RIP John Madden

[LMU]

 

[Rockstar Matt]

Wow. I can't really say anything else, other than wow. I'm stunned. He, like many, was the voice of football for me, especially as a kid growing up. I know he was getting up there in age, but to still lose an NFL icon, and legend.. Wow.

[habsfan1]

RIP. 

 

Here's a montage of Madden video games covers from over the years:

 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

When I saw those ads for the Madden Christmas special I was actually kind of surprised he w still alive.

 

Madden changed NFL broadcasting and video games. He was a titan of the game.

[heavybass]

Well this is the end of a sucky year

[infrared41]

One of the benefits of being old is that I got to see John Madden coach the Raiders, call games with announcers other than Pat Summerall or Al Michaels, appear in the Miller Lite commercials, and I played the first ever version of Madden. Titan of the game doesn't seem adequate, but it is appropriate.

 

All I can say is he was a legend. I sure enjoyed the ride.

 

[DEAD!]

Madden really had great timing. Got out of coaching before it got too stressful. Got out of broadcasting on his own terms. In fact, I thought he has been away longer than 12 years and he was 73 at the time. He lend his name to a video game and it became a cultural icon.  I've been watching clips of his telestrations. Honestly, I was too young to truly appreciate his work. 

[Red Wolf]

I always liked when Madden talked about retiring from coaching young so that he could spend time with his family only to learn that they all had their own stuff going on. So he was just bored at home with the dog or something.

 

As a game dork, I also liked hearing how he pestered EA into making a football game that actually had 11 v 11 when that was seemingly impossible with older systems. Otherwise he refused to let them use his name.

[DoctorWhom]

That's a shock to hear, Forgot he was that old honestly. 

First time I can remember hearing him was Super Bowl XXXVI and how he believed the Patriots should have played for OT at the end. 

 

Doubt you'll find a guy more entwined to the history of the NFL than him. A true legend in every sense of the word, both on & off the field. 

[infrared41]

Nice tribute from when Madden retired.

 

 

[Cujo]

Rest In Power John Madden

 

[nickp91]

Madden used to call into San Francisco radio station KCBS

[Sport]

Like a month ago I randomly thought, "John Madden must not be in great health because we haven't heard from him in a while". Then I saw the documentary last week and he looked fine/borderline good for an 85 year old big guy who's never not looked like he just ate 3 chili dogs. I'm only surprised he passed because of the timing of that show.

 

I was a kid in the 90's so Madden was football to me. I played the Madden 94 cartridge to death on Sega Genesis and if he and Summerall were on the call then the game felt big. Being a kid I loved that he loved the heavy guys and that he recognized the game wasn't supposed to be so serious all the time. I was basically the kids in Little Giants who he helps defeat the evil Cowboys. I've seen this point a few times, but I agree with it so I'll repeat it here - when he retired is kind of the same point where the NFL got a lot less fun. 

 

 

 

 

[BBTV]

I never knew that he spent a preseason with the Eagles (was injured before ever playing in a game):

 

Also of note - looks like an early version of the Champion font.  Didn't know the Eagles ever used anything besides varsity block(ish) or serifed block.

 

(photo from uniwatch)

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Remember how ESPN used to have the Sunday Night Football package, and it was always the worst, most forgettable game of the week with announcers no one cared about?

 

NBC started SNF, added Madden,  and it was immediately big time. It was probably pretty similar when he started at Fox.

 

31 minutes ago, Sport said:

I've seen this point a few times, but I agree with it so I'll repeat it here - when he retired is kind of the same point where the NFL got a lot less fun. 

 

 

This is brilliant. Madden probably didn't pay enough attention to concussions, but no one really did. What he did bring was a general enthusiasm and approachability to the game, plus a sense of apolitical warmth. Madden was the happy football grandpa everyone liked and respected. There really isn't anyone like him.

 

Michaels is terrific but smarmy. Joe Buck will always have the stink of nepotism. Romo is really good but doesn't yet have Madden's gravitas. Aikman is fine but has peaked.

