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John Madden passed away at 85


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  • FritzIam4IU changed the title to John Madden passed away at 85

Posted this in the NFL thread and thought it was worth sharing here as well.

My son and I were at a high school basketball game when he saw the news on twitter.  Of course, he is only familiar with Madden because of the video game and the promotion of the recent documentary.  We talked about Madden on the drive home.  This is one of those that really hits home with me.  Not because I was a Raiders fan, because I wasn't.  But, because he was such a prominent sports figure when I was growing up.    

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19 minutes ago, IUskim said:

I wasn’t old enough to see him as a coach but he was for sure the voice of football for me growing up. I loved when he and pat called and games. 

He was a heckuva coach...Never had a sub .500 season in the NFL...

And I know guys like Sid Gillman and Don Coryell get a lot of credit for developing the modern passing game, but the Raiders of the late 60s-early 70s, led by Madden, pioneered "going downfield"  and with guys like Daryl Lamonica and Snake Stabler throwing, and Warren Well, Fred Biletnikoff, and Cliff Branch catching it, who could blame them. They were also one of the first to use the tight end as a true downfield weapon...

I know he was very animated as a broadcaster, but thee was a ton of football knowledge in him...A great football mind...

And his players loved him...they called him "Pinky."

Edited by IUFLA
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31 minutes ago, Billingsley99 said:

Whats also amazing that was at a time with Chuck Noll, Tom Landy, DOn Shula and even Hank Stram was in his own division. Very impressive. That has to be the Golden Era of coaches, yes??

In his first year as a head coach, the other 4 coaches in the AFL West were Sid Gillman, Hank Stram, Lou Saban (an Indiana alum), and Paul Brown...Only one of them (Saban) isn't in the Hall of Fame. The Raiders won the division, but were beaten by the Chiefs in the last AFL Championship game (and then went on to beat the Vikings in Super Bowl IV)...

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I didn't know this, but read it in one of the numerous columns about Coach Madden today...Thought it was very cool...the yellow line on TV showing where the first down marker is? Madden...

"In the mid-1990s, Fox was in the middle of a pre-production meeting. Madden was on the telestrator showing the crew how he planned to break down a particular play before kickoff. He drew all over the field, mapping out what individual guys had to do on the play, and he slapped on a line where the first down was located.

"Why can't we just keep a first-down line on the screen the whole game?" he asked.

Everybody shrugged their shoulders. Somebody said it'd be too distracting. Somebody else said the technology wouldn't allow it. "You're wrong -- we should do it," Madden said, shaking his head.

He let it hang in the air, and producers in the room started to wonder whether maybe Madden was right. "The yellow line is a direct descendant of that moment," says Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks, a longtime Madden crew producer who was in the room that day."

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4 minutes ago, Steubenhoosier said:

FYI. For those who didn’t have the chance to watch the Madden tribute on Christmas Day, FOX is re-airing it tonight at 8:00 EST.

I was able to watch part of it with my boys that only know Madden football not the man. To share some knowledge with them was great. Loved seeing the players comment when hearing John call a play they were part of.  This world works in mysterious ways. The whole timing of this

 

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