Former Raiders Hall of Fame Coach and broadcasting icon John Madden dies at 85

Tuesday, the NFL and sports lost an iconic trailblazer who’s name rings volumes around the world in Hall of Fame coach and broadcasting icon John Madden. Madden got his start in the football ranks in a decade-long stint as the coach of the Oakland Raiders, making it to seven AFC title games and winning the Super Bowl following the 1976 season. He compiled a 103-32-7 regular-season record, and his .759 winning percentage is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games. "The Raiders Family is deeply saddened by the passing of the legendary John Madden," the Raiders said in a statement. "Few individuals meant as much to the growth and popularity of professional football as Coach Madden, whose impact on the game both on and off the field was immeasurable."

Madden was successfully able to transition from coaching to broadcasting after retiring from the coaching ranks at 42. Madden went on to have one of the most iconic broadcasting careers ever. Madden joined forces with Pat Summerall and became among the most famous color commentators in sports history. He made the game come to life with catch phrases such as “BOOM” and “DOINK.” Madden won an unprecedented 16 Emmy Awards for outstanding sports analyst/personality, and covered 11 Super Bowls for four networks from 1979-2009. Madden was certainly a pillar in the world of sports. His face and name rang strong in households across the world with his popular Madden gaming franchise which is the highest grossing video game in history. “Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football,'' NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "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.'' Madden was recently honored with a Christmas Day documentary that aired on Fox called “All Madden.” In many ways it was an awesome send off for a man that meant so much to so many. The documentary was a great example of the man Madden truly was. He rode from game to game in his own bus because he suffered from claustrophobia and had stopped flying. After rest stops he would stop and talk to workers and made friends with everyone he’d come in contact with. “When you pulled up somewhere in that bus, it was like Air Force One had arrived,” said Fred Gaudelli, who as Madden’s producer at ABC and NBC traveled with him for seven years. “It was amazing the way people would react to that thing.”Madden also made the term "turducken'' a chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey a household term. Madden would give it out to the outstanding player in the Thanksgiving game that he called. That was Madden’s career in a nutshell; he never followed the status quo and that’s what made him such a lovable person was that Madden did things in his own way. His joy not only for the game of football but for people in general made him so relatable. Coach Madden will certainly be missed but his impact will not be forgotten.