Written by: Tyler Deakin
I’m going to be honest here in saying that I didn’t really grow up with John Madden like so many football fans in America did. I knew who he was mainly due to his iconic video game franchise Madden; however, I hadn’t yet realized his profound impact on the game of football. The NFL world was devastated at the news of his passing, and I’ve heard these people say things like, “the NFL Hall of Fame should be named after him” to “the next cover of Madden should be called John Madden: Legend Edition” & everything in between. My hope in writing this piece is that my research informs myself & my fellow readers of Madden’s profound impact on football.
Legendary Coach
John Madden began his head coaching career with the Oakland Raiders in 1969, where he was hired as one of the youngest head coaches in NFL history. His coaching career accomplishments include a Super Bowl XI win over the Vikings, a 17-game winning streak (1976-1977) in combination with his teams never having a losing record, and a career .759 winning percentage which is the highest of all-time for NFL head coaches (min. 100 games). Hall of Famer Art Shell, a star player of Madden’s, summarized his coaching philosophy in the following quote, “players loved playing for him… he made it fun for us in camp and…in the regular season. All he asked is that we be on time and play like hell when it was time to play.” Madden, ever the philosopher & student to the game of football, characterized the coaching profession as such by saying that, “Coaching isn’t work. It’s more than a job. It’s a way of life.”
Illustrious Broadcaster
I feel like this is likely the part of Madden’s career where he was most recognizable to us. His ability to immediately transition out of coaching & into broadcasting in 1979 is remarkable. He made the ordinary (mustache growing, buckets of Gatorade, turkey) seem extraordinary through his remarkable story-telling using skills such as his unique voice, sense of humor, & wit. Madden was awarded 8 Super Bowl appearances & 16 Emmy Award wins during his TV days. What’s most impressive to me about Madden’s broadcasting journey though is that he joined all of the major NFL TV networks (CBS, FOX, ABC, NBC) over the course of his illustrious career.
Video Game Icon
John’s legacy carries on through his iconic Madden video game franchise built in 1988. He wasn’t the original creator of the game; however, he worked together with EA Founder Trip Hawkins to revolutionize e-football. His contributions ranged from changing the game’s format from 7-on-7 players to an 11-on-11 player “real” football experience, adding the Ask Madden function, & simplifying concepts such as nickel defenses, trap blocking, & drag routes for all. Hawkins originally pitched the idea of a 7-on-7 version of the game due to the limited technology at the time; however, Madden wasn’t hearing any excuses & insisted that the game have an 11-on-11 format even though “it will take years.” Madden then elaborated further, “it was important to me that if it was going to be football, it was going to be real football… NFL football… and to Trip, while this was a computer game, to me, this was a teaching tool.”
Historic Football Figure
Now I understand why people say that the Hall of Fame should be named after John Madden! He had three Hall of Fame worthy careers in a trio of football-related professions. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote, “nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football… and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football… what it is today." His impact on football was larger than life as a student, scholar, and teacher of the game. Maybe his likeness will finally grace the next cover of the Madden series after a 22-year hiatus.
Comments