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Madden Retires After 30 Years in the Booth
John Madden, a fixture in NFL broadcast booths for 30 years, has decided to retire, he announced Thursday in a statement released by NBC Sports.
Madden, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders, has been a game analyst and TV personality since walking away from coaching.
"It's time. I'm 73 years old. My 50th wedding anniversary is this fall," Madden said. "I have two great sons and their families and my five grandchildren are at an age now when they know when I'm home and, more importantly, when I'm not."
"It's been such a great ride," he added. The NFL has been my life for more than 40 years, it has been my passion -- It still is. ... It's still fun and that's what it makes it hard and that's why it took me a few months to make a decision.
"I still love every part of it -- the travel, the practices, the game film, the games, seeing old friends and meeting new people... but I know this is the right time."
Cris Collinsworth will replace Madden, moving over from the network's studio show, NBC Sports chief d!(k Ebersol said. Collinsworth filled in when Madden took a game off last October.
Madden worked as lead analyst for all four networks broadcasting NFL football games, forming tandems with Pat Summerall at CBS and Fox and Al Michaels at ABC and NBC. He won 16 Emmy awards for outstanding sports analyst/personality.
His last game in the booth was Pittsburgh's Super Bowl victory over Arizona.
Michaels, who became Madden's partner on "Monday Night Football" and moved with him to NBC for the Sunday night ga,me, said Madden will have a unique place in pro football history.
"No one has made the sport more interesting, more relevant and more enjoyable to watch and listen to than John," Michaels said in a statement. "There's never been anyone like him and he's been the gold standard for analysts for almost three decades."
He also lent his name and voice to EA Sports' popular "Madden NFL Football" video game, which is the top-selling sports video game of all time.
Madden led the Raiders to an overall record of 103-32-7, seven AFC West titles and a victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. His .750 winning percentage remains the highest of any coach in NFL history. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
Madden began his pro football career as a linebacker coach at Oakland in 1967 and was named head coach two years later, at 33 the youngest coach in what was then the American Football League.
Madden led the Raiders to their first Super Bowl victory and retired in 1979. He joined CBS later that year. He is reluctant to fly and often traveled to games in a specially equipped bus.
He worked at CBS until 1994 when the network lost rights to broadcast NFL games, leading him to switch to Fox. He left Fox in 2002 to become the lead analyst for ABC's "Monday Night Football" and joined NBC in 2006 when that network took over the league's prime-time Sunday game.
"I don't know that I've ever met anyone who loves the NFL, or cares about the NFL, more than John Madden," Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. "As a friend, I know that John's respect and passion for the sport will be the two elements of his legacy that matter the most to him. His imprint and impact on our game were powerful and meaningful. His influence on the sport was felt by everyone -- the guys in the equipment room, the players, the coaches, the owners, and most importantly, the fans.
"He's going out on top -- as the best we have -- and the best we have ever had."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
John Madden, a fixture in NFL broadcast booths for 30 years, has decided to retire, he announced Thursday in a statement released by NBC Sports.
Madden, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders, has been a game analyst and TV personality since walking away from coaching.
"It's time. I'm 73 years old. My 50th wedding anniversary is this fall," Madden said. "I have two great sons and their families and my five grandchildren are at an age now when they know when I'm home and, more importantly, when I'm not."
"It's been such a great ride," he added. The NFL has been my life for more than 40 years, it has been my passion -- It still is. ... It's still fun and that's what it makes it hard and that's why it took me a few months to make a decision.
"I still love every part of it -- the travel, the practices, the game film, the games, seeing old friends and meeting new people... but I know this is the right time."
Cris Collinsworth will replace Madden, moving over from the network's studio show, NBC Sports chief d!(k Ebersol said. Collinsworth filled in when Madden took a game off last October.
Madden worked as lead analyst for all four networks broadcasting NFL football games, forming tandems with Pat Summerall at CBS and Fox and Al Michaels at ABC and NBC. He won 16 Emmy awards for outstanding sports analyst/personality.
His last game in the booth was Pittsburgh's Super Bowl victory over Arizona.
Michaels, who became Madden's partner on "Monday Night Football" and moved with him to NBC for the Sunday night ga,me, said Madden will have a unique place in pro football history.
"No one has made the sport more interesting, more relevant and more enjoyable to watch and listen to than John," Michaels said in a statement. "There's never been anyone like him and he's been the gold standard for analysts for almost three decades."
He also lent his name and voice to EA Sports' popular "Madden NFL Football" video game, which is the top-selling sports video game of all time.
Madden led the Raiders to an overall record of 103-32-7, seven AFC West titles and a victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. His .750 winning percentage remains the highest of any coach in NFL history. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
Madden began his pro football career as a linebacker coach at Oakland in 1967 and was named head coach two years later, at 33 the youngest coach in what was then the American Football League.
Madden led the Raiders to their first Super Bowl victory and retired in 1979. He joined CBS later that year. He is reluctant to fly and often traveled to games in a specially equipped bus.
He worked at CBS until 1994 when the network lost rights to broadcast NFL games, leading him to switch to Fox. He left Fox in 2002 to become the lead analyst for ABC's "Monday Night Football" and joined NBC in 2006 when that network took over the league's prime-time Sunday game.
"I don't know that I've ever met anyone who loves the NFL, or cares about the NFL, more than John Madden," Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. "As a friend, I know that John's respect and passion for the sport will be the two elements of his legacy that matter the most to him. His imprint and impact on our game were powerful and meaningful. His influence on the sport was felt by everyone -- the guys in the equipment room, the players, the coaches, the owners, and most importantly, the fans.
"He's going out on top -- as the best we have -- and the best we have ever had."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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