RIP Coach....

The Raider Nation has arguably lost the most influential person ever to be involved in the Sport. John Madden Passed yesterday. Al Davis saw something in John as an Offensive Lineman, gave him a job as a Linebacker Coach and the Next year he was the Head Coach. He won 7 division championships, Superbowl XI, became a color commentator and became a member of the Hall of Fame, He was involved in some of the most notable plays in the game...Ghost to the Post, Holy Roller, Immaculate Reception. He resercted George Blanda's career, Announced 11 Super Bowls and 22 consecutive Thanksgiving Day games...He was on Four networks...and who could forget his splash on the big stage with...
The Heidi Game or Heidi Bowl is the name given to a 1968 American Football League (AFL) game between the Oakland Raiders and the visiting New York Jets.The contest, held on November 17, 1968, was notable for its exciting finish, in which Oakland scored two touchdowns in the final minute to win the game 43-32. I was on the west coast so I got to see the end of that game...been a Raider Rooter ever since...sure wish they would stop the nonsense and play ball again.
Whether in the booth, on the field, on the sidelines John Madden was Coach...What a remarkable live....Thanks for the memories Coach...especially the Heidi Bowl!!!!

John Madden, a legendary figure known to one generation as a Hall of Fame coach, another generation as the sport’s greatest announcer, and yet another generation for the video game that bears his name, has died at the age of 85.

The NFL announced Madden’s passing today.

Madden’s influence on the sport of football is impossible to overstate. He was the youngest head coach in pro football when Al Davis hired him to coach the Oakland Raiders, and he led them to a Super Bowl title while having so much success that he still has the all-time highest winning percentage among all coaches who won at least 100 games.

But as great a coach as he was, he did more for the sport after he retired from coaching. In the broadcasting booth, Madden became a sensation, not just the best broadcaster in football but one of the most popular figures in America, as famous as any movie star but as down-to-earth as any guy you’d talk about sports with at the barbershop. Everyone loved him.

And then Madden had his video game, which he didn’t just lend his name to but took an active role in developing, always insisting that it needed to be as realistic as possible. The youngest generation of football fans that can’t even remember him as a broadcaster, let alone as a coach, is still influenced by Madden’s giant presence in the sport.

Even in the final years of his life, Madden had an important role in the NFL, advising the league and advocating for rule changes that would protect players from brain injuries.

John Madden may have been the single most influential person in the history of the sport of football.