Madden, John Earl,
1936-2021, American football coach and broadcaster, b. Austin, Mn., Cal.
Polytechic, San Luis Obispo (B.S., 1959; M.S., 1961). Madden was drafted by
the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958, but never played for the team, suffering an
injury during training. He subsequently focused on coaching, first at
several colleges and then, beginning in 1967, for the Oakland Raiders. He
lead the team for 12 seasons for over 100 wins, including a triumph in the
1977 Super Bowl. In 1979, He became a TV commentator, known for his colorful
patter and ability to explain complex football plays to ordinary viewers. He
worked for all four major networks in his 30-year career before retiring in
2009. He also lent his name to a popular video game program. Madden was
inducted into the Football Hall of Fame (2006).
See his memoir, Hey, Wait a Minute: I Wrote a Book! (1985);
biography by B. Burwell (2011); studies by P. Richmond, Badasses:
The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden's Oakland
Raiders (2011); M. Siani and K.S. Clark, Cheating Is
Encouraged: A Hard-Nosed History of the 1970s Raiders (2015).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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