On Tuesday morning, NFL legend John Madden died at the age of 85, as announced by the NFL. Madden began his National Football League career as a coach to the Oakland Raiders for ten seasons, leading them to a Super Bowl victory in 1977. He holds the best winning percentage by any head NFL coach at .759. After he retired from coaching, Madden became a color commentator and analyst for the NFL telecasts at CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC until 2009. He lent his name to the Madden NFL video-game franchise since it was first released in 1988.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement today, “We all know him as the Hall of Fame coach of the Oakland Raiders and broadcaster who worked for every major network, but more than anything, he was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.†Goodell continued, “Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many others. 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.â€