John Madden Retires – Boom! Doink! Thank You Mr. Madden

John Madden has retired from broadcasting. Dick Ebersol, head of NBC Sports made the announcement this morning. In his statement he called Madden “absolutely the best sports broadcaster who ever lived.” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell came out with what is surely one of many tributes: “There is one thing football fans have agreed on for decades: they all love John Madden.” Amen. Chris Collinsworth will replace him as NBC’s lead analyst.

For me, it comes as a total surprise. I honestly thought this day would never come. All my life he’s been there; the same hilarious, insightful, inimitable John Madden. No more Madden Cruiser, no more All-Madden, no more Boom! Tough Actin’ Tinactin. In an interview with KCBS, he went out the same way he broadcast all those years: mumbling, rambling, borderline incoherent, totally lovable. He said that it was simply “time.” No health problems, no contract disputes, just “it’s time.”

The man was synonymous with football. He has called games for over 30 years, a career which followed great success coaching the Oakland Raiders. The man’s résumé is incredible. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. He’s been the lead analyst for all four networks big football networks: ABC, NBC, CBS, and ESPN (and he’s done work for FOX too). He’s won 16 Emmy awards as an analyst and TV personality. His last game was Super Bowl XLIII, his 11th Super Bowl ¬– what a game, what a way to go out.

His tenure as coach of the Raiders stretched 10 seasons, and his overall record was an amazing 103-32-7. His .763 winning percentage is the highest of any coach in NFL history. He coached the Raiders to a Super Bowl in 1976.

His presence in football goes beyond even his work as a coach and broadcaster. The video game franchise “Madden NFL Football” is the best-selling sports game of all time, selling over 65 million copies in 20 years.

Madden is best known for his personality on air (and his fear of flying). He was enthusiastic, bombastic, and yes, perhaps a little bit senile, and I mean that in the best way possible. He was sort of the crazy uncle you love to death, but you still can’t help chuckling. But he was also a brilliant football mind and an insightful analyst who brought the art of the offensive lineman into common knowledge.

Somewhere Frank Caliendo is shedding a tear as his popularity is a direct result of the memorable mumbling of John Madden. This wouldn’t be a proper tribute to “Mr. Football” if we didn’t have some of those quotes from his years behind a microphone:

"Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class, and be humble."

"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."

“Hey, the offensive linemen are the biggest guys on the field, they’re bigger than everybody else, and that’s what makes them the biggest guys on the field.”
"Don’t worry about the horse being blind, just load the wagon.”

“When your arm gets hit, the ball is not going to go where you want it to.”

“The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer.”

John, this football fan wishes you the best, and I promise that every time I watch Thanksgiving football, I’ll eat a drumstick and think of you.