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John Madden Retires

123cents123cents Posts: 7,178 ✭✭✭
NEW YORK (AP) - John Madden, the burly former coach who has been one of pro football's most popular broadcast analysts for three decades, is calling it quits.

Madden worked for the past three seasons on NBC's Sunday night NFL game. His last telecast was the Super Bowl between Arizona and Pittsburgh.

"It's time," Madden said. "I'm 73 years old. My 50th wedding anniversary is this fall. I have two great sons and their families and their five grandchildren are at an age now when they know when I'm home and, more importantly, when I'm not. ... It's been a great ride."

Madden said he still loves all aspects of the game and his job, and that's why it took him a couple of months to make the decision.

Madden's blue-collar style and love for in-the-trenches football endeared him to fans. His "Madden NFL Football" is the top-selling sports video game of all time.

Madden is reluctant to fly and often traveled to games in a specially equipped bus.

He began his pro football career as a linebacker coach at Oakland in 1967 and was named head coach two years later, at 33 the youngest coach in what was then the American Football League.

Madden led the Raiders to their first Super Bowl victory and retired in 1979. He joined CBS later that year.

He worked at CBS until 1994 when the network lost rights to broadcast NFL games, leading him to switch to Fox. He left Fox in 2002 to become the lead analyst for ABC's "Monday Night Football" and joined NBC in 2006 when that network inaugurated a prime-time Sunday game.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

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Comments

  • TheVonTheVon Posts: 2,725
    Bummer. I'll miss him.
  • Me too, I was one that actually liked the guy.. Maybe he will pull a Brett Favre?
    Am I speaking Chinese?



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  • When college football great Keith Jackson retired, he still did some USC games because he lives near the stadium.
    He did like two or three games a year. Maybe Madden will still do a game or two.
  • MichiganMichigan Posts: 4,942
    I've always liked Madden. At 73 he has probably gotten weary of traveling around the country in the motor coach, last year he took a
    weekend off in the middle of the season, I think that was a sign that he was considering hanging it up.
  • TheVonTheVon Posts: 2,725
    I suppose that just because he's retiring from broadcasting doesn't mean that Electronic Arts will discontinue the Madden football game franchise will they?
  • intenceintence Posts: 1,255
    hopefully frank caliendo will still do his impressions
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  • Bottom9thBottom9th Posts: 2,695 ✭✭
    I've always enjoyed Madden. Even the man crush on Brett Favre was prett hilarious.
  • Speaking of MAdden football, I played it on my ps2 from 2000-2007, then I got a ps3 and hated the game. Not planning on buying it again, they ruined it!
    Am I speaking Chinese?



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  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,661 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I will miss him too, he was great. The ONLY thing I didnt like was his infactuation with Brett Favre...

  • benderbroethbenderbroeth Posts: 1,699 ✭✭
    as someone who cannot stand the game of football...i will say i always liked madden.
    my t-205's


    looking for low grade t205's psa 1-2
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