Football Hall of Fame coach turned descriptor John Madden died at the age of 85 Tuesday morning, the NFL confirmed. His intense lyrical flights and his clear explanations have thrilled football fans for three decades on all the major American television networks.
The league said Madden passed away suddenly, but the cause of death has not been released.
“No one loved football more than Coach. He embodied football. He was an inspiration to me and to a lot of people. 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 they are today, ”said the Commissioner of the United Nations. NFL, Roger Goodell, in a statement released Tuesday night.
Madden rose to prominence as he spent ten years coaching the Oakland Raiders, with whom he reached the American Association finals seven times and won the Super Bowl at the end of the 1976 season.
At the helm of the Raiders, Madden has maintained a sparkling 103-32-7 record this season, and his .759 winning percentage is still one of the best among coaches with over 100 games of NFL experience. .
However, it was after his career as a coach that Madden gained most notoriety. He was a pioneer in the art of using diagrams on television to explain strategies to amateurs, in addition to entertaining viewers with a few exclamations like “Boom! And “Doink! »During the meetings.
Most importantly, he was the most revered sports analyst during his three decades covering the NFL, winning 16 Emmy awards for the best sports analyst ever. He participated in the broadcast of 11 Super Bowls for four networks between 1979 and 2009.
He is also the originator of the hugely popular sports video game “Madden NFL Football”, which still bears his name today.
“People always ask me if I’m a coach, an analyst or a video game character,” he said during his Football Hall of Fame induction speech.
“I am a trainer. I have always been a coach. “
A prominent figure in television
Madden began his career on the press gallery at CBS after retiring from coaching, partly because of his fear of flying. The duo he formed with Pat Summerall quickly established themselves as the main network description team.
He then helped Fox gain credibility when he joined his broadcast team in 1994, and then analyzed prime-time games for ABC and NBC. He described his last game in the 2009 Super Bowl.
“I don’t know anyone who had a more significant impact on the National Football League than John Madden, and I don’t know anyone who loved football more than him,” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a commentary. declaration.
Even after his retirement as an analyst, Madden continued to garner praise from colleagues for his passion, preparation, and ability to simply explain complicated games.
“No one has ever made the sport more interesting, more relevant and more enjoyable to watch and listen to than John,” summed up descriptor Al Michaels when Madden’s retirement was announced.