The death of John Madden shakes the sports world. As a coach, TV pundit and with a video game series, he brought his love of football to fans. His name is forever linked to the sport.

Munich – It is said that no one is greater than the game itself – a principle that also encompasses football. That’s why John Madden never excelled at his sport, and he would have been the last person to claim such a thing. But the NFL legend was only a few inches short of being at least on a par with his great love.

On Wednesday night, Madden died, aged 85. In him, football loses its ambassador, its great explainer and interpreter. Even long after his death, when Madden’s name is heard, all the synapses in the brain that are responsible for football will switch on.

Madden loved football unconditionally

How did one name become almost synonymous with an entire sport? Some will say the popular video game series “Madden NFL” is responsible, others would cite Madden’s appearances as a TV pundit. And one or two others would recall Madden’s sporting exploits. Super Bowl winner in 1977.

The different areas should not be seen separately, because they all have something fundamental in common: Madden’s unconditional love of football. This has made him a great pioneer of the sport.

When Madden was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006, he said: “Football is who I am. I didn’t start doing this for a living or because I enjoy it. It’s much more than just for the fun of it. I’m totally taken up by football, totally involved. I don’t get involved in gardening or other hobbies, I don’t fish or hunt. I’m into football. “

Once in the NFL and back again

At first, John Madden’s path to the NFL seemed mapped out: star player at his high school, scholarship to Oregon, next step NFL. But the path took a turn because of a knee injury. Madden changed universities, once, twice, three times. But his talent as an offensive tackle caught the eye of NFL scouts. In 1958, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him 244th overall.

Just as he arrived, Madden’s adventure ended. Another knee injury in training camp prevented him from even playing in the NFL. His playing career ended abruptly. But Madden hadn’t just played football in college. “I got a teaching degree, and my love of football mixed with teaching,” Madden said many years later. He began a coaching career.

Madden’s Raiders were rebellious

His rise on the sidelines was meteoric. He did such a good job at his college stops in Santa Maria as head coach and at San Diego State as defensive line coach that Al Davis, general manager of the Oakland Raiders, took notice. In 1967, he hired him as linebackers coach. A year later, Madden was promoted to head coach at just 32 years old. At the time, he was the youngest head coach the NFL had ever seen. To date, only seven coaches have been younger.

The symbiosis between the Raiders and Madden brought success. A former lineman, Madden had a soft spot for tough guys; muddy jerseys and hard hits were his favourite currency. In Oakland, he led a wild bunch that refused to be forced into the tight corset of rules that laces the NFL to this day. Madden’s Raiders were rebellious. It fit the picture that their coach, who looked like a chaotic high school chemistry teacher, always seemed close to a heart attack on the sideline.

Madden’s next forced job change

Madden celebrated his greatest success in 1977 by winning the Super Bowl. An achievement that secured his entry into the Hall of Fame. “I never wanted to coach any team but the Raiders,” he once said. Nor did he ever. Ten years after he started, he was done as head coach. The immense pressure was too much, stomach ulcer, burnout, again his health caused him problems, at 42 he had to look for a new job.

Madden didn’t stop being a coach so easily. He probably couldn’t. But instead of instructing highly paid athletes, he explained his sport as a TV expert to millions of US viewers in front of their TV sets – and he did so in a highly entertaining way. “Boom!”, was probably one of his favourite vocabulary words when he once again drew in with yellow lines where a tackle had to be made.

Madden famous as TV pundit

For some 40 years until 2008, his voice permeated US living rooms, always full of enthusiasm and able to break down this highly complex sport in a way that casual viewers could understand. This ability earned him 16 Emmys.

As a teacher, Madden knew that learning had to be fun. He mixed a good portion of entertainment into his performances, was the antithesis of the perfectly coiffed presenters. He travelled to games in his bus because he was claustrophobic – and also afraid of flying. Once, in a Thanksgiving broadcast, he sawed through a turducken (a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken) with his bare hand.

“Madden NFL” sells millions of copies every year

The turducken, however, is not Madden’s greatest legacy. The “Madden NFL” video game series must be counted among them. When Electronic Arts wanted to create a football game in 1984, they asked Madden for his help. Madden, all teacher, saw it as a way to educate the fans. His standards for the game were high. The computers only have processing capacity for six players? Doesn’t matter, it has to be eleven. No compromise.

Madden advised on rule changes and play design and even gave the game developers the 1980 Raiders playbook. Of course, he also lent his voice to the game. It took four years of development before the first “John Madden NFL” hit the market. The series has sold millions of copies every year since then.

Madden has left his mark on the NFL like few others

And the series has even influenced the sport itself. Players and coaches have admitted that the video game has influenced their own performances. Teddy Bridgewater, for example, practiced plays in “Madden Football” during his college years, so realistic was the simulation. For Madden, the game had to be so good that it could compete with reality – his love of football simply demanded it.

On his death, journalist Adam Schefter wrote: “There is hardly anyone who has shaped the NFL more than John Madden. “