John Madden did one big thing before he died on Tuesday morning. According to USA Today Sports, the legendary NFL coach and broadcaster watched the All Madden documentary with family and friends on Christmas Day. The Fox Sports documentary, which will air on FOX Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be available to stream on ESPN+ and Peacock starting Monday, Jan. 3, is all about the life and career of Madden and how he became an NFL icon.
“John asked to see it,” All Madden director Joel Santos told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday. “It was our wish to make it a gift for him and his family on Christmas Day.” The process of making the film began 10 months ago with Santos and Tom Rinaldi, who works for Fox Sports and is the other director of the documentary. All Madden from Madden as well as Lawrence Taylor, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Joe Montana among others.
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“We are truly stunned by the timing and heartbroken by it,” Rinaldi said. “The other side of our sorrow is our incredible gratitude that John was able to see this.” Rinaldi went to say, “Now that John has passed, I don’t think I’m overstepping by saying that every one of those people that sat down with us and shared their time, their thoughts and their hearts, feel all the greater for having done so.”
Madden became the head coach of the Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas Raiders) in 1969 and was there for 10 seasons. He led the Raiders to playoffs eight times and won the Super Bowl in 1976. Once Madden retired from coaching, he went into broadcasting and worked for CBS, Fox, ABC and NBC while winning 16 Emmy Awards. And along the way, Madden became the face of EA Sports Madden NFL video game series that is going on strong today.
“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 cemented his role as a football icon in the broadcast booth, serving as a leading color analyst for all four major television networks—CBS, FOX, ABC and NBC. His work on Monday Night Football, the inception of the annual All-Madden Team and his role in the Madden NFL series of video games made the Madden name synonymous with pro football.”