 

I think some announcers hang on for too long, but I guess we need more likeable 60 and 70 year olds broadcasting.

[BBTV]

1 hour ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

I think some announcers hang on for too long, but I guess we need more likeable 60 and 70 year olds broadcasting.

 

Need a Jim Ross in the NFL.

[infrared41]

1 hour ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

Remember how ESPN used to have the Sunday Night Football package, and it was always the worst, most forgettable game of the week with announcers no one cared about?

 

NBC started SNF,  added Madden,  and it was immediately big time. It was probably pretty similar when he started at Fox.

 

 

Most of you guys are probably too young to remember this, but FOX getting the NFL was seen by many as a disaster waiting to happen. I remember a lot of "FOX is barely a network" talk. People were worried that FOX NFL broadcasts would be too much like FOX programming. Think XFL version one meets Melrose Place. (You kinda had to be there, but it was a fair point) There was also the issue of FOX not having as many affiliates as CBS and most FOX affiliates being on UHF. That meant the majority of their affiliates were on UHF channels like 68 and 36 instead of the more desirable and easier to pick up over the air VHF channels like 3,5,8, etc. (It was still a thing back then) Getting Summerall and Madden gave FOX NFL broadcasts instant credibility.

 

EDIT: Madden and Summerall  gave the FOX broadcasts credibility, but the FOX score bug was another matter. Hard as it may be to believe today, people lost their -ing minds over that score bug. They hated it. Said it was distracting, took away from the broadcast, covered too much of the screen, and so on. Imagine taking it way today.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

2 minutes ago, BBTV said:

 

Need a Jim Ross in the NFL.

 

A Gorilla Monsoon,  really. JR's last decade has impacted my perception of his work in 2000s. I would go so far to say that JR has had more bad years than good.

 

Gorilla knew when to walk away so never faced the same decline. Plus he was likeable throughout; JR not so much.

[Sport]

15 minutes ago, infrared41 said:

 

Most of you guys are probably too young to remember this, but FOX getting the NFL was seen by many as a disaster waiting to happen. I remember a lot of "FOX is barely a network" talk. People were worried that FOX NFL broadcasts would be too much like FOX programming. Think XFL version one meets Melrose Place. (You kinda had to be there, but it was a fair point) There was also the issue of FOX not having as many affiliates as CBS and most FOX affiliates being on UHF. That meant the majority of their affiliates were on UHF channels like 68 and 36 instead of the more desirable and easier to pick up over the air VHF channels like 3,5,8, etc. (It was still a thing back then) Getting Summerall and Madden gave FOX NFL broadcasts instant credibility.

 

EDIT: Madden and Summerall  gave the FOX broadcasts credibility, but the FOX score bug was another matter. Hard as it may be to believe today, people lost their -ing minds over that score bug. They hated it. Said it was distracting, took away from the broadcast, covered too much of the screen, and so on. Imagine taking it way today.

 

My dad worked for the Columbus Fox affiliate the year it was announced that they'd get to broadcast the Super Bowl for the first time. IIRC that ended up being Packers-Patriots. He said the people who'd been with Fox since the early days were popping champagne and some of them cried tears of joy. It was a huge victory for that little channel to get the Super Bowl. 

[BBTV]

32 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

 

A Gorilla Monsoon,  really. JR's last decade has impacted my perception of his work in 2000s. I would go so far to say that JR has had more bad years than good.

 

Gorilla knew when to walk away so never faced the same decline. Plus he was likeable throughout; JR not so much.

 

Either way, the PBP guy should always favor the underdog or more likeable team, and the color guy should always favor the team nobody likes.  I'd love to hear Tony Romo trying to explain how the Lions are cheating on every single play against the Packers, and the Packers only got called for holding because if they didn't, the Lions player was certainly going to take a cheap shot at Aaron Rodgers' knee and end his career and make it so Rodgers couldn't deliver meals for the poor after the game, because the Lions hate poor people.  Then the PBP guy chimes in "will you be serious!"