John Madden, the legendary American football coach, passed away this week at the age of 85.
It was during his ten years as head coach of the Oakland Raiders that they were able to win Super Bowl XI in 1977.
“There will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell added.
Aside from his incredible American Football career in which he coached the Oakland Raiders for ten seasons, he is also known as the face and name of the video game Madden NFL.
As tributes flood social media for the NFL icon, let’s get to know him a little better.
Who is his wife?
Meet John Madden’s wife
John Madden is outlived by his wife Virginia Fields.
Not much is known about her age or career, but the pair reportedly met in a bar in Pismo Beach, California.
They have been married since 1959 and wed on December 26th in a ceremony at the St Mary of the Assumption Church in Santa Maria.
To public knowledge, the pair were still together at the time of his death and were married for 62 years.
Do they have children?
John and Virginia have two children together, Joseph and Michael, who they brought up in Pleasanton, California.
Why is Madden named after John Madden?
What is Madden NFL?
Madden NFL is an American football video game series developed for EA Sports.
It is the only NFL-affiliated video game and is available on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo and Windows.
Much like FIFA in the football world and NBA 2K for basketball lovers, a new version of the game is released every year.
The series began in 1988 under a different name, John Madden Football, and since then, 38 different versions have been released.
NFL pays tribute to John Madden
On Wednesday morning, the NFL posted a statement announcing John Madden’s passing.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell paid tribute to the late coach, saying: “On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Virginia, Mike, Joe and their families.”
“We all know him as the Hall of Fame coach of the Oakland Raiders and broadcaster who worked for every major network, but more than anything, he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather,” he continued.
“Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many others. There will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today.”