It’s the touchdown that all NFL fans never wanted to have. American football is losing one of its most famous icons, the star who helped popularize America’s most beloved sport. John Madden, an extraordinarily successful coach and famous TV commentator, glued entire generations for at least half a century, passed away at the age of 85. A man of thousands of lives and an overwhelming personality, since 1988 he has been a witness to the hugely popular video game series that bears his name, published by EA Sports.
Termination in the “virtual” world was such a success, that many technicians would have drawn inspiration from it for the game’s new tactics. Madden coached the Oakland Raiders, where a perfect 103-32-7 regular season record led his team to a Super Bowl victory in 1976 by defeating the Minnesota Vikings 32-14. In ten seasons as head coach, Madden faltered by fate (in 1957 with the Philadelphia Eagles he injured his knee in training camp one, ending his football career without ever taking the field) has not had a single negative record this season. Regular and reached the playoffs in each season, except in two cases. Fear of flying (afraid of planes he flew to the US on a private bus) contributed to his early retirement at just 42, leaving his coaching career (which began in 1960 as an assistant at Alan Hancock College and taking command of the Oaklands Raiders in 1967 after an experience in San Diego) to become a more established character, entertaining the millions of people who became interested in the game of American football.
“I will always be a coach,” Madden, who was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 2006, has repeatedly stated. What made him famous is his charisma, efficiency and distinctive timbre of voice, qualities that have made him among the most commentators. Having entered American homes first at CBS and then at Fox, he refined his style as a dedicated artist on Sunday Night Football at ABC and then moved in 2006 with Al Michaels to NBC, where he continued his career as a commentator with Sunday Night Football, until the end of the 2008 season. On April 16, 2009, he announced his retirement as a commentator, leaving his position to Chris Collinsworth. The voice and face of the entire NFL, Madden was the avatar for the entire movement. That is why he was chased by major American broadcasters who competed to “hire” him for a weight of gold. With him, in fact, the ratings were guaranteed. “No one loves football more than coach Madden. There will be no other Madden and we will always be indebted to him for everything he did to make football and the NFL what they are today,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, summarizing all of America’s sentiments in mourning the loss to the iconic Queen of his sport.
“Introvert. Avid gamer. Wannabe beer advocate. Subtly charming zombie junkie. Social media trailblazer. Web scholar.”
