Coach, broadcaster, esports icon – Inside the legacy of John Madden

This story originally published in April. In memory of John Madden, who died on Dec. 28 at the age of 85, we are republishing this piece from those who knew him best, talking about how Madden changed the sports we watch, how we watch them and how our kids — and their kids — will learn football.

1. During the 2006 Super Bowl weekend, Madden was waiting to hear whether he’d gotten into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’d always insisted that he be considered as a coach rather than a revolutionary broadcaster, endorsement groundbreaker or esports icon. He was a coach, period, and would get in — or not — based on the strength of his 1976 Super Bowl win, his 75.9 win percentage — still highest of any coach with at least 100 victories — and the 12 Hall of Fame players he’d coached.

But he’d been eligible for 22 years already with no luck, and since all Hall of Fame inductees get a heads-up phone call before the announcement goes public, Madden began watching that year’s official announcement by telling friends in the room, “Maybe next year.”

And then, as the names and photos of the six new inductees flashed across the screen, the room saw the one they’d been hoping for: John Madden. The room exploded in shocked jubilation. Madden had never been much of a touchy-feely guy, so he tried just giving out handshakes.

But there is an image of that moment hanging in Madden’s agent’s office, and in that blurry photo, you can just barely make out the old Raiders coach smiling and enduring the rarest of Madden sights: a hug or two.

2. In 1968, Frank Cooney, a reporter at the San Francisco Examiner, approached the Raiders’ 32-year-old linebackers coach. Other staffers had been buzzing about how the former Cal Poly lineman had been forced to limp away from the game in his early 20s but was on the road to being a fantastic coach….