Graney: John Madden was what Raiders want to be now

An exertion of excavation enactment it champion upon learning of John Madden’s death: That the Hall of Fame manager represented what the Raiders privation to beryllium now.

Winners. Super Bowl champions.

If they had fractional the occurrence Madden engineered implicit 10 seasons with the franchise, things would look a full batch brighter. But that intelligibly is easier said than done.

Madden — who led the Raiders to 8 playoff appearances and 7 part titles and a Super Bowl triumph pursuing the 1976 play — died Tuesday greeting astatine property 85.

“We mislaid an icon successful the satellite of football,” Raiders interim caput manager Rich Bisaccia said Wednesday. “It’s hard to accidental you could find a idiosyncratic who went done each the genres helium did and been ultra-successful. I had a accidental to shingle his manus erstwhile I was with Tampa Bay and my manus disappeared. He lit up the room.”

Bisaccia makes a terrific constituent regarding Madden’s immeasurable reach: I wonderment if anyone successful past taught the crippled to much radical successful specified a assortment of ways than him. Can’t be.

Folks of each ages and shot knowledge, nevertheless immense oregon not astatine all, learned from his wit and adept guidance. He did truthful successful a elemental and often humorous manner. You wanted to ticker him, perceive him, sorb each helium offered. He was the communal antheral with an uncommon brilliance.

Madden touched generations this way. Through his coaching, his broadcasting career, the video crippled that bears his name. He created a state of shot fans, radical that mightiness person looked elsewhere for their sporting enjoyment had it not been for him.

Muddy Madden

Derek Carr doesn’t person galore idiosyncratic stories astir Madden, different than the Raiders backmost insists (jokes?) helium is the top subordinate all-time of the video game. Join the crowd. Millions would besides laic claim.

Carr offered 1 relationship Wednesday from his household tree. While successful grooming campy for the Raiders successful the mid-1970s, Carr’s uncle (Lon Boyett) erstwhile got into a fight. While moving implicit to halt it, Madden slipped successful the mud and emerged a downright mess.

“My uncle thinks that’s the crushed helium got cut,” Carr said, laughing.

Ours wasn’t a video crippled family. Still, my lad and girl lone knew of Madden increasing up due to the fact that of his EA Sports fame and “Madden NFL.” Talk astir spanning lifetimes successful specified an unthinkable way.

Most clutching a controller implicit the years apt had nary thought of Madden arsenic a manager oregon broadcaster. Talk astir making an indelible people crossed truthful galore platforms.

You tin marque an statement — a precise dependable 1 — that his fame is defined by the video crippled much than anything. How overmuch it introduced young radical to football. How overmuch of an interaction it made connected bringing them person to the game.

A cleanable ending

Want ironic? His bequest was conscionable portrayed successful a 90-minute Fox Sports documentary entitled “All Madden” that aired connected Christmas Day. In it, those who knew him champion among astir 40 radical interviewed offered their thoughts connected the antheral and his lasting career.

Three days later, Madden was dead.

I’m not definite you could publication a amended ending, watching the Hall of Fame beingness you built played retired done the words of others. Your loved ones. Your erstwhile players. Your closet friends.

“I’m the luckiest feline successful the world,” Madden erstwhile said. “I ne'er truly had a job. I was a shot player, past a shot coach, past a shot broadcaster. It’s been my life. Pro shot has been my beingness since 1967. I’ve enjoyed each portion of it. Never erstwhile did it ever consciousness similar work.”

What a legacy.

What a life.

He was what the Raiders privation to beryllium yet again.

A winner. A champion.

Ed Graney is simply a Sigma Delta Chi Award victor for sports file penning and tin beryllium reached astatine egraney@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-4618. He tin beryllium heard connected “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday done Friday. Follow @edgraney connected Twitter.