John Madden has passed away

worm0082

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Yeah they should. He was on the cover every year until the late 90s I think.
 

ObstructedView

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This is hitting me harder than I would've expected. Sounds like a cliche, but he really was the voice of my childhood Sundays in the 80s. RIP
 

Rook05

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Seeing him in those John Madden doc trailers was hard. What an ambassador for the game.

I imagine Bill Parcells will be the next one to evoke a similar reaction.
 

Deathofthebambino

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Apr 12, 2005
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This is hitting me harder than I would've expected. Sounds like a cliche, but he really was the voice of my childhood Sundays in the 80s. RIP
Yeah, me too. He wasn't just the voice of my childhood on Sundays, I can hear that voice and think about those Sundays watching football with my father, who passed 11 years ago last week. So many great memories I had with my father, had John Madden in the background. RIP Coach. Watching him do games and then Berman on ESPN doing Primetime after the games was my church, after we went to church.
 

terrynever

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Learned football from Norm Van Brocklin, an original smart guy. Madden credited him.

“I got hurt in my rookie year with the Philadelphia Eagles — a knee injury — and I couldn't play. While I was rehabbing, Norm Van Brocklin would be watching films and would explain what was happening. I ended up with a degree in teaching and my love for football meshed with teaching.”
 

Philip Jeff Frye

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Probably the best color man in broadcasting history. He really knew the game and could educate the viewer about it without being condescending or sounding like a know-it-all, while also seeming like a guy you'd like to have a beer with.
 

Sandwich Pick

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Everyone talks about the broadcasting and the video game, and rightfully so. But I also realized that John Madden is the biggest reason I know what a Turducken is.

RIP to a legend.
 

jsinger121

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Jul 25, 2005
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The final drive of Super Bowl 36 with the Madden commentary is something I will remember always.
 

AlNipper49

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We just watched the Madden thing on TV the other night. He looked really, really, really old. I’ve actually been thinking about that quite a bit since watching it and it’s really sad to see that confirmed.

I loved that guy. A turducken leg raised in his honor.
 

Van Everyman

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Truth be told, I never cared much for his color commentary. Even in the 80s, it seemed sloppy and all over the place. But he was indeed a terrific ambassador for the game, literally in the case of the video game. And I agree the final drive of IIIVI was awesome – I loved how he admitted he was totally wrong about taking a knee in real time. In a lot of ways it was that sweetness that made him so damned likable. RIP, Coach.
 

luckiestman

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Jul 15, 2005
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Love Madden; not that torn up about. 85 is a great run and he lived a hell of a life.
 

sodenj5

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Rest In Peace. I grew up playing Madden. Without it, I might have no clue how football works or watch it at all. He’s probably influenced millions of young people throughout the years via the game to have an interest in it.
 

BigSoxFan

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Always liked Madden. Didn’t seem to have an ego at all, which is refreshing for a sportscaster. Had no idea he sold his Madden rights in perpetuity in 2005 for $150M. Not too shabby.
 

BigSoxFan

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Rest In Peace. I grew up playing Madden. Without it, I might have no clue how football works or watch it at all. He’s probably influenced millions of young people throughout the years via the game to have an interest in it.
I read a story once that he thought of it as a football learning tool so he wouldn’t agree to the release until they got all of the strategy right. So, he is literally responsible for teaching football to millions.
 

54thMA

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What a lousy way to end the year; and on my birthday too of all days.

I loved him as a commentator; one of my favorite bits from him was when he was breaking down a missed FG, he was drawing it up on the screen "Well, see, he kicks the ball here and instead of going through the uprights, it goes weeb, weeb, weeb and he missed it"........or words to that effect.

R.I.P coach.
 

Dotrat

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I loved John Madden. I loved how he brought excitement, passion, and humor to every game he called. I loved how he didn’t take himself too seriously. I loved how seamlessly he and Pat Summerall blended together, neither talking over the other or talking too much. He’s long been the yardstick by which every NFL color commentator is measured, and no one has ever come close.
 

Mystic Merlin

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He understood that the game should be fun and entertaining. In a field full of perfectionist bots that sanitize their takes and seem to be on the referee union’s payroll, he said exactly what he thought and felt at all times. And in his case, he could criticize players, coaches, and officials without being mean spirited.

