The NFL world lost a legend last week when John Madden passed away at the age of 85. The former coach, longtime broadcaster, and iconic video game namesake touched so many different generations of NFL fans during his time with the Raiders as well as broadcasting stints with CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC.
There was no shortage of tributes for Madden in the wake of his passing. Fox and FS1 re-aired the documentary All Madden throughout the week and Fox made it available for streaming/NFL Network rebroadcasts immediately.
As this weekend marked the first full slate of NFL games since Madden’s passing, teams across the league held a moment of silence to commemorate him before kickoff.
Honoring John Madden before today's games. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/bCeFvJkq7Q
— NFL (@NFL) January 2, 2022
#Patriots hold a moment of silence for the late John Madden #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/Dpo74pq945
— Matt Sottile (@MSottileTV) January 2, 2022
Jets and Bucs honor John Madden with a moment of silence before this afternoon’s game. pic.twitter.com/Tz0oy47aTS
— Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez) January 2, 2022
The Las Vegas Raiders, whom Madden coached between 1969 and 1978, leading them to a Super Bowl championship in 1977, honored him with a special decal on the back of their helmets.
Always remembered. 🖤 pic.twitter.com/NLkH3YkyQY
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) January 2, 2022
Meanwhile, at least two NFL players personalized their cleats to honor Madden. While the NFL tends to be rather persnickety about personalized uniform touches, they might just let these special cleats from Stefon Diggs and DeSean Jackson slide.
.@stefondiggs & @DeSeanJackson10 are honoring John Madden with their cleats today. 🙏🕊️ pic.twitter.com/uc6Ba8o4mg
— NFL (@NFL) January 2, 2022
Fox, for whom Madden worked between 1994 and 2001, honored the broadcasting legend by replacing the Fox logo with the Madden logo in their top-right bug during the first quarter of games on Sunday.
You may have noticed that Fox is putting the Madden logo in the top right bug during the first quarter of NFL games today. pic.twitter.com/PaDGCHqcDY
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 2, 2022
Love the Madden silhouette from Fox's graphic department pic.twitter.com/tfUCflpUYF
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) January 2, 2022
Fox is using a Madden logo in place of their usual “NFL on FOX” bug in the corner. pic.twitter.com/lfah4o2gH8
— 506 Sports (@506sports) January 2, 2022
Altogether, it’s a testament to how much Madden meant to the NFL over so many decades and how much his impact has been felt across generations. For many different reasons, it’s hard to be an NFL fan and not know John Madden in some fashion, even if only as the name on a video game. The tributes are sure to continue rolling in throughout the day, into Monday night, and into the playoffs, to honor one of the voices most synonymous with the league and the sport.
