If you’re an NFL fan, you must have heard of John Madden. The longtime American football coach provided play-by-play commentary for NFL telecasts in addition to being a sportscaster. All four major sports systems in the United States, Fox, ABC, and NBC—have carried his voice. Although he stopped working in broadcasting in 2008, he continued to make sporadic radio appearances.
These days, his name may only be associated with the venerable Madden NFL video gaming franchise. You’ll discover in this article that he made an impact on the game at every point in his career, in addition to being a great NFL coach.
Biography
Parents Earl Russell Madden & Mary Margaret Madden welcomed John into the world in Austin, Minnesota. Russell, his father, worked as a mechanic. They had a shaky financial situation. John was taken along as the family relocated to California’s Daly City. Up until 1950, John attended a Catholic parochial school. Later, he enrolled at Jefferson High School, where he later earned his diploma in 1954.
Career
John excelled in football while he was in high school. At the University of San Mateo, he participated for a season. A football scholarship was offered to young players by the University of Oregon. He had surgery after sustaining a knee injury. He eventually ran out of games.
John participated in the 1957–1958 season for Mustangs for California Polytechnic State Universities near San Luis Obispo, playing offensively and defensively positions. He participated on the university’s baseball team as a catcher. The NFL franchise Philadelphia Eagles took note of his skill and playing manner, and they selected him in 1958. Sadly, during his first training camp, he hurt his knee again. His professional career was cut short before it could begin.
College coach
Even though John was never able to play on the field, his love for the sport never diminished. Consequently, he started his coaching career in 1960 as an assistant football coach at Allan Hancock College. Two years later, he was given the position of head coach there. He has served as the defensive coach for the San Diego State University football team since the 1963 campaign. The squad was among the best minor institutions in 1966 during his last season there. Don Coryell, John’s employer, is seen as having had a significant impact on his teaching.
The Oakland Raiders coach
John was employed also as linebackers coach with the Oakland Raiders of the AFL in 1967. The squad won Super Bowl II during the very same season because of his assistance. After the previous resigned, Madden was appointed head coach the following year. At the age of 32, it made him the youngest head coach in professional football. The Raiders played in five AFC championship games with Madden in seven years, but they all ended in defeat.
The Raiders defeated the Minnesota Vikings 92-14 in their inaugural Super Bowl game in 1977. John departed from coaching in 1979 after amassing the most victories in Raiders history. According to reports, his ulcer and job stress were the causes of his retirement. John never had a losing season while serving as head coach, not even in the period of the best coaches. He is among the finest because of his second-highest winning % in league history.
CBS Sports
Madden and Pat Summerall were the main football analysts for the CBS network in 1981. In Pat’s absence, Madden worked with Vin Scully and then Verne Lundquist. For five years, Madden and Summerall collaborated on projects at CBS. Once the Fox Network acquired the NFC right in 1994, Madden and other CBS workers became free agents. All sports channels, including Fox, ABC, & NBC, made offers of more than $2 million a year due to his fame as a football broadcaster.
SportsNet Fox
Despite receiving several offers, the Madden & Summerall team decided to participate in Fox’s NFL coverage. According to reports, Fox pays him as much as any NFL player does every year. However, Fox was finding the NFL deal to be pricey at the same time. As a result, it made an effort to reduce program costs.
ABC sports
In 2002, Madden began working as a pundit for Monday Night Football on the ABC network. There, Al Michaels served as his partner. He received $5 million a year from ABC when he was there.
Sports NBC
Subsequently, in 2005, Madden worked for NBC Sport as a color analyst for NFL games on Sunday Night.
In the 2006 season, his broadcast there got underway. Madden does have a 476-weekend record of continuous television appearances up until October 13, 2008.
2009’s Super Bowl XLII served as Madden’s farewell broadcast.
He made history by becoming the first sportscaster to appear on the “big four” American sports broadcasting networks at the Super Bowl. After that, he ended his illustrious broadcasting career.
Radio
In 2017, Radio Madden’s morning on-air discussion on KCBS AM in San Francisco made a comeback. Upon that Westwood One radio network, he has also provided sports commentary.
Films
Madden played the coach or even an American football squad during a televised broadcast in the short film Christine. He also appeared in the sports comedy Little Giants in 1994. Madden portrayed himself as a broadcaster for the fake games in the 2000 sports comedy The Replacements. Summerall, his companion, was also acting in the part.
Advertisements
In his days as a broadcaster, Madden was the largest celebrity. He was chosen for radio and television appearances by major corporations including Ace Hardware, Outback Steakhouse, Verizon Wireless, Toyota, & many more because they were aware of this. On radio and television, he also made an appearance in PSAs.
Video games
His voice and name have been featured in the Madden NFL football software game franchise since 1988 by Electronic Arts Sports (EA). The tournaments in the games are now included on TV shows because of the game’s rising popularity. Regardless of his teaching and broadcasting careers, a large number of people recognize him as the game’s leading figure. He keeps appearing throughout the show.
Personal Life
Virginia Fields and Madden got married on December 26, 1959. In Pismo Beach, California, a bar is where the pair first met. Their two children, Joseph and Michaels, were born to them. They live in Pleasanton, California, in their magnificent estate. The boys’ father also passed on to them his passion for football. On the football team at Brown University was Joseph. Additionally, Michaels began his football career as a receiver for the squad at Harvard University.
Net Worth
Since he began his profession as an announcer, Madden has amassed a sizable fortune. Even though he enjoyed a respectable income during his time with the Oakland Raiders, sports networks, including ABC paid him more than $5 million annually. He also had a $4 million, 4-year contract with Fox. Additionally, during his later years at NBC, he managed to earn an annual salary of $9.5 million. Madden NFL was the subject of a $150 million contract with EA Sports. The computer game has made $4 billion in revenue and pays Madden $2 million a year in royalties.
