as head coach. His .759 win percentage is the best in league history among coaches with at least 100 wins. He won games at a better rate than Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, and Bill Belichick. Madden guided the Raiders to the playoffs eight times in those ten years. Seven times his team’s postseason stay lasted at least two games. The only year that his team didn’t play at least two playoff games was the year of the Immaculate Reception. Has anyone coached more games with names? The Immaculate Reception, Sea of Hands, Ghost to the Post, Holy Roller. Fun times. Madden annually coached in big games. For the entirety of my youth, the Raiders were a dominant football team. They were a team of misfits, maniacs, border-line criminals. They were also terrific football players. Madden somehow kept his team out of jail, on the field, and playing great football. His biggest win was personally painful. His Raiders beat my Vikings in Super Bowl XI. After years of stunning playoff battles with the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers, John Madden’s Oakland Raiders finally had their Lombardi Trophy.
It’s been said many times that a generation of football fans know John Madden as a coach. The next generation of football fans know him as an analyst. More recent generations of football fans know him from the video game that carries his name.
Perhaps no figure in the history of the NFL touched so many, brought so many to football, and most importantly taught so many about football. And he made it all so damn much fun.
As soon as I discovered football I was smitten. I didn’t need Madden’s help in appreciating football. I did need Madden’s help in understanding football. He was my coach and teacher. As a coach in the booth, no one has ever called a better game. No one ever will. When it comes to in-game football analysis, there’s Madden. Then there’s every body else. He was fun. He was entertaining. He’s the only broadcast personality that I never wanted to mute at some point during a game. I’ve missed John Madden’s football broadcasts every season since his 2008 retirement.
His last Vikings broadcast:
11/30/08-Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings
I remember the game well. A Vikings goal line stand set up a 99-yard Gus Frerotte to Bernard Berrian touchdown pass. It’s arguably the best defense-offense sequence in Vikings history. It was a beautiful sequence and a beautiful call.
For as long as football is played, John Madden’s influence will be felt. He made football more accessible. He made it better. He made it fun. There’s really no need to say goodbye. Madden can be found wherever a football game is played. He can also be found in Canton. If we really listen, maybe we can hear Madden and the football greats talking about whatever.
RIP Coach.
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