The football world today is celebrating the life of John Madden, a man whose relentless passion for the game and unique career will leave an indelible mark on the sport forever. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2006, Madden died Tuesday. He was 85 years old.
While many of us were too young to appreciate his coaching accomplishments with the Oakland Raiders, we knew of him thanks to the John Madden Football series of football video games, later called Madden NFL, published by EA Sports / Electronic Arts, to which Madden lent his name, voice and creative input.
The league said he passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday morning.
“Nobody loved football more than Coach,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Tuesday night. “He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many others. ”
“There will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today.”
RIP Coach.
