(Fwrd Axis) — Legendary Super Bowl-winning coach John Madden died unexpectedly Tuesday morning at the age of 85, the league announced.
“On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Virginia, Mike, Joe, and their families,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
Madden became a household name during his broadcasting career and let his name be used for the iconic NFL “Madden” video game series. He became the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978 and overall had a coaching record of 103-32-7 in the regular season over 10 seasons.
After retiring from coaching, Madden became the color commentator for CBS, Fox, ABC’s “Monday Night Football” and NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” He retired from television broadcasting in 2009 after 30 years.
“Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many others,” Goodell said in the statement. “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.”
The Raiders, who have since relocated to Las Vegas, posted a statement about Madden’s passing.
“A brilliant coach. A loyal and trusted friend. A Raider,” the team said.
Madden is survived by his wife, Virginia, and two sons, Joseph and Michael. Information about a memorial service will be released when it is available, the league said.
“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,” Goodell said.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
