Post by TheShadow on Aug 7, 2006 16:30:39 GMT -5
It's always great to come back to the Hall of Fame. Today it's a very emotional and inspirational experience for me to present the great John Madden into the enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. John Madden, a brilliant coach, a loyal and trusted friend, a Raider. His record is self-explanatory.
103 victories in 10 years is unparalleled in National Football League history. The Raiders always wanted to have the best organization in professional sports, wanted to have the best players, the best coaches playing in the best games, have the best plays, have the best record in professional football. Some 40 years ago, I hired a 32-year-old coach to carry the torch for the Raiders and do all the things that I just talked about that we wanted to do.
John Madden over the 10 seasons of his coaching career led the Raiders to the playoffs eight of those years, including seven division championships, bringing the Raiders their first World Championship. John's . 759 regular season percentage ranks as the highest ever with coaches in the National Football League.
John coached in the golden era of great coaches. In his 10 years, John coached against many who are enshrined in this Hall of Fame. Don Shula of Miami. Chuck Noll of Pittsburgh. Tom Landry of Dallas. Weeb Ewbank, Sid Gillman, Hank Stram, Gil Brandt, Bud Grant, and others who are enshrined in this Hall of Fame. John's first professional head job, he was 32-years-old. John did what you would call the impossible.
In his 10 years of coaching against these great legends, he won more games than he lost against every Hall of Fame coach in this great shrine here in the National Football League. His record was the Raiders record of 36-16-2 against those great coaches. Dominating the stage that was Monday Night Football, Madden's teams had a record of 11-1-1. And, boy, did the Raiders dominate Monday Night Football.
I told you we wanted to play in the greatest games, we wanted the greatest plays. You all remember the "Immaculate Reception. " You all remember the "Heidi" game. You all remember "Sea of Hands," the "Holy Roller," "Ghost to the Post," the Lytle fumble, the miracles of George Blanda. The man on the sideline during all those events that have become synonymous with Raider football was John Madden. He loved the game. He loved his team. He loved the Raiders. He loved this league. You can see it today in everything he does with his games and his TV work. He loved the AFL and the NFL, and especially his players.
At a time when our country needed it, John Madden saw no color. The Raiders, more than any other organization, politically, football, sports, led the fight for diversity. John Madden was in the middle of that fight. It was pretty tough in those days, in the '70s and early '80s, to lead that fight. But the Raiders had one thing in mind: we wanted to win, and to win you had to have the best players. So, as I said, you saw no color.
Nine Raider legends, nine are in this Hall. The indestructible Jim Otto, he's here today. Great clutch player George Blanda. The undefeated Willie Brown, who was only beaten by father time as a cornerback. The magical hands of Fred Biletnikoff. The famed Highway 63 and 78. Gene Upshaw, president of the Players Association. Art Shell, head coach of the Raiders. Ted Hendricks is here today, the great linebacker. And, of course, the ghost to the post, Dave Casper, along with myself, have waited patiently for some 25 years for John to join us as enshrined in this Hall of Fame.
We recognize you, Virginia Madden, that's John's wife. His sons, Mike and Joey. They were a football family. So that John could pursue his dreams. When you worked for Al Davis, you worked for the Raiders, there was no time for golf, there was no time for the kids, there was one thing: Raider football, silver and black football. Virginia, you were there when it was important; we'll be there for you. Today is a day when our heroes of the past become the legends of the future. I've said this before, time never really stops for the great ones. We wrap them in a cloak of immortality and remember what great people they were. It's a great inspiration for me to come to this Field of Dreams every year. I've had the honor to present nine other people, eight who played for the Raiders, one who played for the San Diego Chargers, the great Lance Alworth. But I love to come here because I wanted to pay tribute to this great class. I wanted to say hello once again to the great players behind me in whose glory we all shared those legends.
It has always, as Harry Carson said, brought a realization to the Raiders that we owe a debt to these great people behind us. And, as I've said before, the Raiders will never forget that day.
But let's go back to Oakland for a moment. Let's go back to the 1970s. Let's fill that stadium one more time with the staff and the administrative people who poured their heart and soul into the Raiders. Let's go back to the great Raider warriors who are here today, and to those who are no longer with us, but whose memories we cherish, and those great warriors who are watching up there today who will lead us in the future. I say let's line you up under the goalposts one more time, one more time, and have you introduced all individually once again to the roar of that Oakland crowd. We can never forget those great moments.
The roar would be deafening to see you trot out in those black jerseys, silver helmets. John Madden, the chill goes through my body as I hear that roar and think of all those special people, but seeing you, John, down on the sidelines prowling those sidelines, yelling at officials, that flaming red hair, those arms moving left and right, screaming at Raider players, and most of all, winning football games. But that is fantasy. Fantasy isn't the answer here today. But what is not fantasy is you coming up to this podium to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ladies and gentlemen, the great John Madden.