Post by TheShadow on Apr 21, 2009 15:52:51 GMT -5
sports.espn.go.com
John Madden has retired, but left plenty for collectors.
by Eric Angevine
The Football Hall of Famer might really quit announcing, but it doesn't seem likely that John Madden will ever disappear from the public eye altogether. He's proven to be remarkably adept at remaining relevant throughout his 50-plus years in football.
As an all-conference offensive tackle from Cal Poly, Madden was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958. A knee injury took him out of the league before he ever played in a game. Rather than stop there, he coached at Buffalo State University while earning a Masters in Education. He continued to work his way up the college coaching ladder until his second chance at the pro circuit came around in 1967.
That was the year that Al Davis hired the promising 31-year-old as linebackers coach for the Oakland Raiders, then of the AFL. The wily old crypt-keeper was, even then, a tad mercurial, as he elevated Madden to head coach just one year later. Madden's sideburns grew ever longer and perhaps a little greyer as he lost in the AFC title game in five of the next seven years. The Pittsburgh Steelers were a particularly tough nut to crack, almost falling to the silver and black until Franco Harris' Immaculate Reception. Finally, in 1976-77, the Raiders met up with another regular near-miss title team, beating the Minnesota Vikings to win their first Super Bowl.
Madden retired from coaching in 1978 at 42, having already won a ring at an age when many coaches were just getting started. A year later, he began the television career that defines him far more than his storied coaching career. Behind the mic, he glorified offensive line play, garbled some syntax and generally charmed viewers who might have missed watching games with their batty but wise old uncle. Without Madden, nobody knows how we would have made it through the annual Thanksgiving double-header without succumbing to tryptophan.
Madden's truly brilliant move, however, was to lend his name to the video game that perfectly approximates his quirky, savvy announcing style. Anyone who has ever been hectored for running a three-yard out pattern that fell short of the first down marker, or had half his team flattened by a kamikaze ambulance knows exactly what we're talking about. John Madden Football debuted in 1988 and has gone on to dominate the football game market with realistic gameplay and innovative yearly upgrades.
Fans of Madden the video game mogul may be cheered by news of his retirement from the booth. The silver-haired legend has declared that he will become even more involved with the production of his signature series of virtual gridiron games.
Love him or hate him, Madden has been a consistently entertaining part of pro football's salad days. He elevated so many of his own idiosyncracies to iconic status: The Madden Cruiser; The All-Madden Team; telestrating butt-sweat. And never let us forget: Turducken.
Speaking of which…
Cajun Turducken by Mail: If a chicken inside a duck wrapped in a turkey wasn't excessive enough for you, the Cajun Grocer will happily fill that final cavity with cornbread, sausage, or even seafood jambalaya. We like to think that John would approve.
www.cajungrocer.com/fresh-foods-holiday-dishes-turducken-c-1_15_24.html?source=google&gclid=CNDZ_9X0_ZkCFQdN5QodNCmpFA
Madden vs. Ref: This vintage 35mm slide shows Madden in his classic short-sleeve dress shirt, getting up close and personal with a zebra. We don't recall seeing this image anywhere else before.
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John Madden pin: A big-head caricature of the man playing his own video game. For whatever that's worth. Right now, that would be $.99.
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Signed check from the Raiders: Someone wants you to pay over $1,000 for one of Madden's checks from Al Davis. Something about the fact that this says "EXACTLY 300 and 00 cents" cracks us up. It's vintage from 1978, however, so it has the unmistakable scent of history about it.
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Stabler/Madden lithograph: What's amusing about this is that Stabler appears to have a small, yellow, happy-face sticker on the front of his helmet. This print is one of fifty made by artist Paul Fitzwater.
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John as an Eagle: Ever wonder what Madden looked like in his playing days? Less hair, but otherwise pretty similar.
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1976 Pro! Magazine: Madden is the cover story here. Apparently the Pro! Magazine cover curse was pretty weak, as he went on to win the whole enchilada that very season.
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Signed Raider helmet: Madden and Willie Brown signed this one. Take a second to check out the seller's screen name. Who else but a rabid Raider fan would go by ringworm13?
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All-Madden team card set: This is a sealed pack of cards commemorating the 1992 All-Madden slate. Features Jerry Rice, Art Monk, Chris Spielman, Barry Sanders and…Mark Rypien!!! It must have been a thin year at QB.
cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=390044864756
So long, John. Thanks for the memories.
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