The Legacy of John Madden
Sports fans can usually tell you who was the first player they saw that caught their interest enough to start watching a particular sport. Once they’ve seen enough games, fans will probably gain an appreciation for a particular coach who led their team to success or a broadcaster who had a signature voice and did a great job of telling you what was going on. John Madden is one of the rare cases of human beings who were able to play, coach and then broadcast a particular sport. While his playing career was cut short due to injury, his coaching and broadcasting career were nothing short of legendary.
My time with knowing about John Madden is very brief. I started watching football in 1998 and the first Super Bowl I saw was Super Bowl XXXIII between the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons. FOX broadcast the game that year and their top commentating duo consisted of what many considered to be the best of all time in play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall and color commentator John Madden. Summerall had a classic deep voice and didn’t say too much as he left much of the talking to Madden. The two complimented each other very well and I quickly learned that if they were both calling a game, it’s because it was a big one.
As a kid, I was always surprised when finding out things weren’t always the way they were at the time so I was very surprised to find out John Madden first rose to fame as a coach with the Oakland Raiders. Just think of this: Madden as head coach reporting to his boss/owner Al Davis, those must’ve been some colorful interactions. If you go on YouTube, you’ll find plenty of videos of Madden’s colorful antics on the sidelines whether it’s yelling at the officials, celebrating a big or play or being in disbelief during a big moment like the Immaculate Reception. The AFC of the 1970’s must’ve been fun to watch with Madden’s Raiders going up against Hank Stram’s Chiefs, Chuck Noll’s Steelers, and Don Shula’s Dolphins.
Madden was successful to the tune of being the most successful coach in Raiders history and winning a Super Bowl. However, he was forced to step down in 1979 due to health concerns and burnout. This was something that was covered in the special FOX aired on Christmas Day, All Madden. If you haven’t watched it, it’s a must. While watching it, I was surprised to find out he was reluctant to go into broadcasting. It started out as something Madden didn’t want to do, but it ended up as something he appeared born to do. He obviously knew the X’s and O’s due to being a former player and coach. Additionally, his colorful personality, ability to elaborate and describe what he saw in front of him appeared to make him perfect for TV.
Madden ended up being paired up with Summerall at CBS in 1981 and the rest as they say, is history. Whenever CBS had a marquee matchup or the Super Bowl, you knew you were going to hear the game through the voices of Summerall and Madden. They remained together at CBS until 1993 when FOX made a big splash and outbid CBS rights for the TV rights to air the NFL’s coveted NFC package. The All Madden special was able to interview Rupert Murdoch and he along with other FOX executives knew the only they could be taken seriously and ensure their broadcast would have good quality was to do whatever they could to hire John Madden. Sure enough, FOX got their man and they ensured he’d be paired up with Summerall.
Madden and Summerall were together until 2002 when they went their separate ways as Summerall retired and Madden left FOX to work on Monday Night Football, then on ABC, to work with another great broadcaster, Al Michaels. My time watching them together was very brief, but even I felt when they said their goodbyes during Super Bowl XXXVI that it was the end of an era. FOX had and has had other good broadcasting teams, but the aura and sound of Pat and John hasn’t been matched. It could be quality and for the most part it might be nostalgia, but that’s the way it feels. Now Madden and Michaels were fantastic as Michaels is considered, and rightly so, the greatest play-by-play announcer of all time while Madden’s color commentary is second to none.
When ABC lost Monday Night Football in 2006, Michaels and Madden moved to NBC’s Sunday Night Football package making Madden the only broadcaster to work for all four over the air networks to have aired the NFL. It seems appropriate the name which is synonymous with football has that distinction. Madden is known due to his legendary coaching and broadcasting career but you can’t talk about his legacy without talking about the video game. All other video games about professional sports feature the name of a league or organization, but not the one for professional football. It bears the name of the voice most synonymous with football until his retirement from broadcasting in 2009, Madden. My hope is kids who play the video game now that never heard Madden broadcast look him up and see who he was just like I did when I found out he started as a coach.
Everything about John Madden is just larger than life, even the reason he traveled on the ground instead of by air. Madden stated in All Madden that his primary issues with flying was claustrophobia and that a panic attack he suffered on a flight in 1979 was enough for him to say no more. He at first traveled by train but issues with not controlling when he could be on the move led him to having his own Greyhound bus known as the Madden Cruiser.
One story not featured in this special happened during the 1990 NFC Championship between the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler was interviewed by Madden after the game due to being a part of New York’s win that afternoon. Since this happened well after the game finished, Hostetler was worried the team buses wouldn’t wait for him and sure enough, he was left behind. Hostetler faced the possibility of being stuck in the Bay Area while the rest of the team was already on the way to Tampa, Florida for the Super Bowl. When Madden found out what happened, he told Hostetler not to worry that he would get him to the airport on time. You’d think Madden wouldn’t know the ins and outs of getting to and from an airport since he didn’t fly, but Hostetler said he made a couple calls and was able to get enough pull for his bus to pull up next to the plane on the tarmac so Hostetler could catch the team flight.
This story fits Madden in two ways. First off, the fact he had influence in a place you think he wouldn’t shows how he was just larger than life, literally. The images of him on the sideline as coach are impressive since he always stands out even amongst all those football players. Secondly, his down to earth nature. There’s always video of him shaking people’s hands when he walks by then and his bus drivers said he would get surrounded by hordes of people whenever they were at a rest stop. Listening to Madden on a broadcast almost felt like you were listening to your uncle call a game. He loved football and always showed it which is why we enjoyed what he brought to the game. Madden loved football so much that Madden became football and that’s why he will definitely be missed.
