Biography of Football Coach and Broadcaster John Madden

John Madden was born on April 10, 1936 in Austin, Minnesota. His family moved to Northern California when he was young. He went to high school in Daly City, California where he was a star football and baseball player.

During college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, John Madden continued to play baseball and football. He received all-conference honors for his outstanding play on the line in football. In the 1958 draft, John Madden was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles. At their training camp, he injured his knee and was never able to play professionally.

After the devastating end to his playing career, John Madden decided to try and become a football coach. He began coaching at Alan Hancock Junior College as an assistant in 1960 and would later become the head coach there. A few years later, he was hired as an assistant on the staff at San Diego State University. Impressed with his work at SDSU, the Oakland Raiders hired him as their linebackers coach in 1967.

On February 4, 1969, the Oakland Raiders signed John Madden to a contract as their new head coach, making him the youngest coach in the NFL. He would continue to be the coach of the Oakland Raiders for ten years, compiling some very impressive statistics. During his short coaching career, John Madden’s Oakland Raiders won 103 games, tied 7, and only lost 32 times. It is the highest winning percentage for any coach in the history of the NFL with at least 100 victories. His most important victory came on January 9, 1977 when the Oakland Raiders beat the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 in the Super Bowl.