NFL legends, Raiders icons and fans gathered Monday for a public memorial to remember John Madden, a football pioneer who many said changed the world of coaching and sports broadcasting.
Former 49ers coach Steve Mariucci and Art Shell, hall of fame player and former Raiders coach, were some of the guest speakers who shared memories of Madden.
"When John says he loves his family and his friends and he loves the Bay Area and helping people, you believe it because he said it and he lived it," Mariucci said at the memorial.
Former 49ers coach and NFL analyst Steve Mariucci shares how he bonded with John Madden and how their annual bocce ball fundraiser has helped Bay Area charities.
“He belonged to every network, he belonged to America, he belonged to you,” said Hall of Fame sportscaster, Lesley Visser.
All proceeds from the ticketed even will benefit the John Madden Foundation to provide education opportunities for the youth of Oakland.
Madden's widow, Virginia Madden, said she will match up to $1 million in proceeds raise from the memorial for the foundation.
“I know he’s up there and I know he’s smiling down on all of his players who are here and all of you people the fans who supported him all these years,” she said.
John Madden's widow, Virginia Madden, announces she will match up to $1 million of proceeds raised during Monday's memorial service in Oakland. She also discusses how much the Raiders and the City of Oakland meant to the legendary coach.
Madden died on Dec. 28 at the age of 85. The NFL said he died unexpectedly and did not detail a cause.
Madden gained fame in a decade-long stint as the coach of the renegade Oakland Raiders, making it to seven AFC title games and winning the Super Bowl following the 1976 season. He compiled a 103-32-7 regular-season record, and his .759 winning percentage is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games.
But it was his work after prematurely retiring as coach at age 42 that made Madden truly a household name. He educated a football nation with his use of the telestrator on broadcasts; entertained millions with his interjections of “Boom!” and “Doink!” throughout games; was an omnipresent pitchman selling restaurants, hardware stores and beer; became the face of “Madden NFL Football,” one of the most successful sports video games of all-time; and was a best-selling author.
Most of all, he was the preeminent television sports analyst for most of his three decades calling games, winning an unprecedented 16 Emmy Awards for outstanding sports analyst/personality, and covering 11 Super Bowls for four networks from 1979-2009.
Madden was raised in Daly City and a longtime resident of Pleasanton.
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John Madden, tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, poses in July 1959. Madden, the Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster whose exuberant calls combined with simple explanations provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades, died Tuesday morning, Dec. 28, 2021, the league said. He was 85. The NFL said he died unexpectedly and did not detail a cause.
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Oakland Raiders coach John Madden in 1970.
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Oakland Raiders head coach John Madden is carried from the field by his players after his team defeated the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 at Super Bowl Xl in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 9, 1977.
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In this Dec. 21, 1974, file photo, Oakland Raiders coach John Madden holds the ball which was used to score the winning touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in an NFL football playoff game in Oakland, Calif. With Madden are Otis Sistrunk (60) and Ron Smith (27). The Raiders won 28-26.
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Oakland Raiders head coach John Madden shouts from the sidelines during the final minutes of play in the AFC championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Sunday, Jan. 4, 1975. The Steelers won the game, 16-10.
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Coach John Madden (left) and owner Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders talk with newsmen and display the Super Bowl game trophy on Jan. 9, 1977 in Pasadena, California, after their team beat the Minnesota Vikings 32-14.
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Oakland Raiders’ head coach John Madden is all smiles after his team defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 10-6 to win the Western Division Championship in Oakland, Calif., Dec. 15, 1969. Wide receiver Drew Buie (89) shares in the happiness. It was Madden’s first year as coach of the Raiders.
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John Madden of the Oakland Raiders smiles while sitting on his bus circa 1970s.
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In this Aug. 25, 1975, file photo, Oakland Raiders coach John Madden, center, and quarterback Ken Stabler watch the team’s NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Oakland, Calif.
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Pat Summerall and John Madden in 1983.
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Al Michaels (left) and John Madden on ABC’s NFL “Monday Night Football,” 500th game on Nov. 11, 2002 at Invesco Field At Mile High in Denver, Colorado.
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Pat Summerall (left) and John Madden in the broadcast booth together for the last time at Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, LA., on Feb. 3, 2002.
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John Madden during Super Bowl XXXVII – EA Sports Ninth Annual Football Videogame Tournament at Axiom Nightclub in San Diego, California, United States.
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Former Oakland Raider coach John Madden is honored during a pregame ceremony for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Calf. on Sunday, October 22, 2006.
