The legendary John Madden passed away Tuesday morning.
John Madden, a legend, has passed away at 85. pic.twitter.com/1moYjueROe
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 29, 2021
National Review's Dan McLaughlin summed it up beautifully.
RIP John Madden, who managed to have a second act so compelling, it made coaching a Super Bowl champion a footnote on his career. Nobody did more to explain football to the average fan, or to bring the joy of the NFL into every broadcast.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) December 29, 2021
Save a turducken leg for the man.
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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