Column: John Madden and his appetite for action

4/16/09
john madden
By Max J. Dickstein

Column: John Madden and his appetite for action

Photo credit: Game Face

John Madden, pictured at his Hall of Fame induction in 2006, will be missed in retirement. (Getty Images)

By Max J. Dickstein

Some Sunday night early this fall, it will hit us like a tackle: Boom! Where are John Madden’s excited insights, his deep chuckle, his sledgehammer reactions to hard hits?

The answer: Madden’s five young grandchildren in California, not his loyal viewers, will have exclusive access to the action-loving zest that characterizes the signature voice of American football; Madden said Thursday he is retiring from broadcasting.

Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, Madden’s “Sunday Night Football” successor as analyst, will make a more-than-adequate team this season for NBC. But the convivial thrill Madden brought to football — deftly mixing depth of knowledge with lightness of spirit — was his unique, irreplaceable contribution to the life of the football fan.

When I met Madden at NBC’s 30 Rock studios last spring, he wanted to talk about food.

“The food that they’re famous for in that city is what I eat when I go there,” he said of his lengthy bus travels each season. “Green Bay brats, Philadelphia cheesesteaks, New York pizza, Chicago deep-dish pizza.”

Beneath his wisp of auburn-gray hair, Madden’s face was friendly, large and animated. He likes to cook, he added brightly, and he even installed a TV-studio-sized, high-tech kitchen at his California home, though its well-stocked wares have been mostly dormant during his busy career.

Shaking the cushions with gestures as he rhapsodized about the virtues of spaghetti made with stew meat, the dark-suited Hall of Famer sitting on the other end of that green-room couch was an impressive force of entertainment, undiminished even when untelevised.

The 73-year-old’s choice to leave the broadcast booth aligns with his stage in life and need not be questioned. But Madden’s infectious, omnivorous joy at watching a football game knows no age.
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Delicious
- Digg
- Stumble Upon

john madden

Column: John Madden and his appetite for action

Vote

Partners

Archive