John Madden — the NFL coaching and broadcasting legend who’s also the namesake of the famed “Madden” video game franchise — has died, the NFL announced.
He was 85 years old.
The league said he passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday morning.
“Nobody loved football more than Coach,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Tuesday evening. “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.”
Madden is one of the most iconic figures in NFL history — he dominated as a head coach of the Oakland Raiders, winning Super Bowl XI and finishing his career with a 103-32-7 record.
After his time as a head man on the sidelines ended, he went on to become one of the greatest color commentators ever — famously teaming up with Pat Summerall to break down key NFL games for decades.
He was eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 — and his popular terms “Boom!” and “Turducken” are still used around NFL broadcast booths to this day.
“I am not aware of anyone who has made a more meaningful impact on the National Football League than John Madden,” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement Tuesday. “And I know of no one who loved the game more.”
Madden, though, is perhaps most known for his association with the insanely popular “Madden” football video game.
Casual fans, NFL players, and even coaches around the league play it religiously … and the franchise — which comes out with a new iteration yearly — is reportedly worth around $4 billion.
Madden also gained fame in his career for his role as a pitchman — he hawked products like Miller Lite and Tinactin, and appeared in notable commercials regularly.
Madden is survived by his wife Virginia, and his two sons, Joseph and Michael.
RIP.