A new era in sports broadcasting was ushered in by the passing of the football coach who led the Oakland Raiders to a Super Bowl XI triumph.
Former NFL coach and 16-time Emmy Award winner John Madden, whose name graces the franchise of NFL-licensed video games known as Madden NFL, has passed away. His age was given as 85. On Tuesday, December 28, 2021, the NFL released a statement to the media informing the public of the disaster.
John Madden Cause of Death
In December 2021, at the age of 85, Madden, who had serenaded NFL fans for over 30 years as a trailblazing announcer and who had called 20 Thanksgiving games over his tenure, died of unknown circumstances.
Madden Tributes to Include Special Coin
Two years after its inaugural event, the “John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration” will honor the Minnesota native in a variety of ways over the day’s three NFL regular-season games.
A patch with Madden’s likeness on it will be worn by the players, and the words “John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration” will be stenciled on the sidelines. The tributes will also feature the usage of a coin depicting a silhouette of Madden for the coin toss. He’ll be on the “heads” side, while the “tails” side features a turducken with six legs.
In honor of #MaddenThanksgiving, a special coin featuring a silhouette of John Madden on one side (Heads) and a six-legged turducken on the reverse side (Tails) will be used for the coin toss before each Thanksgiving game. pic.twitter.com/pcFQ0Zf5Jq
— NFL (@NFL) November 22, 2023
The Iconic Coaching Career of John Madden
Madden originally gained notoriety for his remarkable achievements as head coach of the Oakland Raiders for a decade.
After taking over the position prior to the 1969 season, he directed the Raiders to 10 straight winning campaigns, during which they never had fewer than eight victories. When he first took over the team, they went 12-1-1 in the regular season. The next year, they won 10. They won 11 or more games in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978.
In 1976, Madden led the Raiders to a 13-1 regular season record and a 32-14 Super Bowl 11 triumph over the Minnesota Vikings and legendary head coach Bud Grant. MVP honors for this game went to Fred Biletnikoff.
After the 1978 season, when Oakland failed to make the playoffs for just the second time under Madden’s direction, Madden unexpectedly decided to resign from coaching. The 42-year-old cited health problems and fatigue as his key factors for walking away.
His final record as an NFL head coach was 112-39-7, including a 9-7 performance in the postseason. His career victory percentage is now 70.9%, including a 75.9% mark in the regular season.
Madden’s victory % in the regular season is second best among all NFL coaches who have coached 50 or more games. Only Guy Chamberlin, who managed four different teams over six seasons and finished with a 58-16-7 record from 1922 to 1927, has a better winning percentage than Madden.
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