John Madden, the legendary former football coach, broadcaster, video-game namesake and Bay Area sports icon, has died.
The NFL announced on Tuesday that the longtime KCBS Radio contributor "died unexpectedly" on Tuesday morning. He was 85 years old. The league didn't provide a cause.
Madden was survived by his wife, Virginia, sons Joe, Mike and five grandchildren.
Born in Minnesota, Madden grew up in Daly City and later lived in Pleasanton. He led the then-Oakland Raiders to their first Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl XI, earning induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Madden's win-loss percentage (75.9%) is second in NFL history among those who coached at least 50 games, according to Pro-Football Reference. He went 103-32-7 over 10 seasons with the Silver and Black, never posting a losing record in a single season.
"I said, 'Why'd you give it up?' And he goes, 'I had enough, and I had other things to do,' " longtime NFL coach and current NFL Media analyst Steve Mariucci recalled in an interview with KCBS Radio's Jeff Bell and Patti Reising on Tuesday afternoon.
"He had other alternatives than to be stressed out about coaching every day of his life, and another way to earn a good living and enjoy the sport, stay in the same arena," Mariucci added.
For thirty years, Madden was a fixture in network television broadcast booths on his way to becoming arguably the greatest color commentator in the history of the sport. Madden broadcast Super Bowls for four networks (CBS, Fox, ABC and NBC) from 1979-2009, making the sport digestible for multiple generations of fans with his pioneering telestrator use and signature catchphrases.
Working alongside legendary fellow broadcasters Pat Summerall and Al Michaels, Madden covered 11 Super Bowls. He also won 16 Sports Emmy Awards, becoming the gold standard for in-game analysis.
"He was the greatest broadcaster, bar none, that the NFL has ever had," retired KCBS Radio sports anchor Steve Bitker told Bell and Reising on Thursday afternoon. "He brought so many people into the NFL as fans that otherwise wouldn't have been there. And since he retired, so many tried to copy him, even when he was still working, and nobody ever really came close. He was one of a kind."
To legions of younger football fans and video gamers, Madden is best known as the nameskae of EA Sports' Madden NFL series. Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins approached Madden in 1984 about lending his name and likeness to the game.
Madden, viewing the game as a potential educational tool, insisted the finished product included 11-on-11 football to be as realistic as possible. John Maden Football first released for the Apple II in 1988, years after Madden was initially approached, and for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System to widespread acclaim in 1990. Madden lent his voice and likeness to the franchise for years, and the series has sold an estimated 250 million copies since its first release.
"Today, we lost a hero," EA Sports said of Madden in a statement on Tuesday. "John Madden was synonymous with the sport of football for more than 50 years. His knowledge of the game was second only to his love for it, and his appreciation for everyone that ever stepped on the gridiron."
For more than 20 years, Madden was a regular guest on KCBS Radio's morning newscasts after previously appearing on a handful of local stations. He called in five days a week from 1997-2015, and then, due to health concerns, twice a week from 2017-2018.
Madden's mother, Mary, was an everyday listener, and he often joked with colleagues he called in "so my mom knows where I am."
"He did it because he enjoyed doing it," retired KCBS Radio morning news anchor Stan Bunger recalled in a Tuesday afternoon interview with Bell and Reising. "He did it because it gave him some purpose. It gave him an outlet. It kept his brand alive – as if it needed it – but really, I think he just flat-out enjoyed hanging out."
"I was overwhelmed, really – humbled – to think that it made a difference in John Madden's life to spend a few minutes with us every day," Bunger added.
Madden, who hosted an annual barbecue with the station, retired from KCBS Radio on Aug. 17, 2018, sharing his signature wit during his last appearance.
"There's only two things every week I have to do," Madden said at the time. "And I thought, 'If I could get rid of those, I wouldn't have anything.' I'm at a point in my life where I can do that. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving. I just don't want the schedule."
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