John Madden is one of the most widely-known figures in NFL history for his exploits as a coach, commentator, and namesake of the most popular NFL video game franchise.
Who is the NFL legend, and how did he reach this status?
John Madden’s Legendary Coaching Career
Madden first rose to prominence as a legendary coach. He served as the head coach of the then-Oakland Raiders from 1969-1978.
Madden led the Raiders to 10 consecutive winning seasons and never finished with fewer than eight wins. They went 12-1-1 in the regular season his first year with the franchise and notched 10 wins in 1972 before winning 11 or more games each year from 1974 through 1978.
Madden’s most successful campaign with the Raiders came in 1976 when he guided them to a 13-1 mark in the regular season and a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings and legendary head coach Bud Grant in Super Bowl 11. Wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff won the game’s MVP award.
Madden surprisingly retired from coaching after the 1978 season when Oakland missed the playoffs for just the second time under his tutelage. The 42-year-old cited health reasons and burnout as his primary motivations for stepping away.
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He finished his NFL head coaching career with an overall record of 112-39-7, including a 9-7 mark in the playoffs. That mark leaves him with a winning percentage of 75.9% in the regular season and 70.9% overall.
Madden’s regular-season winning percentage ranks second all-time among NFL coaches with 50 or more games coached. Only Guy Chamberlin, who went 58-16-7 from 1922-27 across six seasons leading four different franchises, is ahead of Madden.
Madden’s Post-Coaching Days
However, Madden’s coaching tenure was only the start of his rise to prominence.
He joined CBS as a color commentator in 1979 and quickly worked his way up to being part of the network’s top football broadcasting duo with Pat Summerall.
He remained with CBS through 1993, when the network lost its NFL rights, and its employees thus became free agents.
Madden then had stints at FOX, ABC, and NBC calling NFL games. The Pro Football Hall of Famer’s voice became synonymous with high-stakes football games. He quickly became beloved for his boisterous exclamations, off-the-wall phrases, and revolutionary use of the telestrator to break down plays.
During his commentary days with CBS, Madden became involved with the EA Sports NFL video game that still bears his name.
He lent his name, voice, and creative input to Electronic Arts for a series of “John Madden Football” games, which were later called “Madden NFL.”
Madden’s involvement with the franchise is perhaps what he is now best known for, particularly among today’s younger fans who never got a chance to watch him coach or call games.
Madden was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, and he died unexpectedly on Dec. 28, 2021, at the age of 85. The following year, the NFL found a way to honor his legacy.
NFL Launches John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration
In 2022, the NFL announced that the league would honor Madden with the “John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration.”
“There’s no place that I would rather be today on Thanksgiving than right here, right now, at a football game,” Madden once said, prompting this honor.
The John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration is an event meant to celebrate his legacy and bring together all the things that were important to him: family, football, food, tradition, and fun.
In 2024, FOX, CBS, and NBC will have Madden tributes interspersed throughout each Thanksgiving game. The following video will kick off each broadcast, conveying what Thanksgiving meant to Madden in his own words.
Thursday marks the 3rd annual John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration across the @NFL!
CBS, FOX & NBC will air the following to kick off each of their game broadcasts on Thanksgiving Day pic.twitter.com/VgusieKy6n
— NFL Media (@NFLMedia) November 25, 2024
Each network will select a Madden Thanksgiving MVP who will receive a $10,000 donation from the NFL Foundation to be given to a high school or youth football program in their name, as the topic of youth football was important to Madden.
This year for the first time, each Madden Thanksgiving MVP will be awarded with the Madden Thanksgiving MVP trophy, created to honor Madden and celebrate everything the game of football means to the Thanksgiving holiday. The trophy is in the form of a pylon and includes various “Maddenisms” sprinkled throughout, along with visual cues to speak to the holiday theme.
The NFL will benefit the newly-created John Madden Foundation by auctioning off game-used items from the three Thanksgiving Day games via NFL Auction, with proceeds supporting the new foundation.
Also, a coin featuring a silhouette of Coach Madden on one side (heads) and a six-legged turducken on the reverse side (tails) will be used for the coin toss, and a patch featuring a silhouette of Coach Madden will be on the jersey of each player at all three games. Each field will feature special John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration stencils as well.
The celebration also extends to the airwaves, with Westwood One and SiriusXM NFL Radio airing Madden- and Thanksgiving-themed programming throughout the week.