The NFL announced Tuesday morning that John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach turned commentator whose passionate yells mixed with straightforward explanations provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades, died. He was 85 years old at the time.
John Madden Disease: Was John Madden Sick?
John Madden was supposed to have been diagnosed with cancer, although no official confirmation was ever provided.`
Coach John Madden, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, recently underwent successful open-heart surgery to remove blockages. He was released from a San Francisco hospital Wednesday and is expected to fully recover.
Madden rose to prominence as the coach of the renegade Oakland Raiders for a decade, leading them to seven AFC title games and the Super Bowl following the 1976 season. He finished the regular season with a 103-32-7 record, and his.759 winning % is the greatest among NFL coaches who have coached more than 100 games.
While he might have been inducted as a contributor much earlier, Madden maintained that if he was ever inducted into the Hall of Fame, it would be for his accomplishments as an NFL coach. Nearly three decades after he coached his final game, Madden achieved his desire.
Death Cause
He died abruptly, according to the league, although no explanation was given on his Cause of Death or Death Cause.
“We send our sympathies to Virginia, Mike, Joe, and their families on behalf of the entire NFL family. We all remember him as the Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster who worked for every major network, but he was also a loving husband, father, and grandpa.”
Goodell went on to say, “Coach was a die-hard football fan. He was a football player. He was a fantastic sounding board for me and a lot of other people.”
“There will never be another John Madden, and we will be eternally grateful to him for everything he accomplished to shape football and the NFL into what they are today.”
