NFL Hall of Fame coach and broadcasting icon John Madden died unexpectedly Tuesday at 85.
Spending most of his childhood in California, Madden rose to fame coaching the Oakland Raiders for 10 seasons from 1969-1978.
He led them to victory in the Super Bowl in 1977.
Madden is still the coach with the most wins in Raiders history.
“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,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a news release.
After retiring from coaching in 1979, he transitioned into color commentary for CBS. He worked as a color commentator for several major networks from 1979-2009.
He also wrote several books and served as a commercial pitchman for different products and retailers.
Madden was known for his enthusiasm, as evident in his work on and off the field.
“Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football,” said Goodell. “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.”
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