John Madden is the greatest head coach in Oakland Raiders history, and today, we wish him a Happy 83rd Birthday. Many more, coach.
On February 4, 1969, the Oakland Raiders made John Madden the youngest head coach in pro football history. By the time he was done stalking the sidelines for the Raiders, he had turned himself into one of the best coaches in NFL history, as well as the best head coach the Raiders franchise has ever had.
After starring in football in high school, and bouncing around to a few college, Madden settled in at Cal Poly back in the 1950s. Playing both football and baseball, Madden was so good that the Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the 1958 NFL Draft, but he injured his knee in training camp and never played again.
That, and his teaching degree, led Madden into coaching, where he got his first opportunity at Allan Hancock College in 1960. He would become the head coach at Allan Hancock a few years later, before heading to San Diego State to be their defensive coordinator.
Madden remained at San Diego State until 1967, when the Raiders offered him a job to be their linebacker coach. That last two years, and after taking over as the head coach for the organization, he led the team on one of their more successful runs in franchise history.
During his tenure at the helm, a run that was from 1969-78, Madden led his team to six AFC Championship Games, including five in a row. In his fifth shot at getting to a Super Bowl, Madden finally got the monkey off his back, leading the team into a matchup with the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI.
Oakland would blast the Vikings in that game, winning 32-14, and giving Madden his only Super Bowl ring.
For his record, Madden was a win-machine, becoming the youngest coach in history to get to 100 wins at only 42 years old. He finished his career with a 76.3 win percentage, boasting a 103-32-7 regular season record, as well as a 9-7 mark in the playoffs.
While Madden is no longer in the limelight, his place in the history of the Raiders franchise is certainly set in concrete. When you think of the Raiders, you think of John Madden, and that is a testament to everything he did for the organization, and the league over his entire NFL and broadcasting career.
Happy Birthday Coach!