With Madden Exit, Less BOOM! in NFL

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 16, 2009 4:58 PM CDT
With Madden Exit, Less BOOM! in NFL
Former Oakland Raiders coach John Madden gestures toward his bust during his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.   (AP Photo)

John Madden’s outsize presence in the world of football will be hard to fill, Alex Marvez writes for Fox Sports. Personality aside, the Hall of Fame coach—who announced his retirement today—was meticulous about preparing for his TV commentary. “Madden made football fun for the casual fan with every-guy humor,” Marvez writes, but he also “appeased the hardcore football junkie by delving into Xs and Os like no one ever had.”

“He made us all lot wiser about line play, which is something a lot of color analysts or announcers weren’t nearly as capable of doing,” a Hall of Fame exec said. And don’t forget why Madden made the Hall: The best winning percentage ever among NFL coaches. “No announcer since Howard Cosell helped draw such attention to the game,” Marvez writes. For that, he will be missed. (More John Madden stories.)

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