Did John Madden, the famous NFL coach and broadcaster, ever play football himself? Mr. Madden was born on July 2, 1927 in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.
Madden had a long and illustrious career in the game, spending nearly 70 years associated with it. When the first NFL video game was created, it was named in his honor. But did Mr. Madden ever play the game himself?
John Madden Football
Madden, like every other player hoping to reach the top of the professional circuit, played high school and collegiate football.
He enrolled at the University of Oregon in 1954, beginning his college education. He attended Jefferson High School in California before enrolling in a university system at age 18. Madden played college football as an offensive tackle for the University of Oregon, and he received a scholarship to play football there.
However, he lost it due to a career-ending knee injury and drifted between clubs in the late 1950s. He also played on the baseball team at California Polytechnic as a catcher.
Madden was selected by the NFL in 1958, but he went undrafted and signed as a 21st round pick for the Philadelphia Eagles.
NFL Career Ends Before It Starts
Madden, on the other hand, never appeared in a Philadelphia Eagles game in the NFL. He suffered another major knee fracture during his first training camp with the team.
John Madden’s career as a player was terminated, thus he never got to show what he could do on the field.
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Madden Still Involved In Football
Despite the injury, Madden moved rapidly into coaching in 1960, when he joined Allan Hancock College as a defensive line coach. He served as Oakland Raiders linebackers coach in 1967 and went on to become head coach in 1969.
He won Super Bowl XI with the Raiders in 1977 before retiring a year later as head coach. His winning percentage was .993, which is the third-best record ever among all coaches.
The second-best run in the history of the tournament is 0.759, which was achieved by Guy Chamberlain in between 1922 and 1927.
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