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Legendary NFL coach, broadcaster and video-game inspiration John Madden passed away at the age of 85. There are few people in the annals of the NFL who can claim to have had an influence in popularizing football the way Madden did. Known across three generations for his presence in the game, we look back fondly at the greatest moments from John Madden's career.
The moments that we talk about here encompass his entire NFL career, across his spell on the sidelines as a coach, in the gantry as a broadcaster and as the face of a video game empire. In each of these professions, he had moments that did not just flash and fade, but left an imprint that stretched through time. Whether it is the longevity and popularity of Madden as a video game, or the modern way of commentating where analysis is at the forefront, moments that made John Madden essentially revolutionized the way we consume the NFL.
Thus, his moments are not so much one-time affairs, than they are an inspiration that led to perpetual greatness. We celebrate them all in his passing.
John Madden: the video game inspiration and the Turducken
#1 - The inspiration for video games
Perhaps this generation knew John Madden solely by the name he lent to the video game. The moments that led to it are equally fascinating.
Trip Hawkins approached Madden asking for his endorsement for a video game. But for John Madden, lending his name to something meant that it had to be realistic. He insisted that the game feature 11 players and not six or seven as was originally planned due to limitations. In return, John Madden gave the developers the 1980 Raiders playbook so that it followed authentic play design and rules. What came out in 1988 was the first edition of John Madden Football. And the rest is history.
#2 - The Turducken
This became one of the most beloved of traditions on Thanksgiving Day in the NFL. In 1997, in New Orleans, John Madden first feasted on what he called a "Turducken."
It was a combination of turkey, duck and chicken and John Madden enjoyed it so much that he talked about it on air and set about making it the highest honor one could receive from him. Thus began a tradition of Madden offering the 'Turducken' to the best player on Thanksgiving Day.
John Madden: The telestrator, the broadcaster and the Super Bowl champion
#3 - The telestrator
Without John Madden, we would not be watching sports, never mind just the NFL, the way we do nowadays. There was a time when broadcasting meant narration and not analysis. Then came the telestrator, and John Madden was the person to revolutionize it.
The telestrator allowed, for the first time, static lines to be made on a moving video. John Madden, a Super Bowl winning coach, was much better at explaining the concepts on the board than he would ever be elucidating it in words. He chose to use the telestrator liberally and it became the only way to ever present sports.
Today, it is unthinkable for any team sport to not have graphics being overlaid on a moving video. John Madden's legacy here extended even beyond the NFL.
#4 - The broadcasting boom
Before John Madden, broadcasting involved exactitude rather than familiarity. Emphasis was on using the correct words rather than conveying the correct feeling. John Madden started using a language that a layman could understand. A hit was not just another person coming from the other direction and tackling the opposition; it was a 'boom'.
Such catchphrases became commonplace and made football accessible over TV to millions of people. It ensured that people could feel part of the game in a way they had not felt before. That makes John Madden the most influential broadcaster in NFL history. There was a time when, as a broadcaster, John Madden became a cultural phenomenon bigger than any NFL star on the field.
#5 - Super Bowl winner
In the end, all the opportunities he got as a broadcaster or a video game endorser came from his success in the NFL as a winning coach. His win percentage remains the highest amongst all coaches who have coached 10 seasons or more in the NFL. His 0.76 winning percentage trumps the likes of Vince Lombardi and George Allen.
Becoming the youngest coach in the NFL at 32, he spent 10 seasons with the Raiders before retiring due to a burnout caused by the intensity he brought to his coaching.
But the greatest moment, the pinnacle, in his career came when he won a Super Bowl with the team. It cemented his legacy as a winning coach, and this identification would later open opportunities for him in the broadcasting field. Ultimately, all the moments that followed, perhaps stemmed from this moment.
