John Madden, Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster, dead at 85

According to a release from the National Football League, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach, legendary NFL broadcaster, and video game icon John Madden died unexpectedly Tuesday morning. He was 85 years old. The announcement of his death was met with an outpouring of statements from around the league, offering condolences and fond remembrances of Madden.

“Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many others,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “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.”

Madden’s rise to fame began as head coach of the then-Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978. There, he made seven AFC championship game appearances and won the Super Bowl in 1976. His .759 winning percentage in the regular season (103-32-7) is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games. Madden was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2006.

“Few individuals meant as much to the growth and popularity of professional football as Coach Madden, whose impact on the game both on and off the field was immeasurable,” the now-Las Vegas Raiders said in a statement.

It was perhaps the time after Madden retired as a coach that cemented his legacy the most. He became one of the biggest sports broadcast analysts for three decades. Madden won 16 Emmy Awards for outstanding sports analyst/personality and covered 11 Super Bowls for four networks from 1979-2009.

“The term ‘Renaissance Man’ is tossed around a little too loosely these days, but John was as close as you can come,” long time broadcast partner Al Michaels said, according to a tweet from Dallas Morning News reporter Calvin Watkins. “A dear friend, a wonderful partner in the broadcast booth and a man who brought so much joy to so many people, I’ll miss him enormously.”

Madden’s name grew even bigger when he became the namesake of “Madden NFL Football,” one of the most successful sports video games of all time.

“I would sit in my room for hours, playing Madden 94, dreaming about the NFL,” former NFL tight end Greg Olson tweeted Tuesday. “John Madden voiced countless childhood memories and help cultivate my love of football.”