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John Madden never lost his passion for the game. EA Sports Madden NFL lead gameplay producer Clint Oldenburg learned that firsthand during a visit to Madden’s Goal Line Productions studio in Pleasanton, California, in the spring of 2012. Oldenburg, then just an intern, and a few other producers walked past Steve Young and Jerry Rice shot up a commercial on the way to a back room where Madden was seated at a large table with multiple screens on the wall.

The group was there for their annual trip to watch football with Madden and discuss the upcoming video game they were developing. Oldenburg eventually overcame his nerves when it was his turn to talk about pass protection, but Madden cut him off. Suddenly, the former NFL journeyman offensive lineman was roasted by a Hall of Fame and Super Bowl-winning coach.

“Just playing in the NFL on my resume wasn’t enough for Coach. He really wanted to know if you knew what you were talking about,” Oldenburg said in June. “And luckily I passed his quiz. After that you could see he was a little relaxed. He put a small smile on his face, like, ‘Okay, this guy understands the game.’”

Madden retired from coaching in 1978 and stepped out of the broadcasting booth in 2009, but he was always briefed on what was going on in the sport. And, starting with the first Madden NFL release in 1988, he focused on making sure that those who made the game were too. His meetings with EA Sports would discuss everything from league trends and strategies to rules and safety measures.

“If he wanted to put his name on something, especially a video game, it had to be authentic,” Sandy Montag, a former Madden agent, said last month. “It had to be real.”

Madden continued his mission through last year to maintain that realism in the annual meetings with EA Sports. Just three days after Fox’s “All Madden” documentary aired last Christmas, which revealed just how seriously Madden took the video game — in addition to his coaching and broadcasting careers, of course — Madden died in Pleasanton at the age of 85.

“I think it was disbelief at first. Everyone felt pretty good after that documentary came out because they talked a lot about the video game, not just about Coach’s career, but it was so sudden after that,” Oldenburg said. “And then, very soon after, it was a team-wide feeling of, ‘What are we going to do to honor Coach? We need to do something.’”

One choice stood out: putting Madden on the cover of Madden 23. Madden has been on the cover for several versions of the game in the past, but it’s the first time he’s done so since 1999. Image is the same one used for the game’s initial release in ’88.

And when fans get to play Madden when it comes out on August 15, the first thing they’ll experience is the Madden Legacy Game. It will be a match-up between NFC and AFC rosters, made up of players meeting the bar of those who created its famous “All Madden” teams. Madden will be the coach for both teams with his younger self on one side and an older version on the other.

In addition to the game, EA Sports dedicated a field to Madden at its headquarters in Redwood City, California. The company also made a $5 million contribution to the John Madden Legacy Commitment. Over the next five years, half of the money will go to four educational nonprofits and the other half will be used to create the EA Madden Scholarship in partnership with the United Negro College Fund to support students from 12 HBCUs.

Madden’s family and Montag were involved in the ideation process for all tributes. While Madden wasn’t worried about his legacy, they want to make sure it lives on. Madden NFL part of that effort was always in the plans.

“Ever since John stopped broadcasting — you know people don’t live forever, unfortunately — we’ve been talking about ‘how long should the video game last?'” Montag said. “You talk about inheritance and John never really wanted to talk about inheritance. He always said it’s up to other people to decide where he fits. The younger generation of football fans, many of them learn football through Madden. John was a teacher. He loved teaching, also as a coach. And he gave lessons about watching football when he stopped coaching, and he taught on television. And I think his legacy of helping the younger generation learn football through Madden’s game was important to him.”

“I think it’s the perfect way to honor him.”


John Madden will coach players like Tom Brady through the Madden Legacy Game in Madden 23. (Courtesy of EA Sports)

Initially, there was doubt that Madden NFL would ever get there. Two years after Trip Hawkins founded Electronic Arts in 1982, he went on a train journey with Madden and Montag while Madden was traveling to broadcast a game. Hawkins was developing sports computer games and wanted to license Madden’s name for a football game. Madden eventually agreed, but there was a catch: Hawkins had to figure out how to make 11-on-11 simulation football before it was released.

“They couldn’t put 22 players on the computer screen because there wasn’t enough computer memory and both John and I felt in the mid to late ’80s that this really was never going to happen,” said Montag. “We really fell for it. And of course it worked out well for everyone.”

About four years later, Madden NFL debuted. However, Madden was not done with that, as he remained involved in the development process as a broadcaster for the next few years.

“He had won a Super Bowl as a coach of the Raiders. He quickly became the biggest commentator not just in football, but in all sports, and you just don’t want to put your name on something that’s going to fail,” Montag said. If we did this, we didn’t want them to just use his name, we wanted to be a part of it in every aspect, especially football.”

With that attention to detail, plus technological advancements, the game became more realistic over time. In addition to the commercial success, Madden NFL also began to transition to the real game. Players at all levels – youth soccer, high school, college and the pros – were hooked. Not only did they play the game for fun, but it also helped them learn the game.

“John was very proud, as was EA, that their tagline was early on, ‘If it’s in the game, it’s in the game,'” said Montag. “And I think the authenticity of Madden, even to this day, NFL players play Madden to prepare for an upcoming game. We have spoken with numerous players. If you’re a quarterback – and a lot of them play Madden – you can see where your opponent’s defense is and it’s realistic. Of everything that happened with EA, he was proud that the game was authentic and that it was real football.”

For Madden, the education component was key. That was part of his job as a coach, of course, but he also did his best to do the same as a broadcaster through his conversational style and regular use of the telestrator. To him, Madden NFL was no different. And as with his other two careers, he could see the effects.

“One of the things he always talked about, even little kids came up and talked about, ‘Hey, this is a Cover 2.’ You’re like, “Holy shit.” These kids are much smarter these days in football and concepts and so much more because of the game,” said EA Sports developer Anthony White, who has been with the company since 2005, earlier this month. “Learning that whole game, using the game as a tool and people learning football through the game itself, Coach Madden was all on that.”

Madden’s presence spanned generations as a coach, presenter and video game ambassador. Depending on how old a person is, they may know all three or just one. Either way, he had an impact that will last.

“I think the best thing we can do to move it forward the way he wanted it to move forward is to keep using it as a tool to help the sport grow,” said Oldenburg. “By teaching football and broadcasting, he wanted to increase the popularity of the sport he loved. And I think we are an extension of that. And so I think our job is to make sure we let our fans know both present and future personas of Coach as a coach and Coach as an ambassador of this sport through his video game.”

This past development cycle was the first since Madden NFL’s inception that its namesake was not part of that process. He may be gone, but the goal is to continue building the video game in his image.

“We won’t be able to share that with him, but I’m sure he’ll probably look down and give it a wry smile, if you like,” White said. “Everything we do and will continue to do will be 100 percent inspired by Coach and his influence in the game.”

Obviously, Madden NFL is not the only way Madden will continue to have a presence. Those who knew him, his fans, the Raiders and the NFL community as a whole also share that responsibility.

“I think it’s important,” Montag said. “We’ve had talks with the NFL and I’ve spoken directly with the Commissioner about how we can continue to honor and remember John in football and through the NFL? I mean, he was so important to the NFL until he died. He was involved in certain committees within the league. He had such an impact on the game, and I think it’s down to me and John’s family to continue to make sure the legacy remains intact and is treated the way he would like it to be treated.

“It’s great to see – and important – that they live on.”

(Photos courtesy of EA Sports)

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