Madden back on the cover of video game he championed

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Electronic Arts revealed the cover of “Madden NFL 23” and it will be the late coach himself John Madden. This is the first time he’ll be on the cover in more than 20 years. (Electronic Arts)

It’s hard to imagine any Madden EA Sports video game cover as adored as this year’s version.

The cover boy: John Madden, as he was for its debut in 1988.

Such a tribute drew acclaim from throughout the sports world for the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and award-winning broadcaster, who passed away last December at age 85.

Thus, a void will be felt throughout the NFL world this season, and the long-running video game bearing his name honored him by putting vintage photos of him on their cover.

OAKLAND, CA – FEBRUARY 14: A photo of John Madden is seen on the jumbo screen during the One More Monday Night in Oakland: A Celebration of John Madden memorial event at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) 

Of course, in years past, some cringed at who would get picked for that display. Sure, they would be the NFL’s hottest name, but, often, they’d get hurt that ensuing season.

The Madden Curse, they called it. Madden himself dismissed such a notion. After all, football is an inherently hazardous sport that can endanger anyone. Yes, the 49ers’ Garrison Hearst got hurt in the 1988 season but Patrick Mahomes led the 2019 Chiefs to a Super Bowl win (against the 49ers) in their “Madden” cover days.

In dedicating this year’s cover to him, EA Sports added the appropriate words “Thanks, Coach,” and that touch was appreciated by Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera, who was mentored by Madden.

“His legacy, as far as the game is concerned, was he simplified it for the fans,” Rivera said on the Commanders’ Twitter handle. “He brought it to life, that it wasn’t just about X’s and O’s. It’s was how X’s and O’s worked. And he added colorful languages to it, like ‘Pow’ and ‘Bam.’ It inspired a whole new style of fans.”

PHOTO BY RICK E. MARTIN 7/23/02 John Madden recieved some kidding from Al Michaels about his fear of flying during a recording session in Pleasanton. Madden has moved to ABC to team with Michaels on Monday Night Football. Madden spent most of his broadcasting career at CBS and Fox with Pat Summerall — now he’s teamed on a new network with a new partner as the three-man Monday Night era comes to a close. 

Madden’s connection with the video game began decades ago, when Trip Hawkins asked him to help design it. Madden didn’t realize how transcendent it would become, how it’s linked future generations to the sport he adored.

“Kids, they used to learn playing out in the street, playing in the park,” Madden told this news organization in 2015. “They don’t play in the street or park anymore. They learn on video games.”

Which, in a way, was fine. Madden saw “Madden” as an educational tool.

“That was the start of it,” Madden recalled. “We had to get all 22 players on the screen, and that took five years. They didn’t want linemen. Most games then, it was just like a passing league with quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs.”

John Madden, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 5th, in his office in Pleasanton, Calif. on Wednesday, July 19, 2006. (Dean Coppola/Bay Area News Group archives) 

Although he’s known for having coached the Raiders to their first Super Bowl win in his decadent decade, and as ingrained as he became in American pop culture as a broadcaster and advertising pitchman, Madden was a teacher at heart.

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