The passing of former Oakland Raiders head coach John Madden at the age of 85 Tuesday evening threw the entire NFL world for a loop.
For youngsters, Madden is known primarily from the video game franchise with his likeness. For those a bit longer in the tooth, it was Madden’s success for the then-Oakland Raiders from 1969-78 that defined him as a football man. During that span, Madden boasted a 103-32-7 record. He still holds the mark for the highest winning percentage for a head coach in NFL history.
Either way we spin it, the sudden passing of John Madden has saddened generations of football fans, players and coaches. He truly was a larger-than-life figure. A gentle soul. A highly-respected individual.
Having just resigned from his post as the Raiders’ head coach following a well-known scandal, Jon Gruden reacted to Madden’s passing on Wednesday. In the process, he paid his respects to the Hall of Fame head coach.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders coaches, players react to passing of John Madden
Jon Gruden pays respects to John Madden
“He was what football and the Raiders are all about. God Bless the Madden family,” Gruden said in a text message to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
This is a rare public statement from Mr. Gruden after he resigned in disgrace back on October 11 following emails containing racist, misogynistic and homophobic sentiments from Gruden became public record.
It goes to show us just how widely respected John Madden is around not only the Raiders’ organization, but the entire NFL world.
For good reason. We’re talking about someone with a history that spans over a half-century in the lague. From Super Bowl-winning head coach, to elite announcer and success to Madden Football, this man was all about the gridiron world.
As someone who exists within the confines of former Raiders greats, Jon Gruden is somewhat of an expert in this regard.
Related: Remembering the legacy of John Madden
John Madden and all-time great Raiders head coaches
Here’s a look at the top Raiders head coaches in history and where Mr. Madden stands. It is stunning to see what type of success he had with the silver and black.
- John Rauch: .772 (coached 3 seasons)
- John Madden: .731
- Tom Flores: .619
- Al Davis: .583
- Art Shell: .513
- Jon Gruden: .512
- Jack Del Rio: .510
- Hue Jackson: .500
Others pay their respects to John Madden
“He set the standard for coaching in his era. Certainly did a lot for the league and the competitiveness of the league. He was a great champion for minorities and minority scouting. And some of the great players that they had with the Raiders, you know, from some of the smaller Black colleges, that he and coach (Al) Davis brought into the organization. He moved to broadcasting, certainly increased the popularity of the game single-handedly by quite a bit. I don’t know how you’d ever measure it,” New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told reporters on Wednesday. “A lot of people who probably didn’t even care about football found John entertaining and probably watched football because of him.”
Those represent some kind words from a man in Belichick who has won six Super Bowl titles as a head coach and boasts the third-most wins among NFL coaches, behind only Don Shula and George Halas.
Others followed suit on social media.