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sports Diahuebs 30 December 2021

John Madden, Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster, dies at 85

(AP) - John Madden, zona in the 2009 Super Bowl.
the Hall of Fame coach
turned broadcaster whose Burly and a little unkempt,
exuberant calls combined Madden earned a place in
with simple explana- America’s heart with a lik-
tions provided a weekly able, unpretentious style that
soundtrack to NFL games was refreshing in a sports
for three decades, died world of spiraling salaries and
Tuesday morning, the prima donna stars. He rode
league said. He was 85. from game to game in his
own bus because he suffered
The NFL said he died unex- from claustrophobia and had
pectedly and did not detail a stopped flying. For a time,
cause. Madden gave out a “tur-
ducken” — a chicken stuffed
Madden gained fame in a de- inside a duck stuffed inside a
cade-long stint as the coach turkey — to the outstanding
of the renegade Oakland player in the Thanksgiving
Raiders, making it to seven game that he called.
AFC title games and winning
the Super Bowl following the When he finally retired from
1976 season. He compiled a the broadcast booth, leaving
103-32-7 regular-season re- NBC’s “Sunday Night Foot-
cord, and his .759 winning ball,” colleagues universally
percentage is the best among praised Madden’s passion
NFL coaches with more than for the sport, his preparation,
100 games. and his ability to explain an
often-complicated game in the Raiders as a linebackers span. Matuszak, Otis Sistrunk and
But it was his work after pre- down-to-earth terms. coach in 1967, and Oakland George Atkinson.
maturely retiring as coach at went to the Super Bowl in Still, Madden’s Raiders
age 42 that made Madden Al Michaels, Madden’s his first year in the pros. He played in some of the sport’s The Raiders went 13-1, los-
truly a household name. He broadcast partner for seven replaced John Rauch as head most memorable games of ing only a blowout at New
educated a football nation years on ABC and NBC, said coach after the 1968 season at the 1970s, games that helped England in Week 4. They paid
with his use of the telestra- working with him “was like age 32, beginning a remark- change rules in the NFL. the Patriots back with a 24-21
tor on broadcasts; enter- hitting the lottery.” able 10-year run. There was the “Holy Roller” win in their first playoff game
tained millions with his in- in 1978, when Stabler pur- and got over the AFC title
terjections of “Boom!” and “He was so much more than With his demonstrative de- posely fumbled forward be- game hump with a 24-7 win
“Doink!” throughout games; just football — a keen ob- meanor on the sideline and fore being sacked on the final over the hated Steelers, who
was an omnipresent pitch- server of everything around disheveled look, Madden was play. The ball rolled and was were crippled by injuries.
man selling restaurants, him and a man who could the ideal coach for the col- batted to the end zone before
hardware stores and beer; carry on a smart conversa- lection of castoffs and misfits Dave Casper recovered it Oakland won it all with a 32-
became the face of “Madden tion about hundreds and that made up those Raiders for the winning touchdown 14 Super Bowl romp against
NFL Football,” one of the hundreds of topics. The term teams. against San Diego. Minnesota.
most successful sports video ‘Renaissance Man’ is tossed
games of all-time; and was a around a little too loosely “Sometimes guys were disci- The most famous of those “Players loved playing for
best-selling author. these days, but John was as plinarians in things that didn’t games went against the Raid- him,” Shell said. “He made
close as you can come,” Mi- make any difference. I was ers in the 1972 playoffs at it fun for us in camp and fun
Most of all, he was the pre- chaels said. a disciplinarian in jumping Pittsburgh. With the Raid- for us in the regular season.
eminent television sports offsides; I hated that,” Mad- ers leading 7-6 and 22 sec- All he asked is that we be on
analyst for most of his three For anyone who heard Mad- den once said. “Being in bad onds left, the Steelers had a time and play like hell when
decades calling games, win- den exclaim “Boom!” while position and missing tackles, fourth-and-10 from their 40. it was time to play.”
ning an unprecedented 16 breaking down a play, his love those things. I wasn’t, ‘Your Terry Bradshaw’s despera-
Emmy Awards for outstand- of the game was obvious. hair has to be combed.’” tion pass deflected off either Madden battled an ulcer the
ing sports analyst/personality, Oakland’s Jack Tatum or following season, when the
and covering 11 Super Bowls “For me, TV is really an ex- The Raiders responded. Pittsburgh’s Frenchy Fuqua Raiders once again lost in the
for four networks from 1979- tension of coaching,” Mad- to Franco Harris, who caught AFC title game. He retired
2009. den wrote in “Hey, Wait a “I always thought his strong it at his shoe tops and ran in from coaching at age 42 after
Minute! (I Wrote a Book!).” suit was his style of coach- for a TD. a 9-7 season in 1978.
“People always ask, are you ing,” quarterback Ken Stabler
a coach or a broadcaster or Madden was raised in Daly once said. “John just had a In those days, a pass that Madden was a longtime resi-
a video game guy?” he said City, California. He played great knack for letting us be bounced off an offensive dent of Pleasanton, Califor-
when was elected to the Pro on both the offensive and de- what we wanted to be, on the player directly to a team- nia, a Bay Area suburb. A
Football Hall of Fame. “I’m a fensive lines for Cal Poly in field and off the field. ... How mate was illegal, and the de- 90-minute documentary on
coach, always been a coach.” 1957-58 and earned his bach- do you repay him for being bate continues to this day his coaching and broadcast-
elor’s and master’s degrees that way? You win for him.” over which player it hit. The ing career, “All Madden,” de-
He started his broadcasting from the school. catch, of course, was dubbed buted on Fox on Christmas
career at CBS after leaving And boy, did they ever. Many the “Immaculate Reception.” Day. The film featured ex-
coaching in great part be- Madden was chosen to the years, the only problem was tensive interviews that Mad-
cause of his fear of flying. He all-conference team and was the playoffs. Oakland finally broke den sat for this year. His wife,
and Pat Summerall became drafted by the Philadelphia through with a loaded team Virginia, and sons Joseph
the network’s top announc- Eagles, but a knee injury end- Madden went 12-1-1 in his in 1976 that had Stabler at and Michael were also inter-
ing duo. Madden then helped ed his hopes of a pro playing first season, losing the AFL quarterback; Fred Bilet- viewed for the documentary.
give Fox credibility as a ma- career. Instead, Madden got title game 17-7 to Kansas nikoff and Cliff Branch at
jor network when he moved into coaching, first at Han- City. That pattern repeated receiver; tight end Dave John and Virginia Madden’s
there in 1994, and went on cock Junior College and then itself during his tenure; the Casper; Hall of Fame offen- 62nd wedding anniversa-
to call prime-time games at as defensive coordinator at Raiders won the division title sive linemen Gene Upshaw ry was two days before his
ABC and NBC before retir- San Diego State. in seven of his first eight sea- and Art Shell; and a defense death.
ing following Pittsburgh’s sons, but went 1-6 in confer- that included Willie Brown,
thrilling 27-23 win over Ari- Al Davis brought him to ence title games during that Ted Hendricks, Tatum, John