Wednesday, December 29, 2021

John Madden: 1936-2021

The legendary John Madden passed away Tuesday morning. 





National Review's Dan McLaughlin summed it up beautifully. 


 



Another amazing feat in Madden's life is how he's perceived so differently among multiple generations. My dad's generation (Baby Boomers) first came to know him as a Hall of Fame coach with the then Oakland Raiders. Generation X (my generation) remember him more as the legendary NFL analyst on CBS (1979-1994), FOX (1994-2002), ABC (2002-2006) and NBC (2006-2009), thus making him the only announcer to occupy a broadcast booth on all four major TV networks. And if you mention "Madden" to Millennials and Gen Z, they're likely to think of the high tech NFL video game bearing his name. But to Madden, there was no doubt how he viewed himself. 


"People always ask, are you a coach or a broadcaster or a video game guy?'' he said when was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "I'm a coach, always been a coach.''


That may be, but he certainly found himself a successful (and very lucrative) post-coaching career. My sincere condolences to his loved ones.


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