Legendary NFL coach, commentator John Madden dead at 85

John Madden was the voice of the NFL for an entire generation and a legendary head coach as well. He died unexpectedly on Tuesday at 85 years old.

John Madden died unexpectedly on Tuesday morning at 85 years old.

The NFL legend had been out of the broadcast booth for more than a decade but his voice echoed through the ears of football fans for generations as an absolute icon of the sport.

In the wake of his passing, the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement.

John Madden dead at 85, leaving behind an unmatched legacy

Madden got his coaching start in the early 1960s at San Diego State before earning a job as an assistant with the Raiders in 1967, becoming a head coach just two years later.

He went on to win Super Bowl XI with the Raiders. After his coaching career, though, he obviously gained further notoriety and success as an iconic commentator and broadcaster where he worked from 1979 after his departure from the Raiders until his retirement in 2008.

John Madden worked for all four major networks throughout his career (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX). He also gave his name and fronted arguably the most long-standing and famous video game franchise of all time, EA Sports’ Madden NFL series that is still going to this day.

The legendary head coach and broadcaster was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Though he hasn’t been in the booth for over a decade, he will be greatly missed by everyone who knows and loves the NFL and the game of football.