John Madden: Career retrospective
John Madden was a man of many hats: Super Bowl-winning head coach of the Oakland Raiders, Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, and the namesake of one of the best-selling video games of all time. Regardless of how you remember the legend, nobody denies his impact on football culture. Let’s take a look at the many careers of a football giant.
Don Coryell, who would become a head coach with the San Diego Chargers, where he led the charge for the Air Coryell offense, a pass-happy attack that dominated in the 1970s and changed NFL offenses forever. Coryell’s guidance was instrumental in the development of Madden as a coach. On the field, Madden’s defenses swarmed their opponents.
Al Davis was tipped off by a friend about a young, up-and-coming defensive coach at San Diego State. Upon meeting Madden, he was impressed by his football know-how and offered him a job as the linebackers coach for the Oakland Raiders. Madden took the job just outside his hometown of Daly City, California. In this role, Madden helped the Raiders get to Super Bowl II, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers and Vince Lombardi, one of Madden’s idols.
Terry Bradshaw threw an errant pass that was broken up, and it flew in the air and landed in the hands of Franco Harris, who took the pigskin to the house for the game-winning touchdown. The Immaculate Reception went down as one of the most iconic moments in playoff history.
Don Shula, Chuck Noll, and Bud Grant. To top it all off, he won a Super Bowl ring.
he vowed never to coach another team again.
Al Michaels, he had the best chemistry with Summerall.
the voice of football. In the do-or-die moments of the biggest games, Madden was up there in the booth, making the call. He was a genuine person, and it showed in his work. In the 1990s, Madden was at the top of his game. He made more money as an announcer than most players in the league.