I fundamentally learned football strategy by playing Madden. It is not an accessible sport from strategic and rule perspectives, so having a self-directed tool that helped - in addition to watching hundreds of games - learn the game was invaluable.
 

Adirondack jack

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The final drive of Super Bowl 36 with the Madden commentary is something I will remember always.
To his credit he questioned the call, given the field position, then gave some props and said he was wrong. Great drive and great call.

RIP to a legend.
 

SemperFidelisSox

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His legacy as a coach would look a lot different without the 70’s Steelers in his way.
Madden lost five AFL/AFC Championship Games to teams that went on to win the Super Bowl. And the Immaculate Reception was one of the flukiest plays in history. The Raiders had the Steelers beat. Madden could have won 2-3 Super Bowls with a little more luck.
 
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Caspir

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Jul 16, 2005
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The final drive of Super Bowl 36 with the Madden commentary is something I will remember always.
Came here just for this. It is the defining call of my sports life. That, and “Stabbed by Foulke,” but the Pats Super Bowl was bigger for me because of where I was in my life. His voice is football to me, and the video games were obviously a staple of
My childhood. Ugh, fuck 2021.
 

Euclis20

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Madden was beloved ... no one disliked him. Parcells isn't near the same class
Beyond likability, Madden was an announcer for almost 30 years and was the face and namesake for one of the most popular video game franchises of all time. They aren't in the same universe as far as name recognition. Parcells is nothing more than a HOF head coach, Madden is arguably the most famous NFL (non-player) personality of all time.
 

Euclis20

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Madden lost four AFC Championship Games to teams that went on to win the Super Bowl. And the Immaculate Reception was one of the flukiest plays in history. The Raiders had the Steelers beat. Madden could have won 2-3 Super Bowls with a little more luck.
Madden had the best winning percentage of any head coach in the last 90 years (.759). Better than Lombardi, Belichick, etc.
 

curly2

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I'm that odd combination you can get in Connecticut: a Red Sox fan and a Giants fan. The Giants always stunk when I was a kid. John Madden was partnered with Pat Summerall on CBS' top team in Lawrence Taylor's rookie year. It's impossible to think of LT and Phil Simms without hearing the voices of Pat and John.

Rest in peace.
 

BigSoxFan

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Came here just for this. It is the defining call of my sports life. That, and “Stabbed by Foulke,” but the Pats Super Bowl was bigger for me because of where I was in my life. His voice is football to me, and the video games were obviously a staple of
My childhood. Ugh, fuck 2021.
“What Tom Brady did just gave me goosebumps.” Will always remember that.
 

AMS25

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I'm that odd combination you can get in Connecticut: a Red Sox fan and a Giants fan. The Giants always stunk when I was a kid. John Madden was partnered with Pat Summerall on CBS' top team in Lawrence Taylor's rookie year. It's impossible to think of LT and Phil Simms without hearing the voices of Pat and John.

Rest in peace.
Hey, that was us! Growing up in Connecticut, my brother and I were huge Red Sox and Giants fans. It should be noted that the Giants were bad back then but that the Pats were worse....
 

Dahabenzapple2

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Greatest ever in the booth. Didn’t take himself that seriously. Most analysts are SO arrogant. He never talked down to the audience. Sure he wasn’t as great at the end. In the early days there was never anyone like him. Before or Since

RIP, sir
 

SeoulSoxFan

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Madden was comfort. Hearing his voice meant it was Sunday and football was on, especially when our family first came to the States, even though I couldn't understand half of what he was saying.
 

luckiestman

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Simmons just put something up with Brian Curtis that looks to be the first 30 minutes of his pod. I didn’t listen yet so can’t comment on quality.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4qgrUgF9I

For those who want to watch it again. This was also the last Super Bowl called by Pat Summerall and John Madden
Watching that now, twenty years later, and you can see how much Madden and Summerall let the game do the majority of the talking- they are adding analysis, but only what is needed, nothing more. It seems starkly different from what we have now.
 

joe dokes

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Two careers in which people hang on too long are coaching and broadcasting. He managed not to. Twice.