John Earl Madden was born on 10 April 1936, in Austin, Minnesota USA, and is a former American Football player, coach and commentator, far better known simply as quite possibly the world’s most famous sportcaster, and certainly one of the richest, as he has been associated with the game since the 1950s.
So just how rich is John Madden? Authoritative sources estimate that John has accrued a net worth of over $200 million as of mid-2016, accrued from his playing, coaching, administration and most importantly broadcasting career. A true sports legend, Madden has worked for all the major American broadcasters during his career – Fox, ABC, NBC and CBS – and has been included into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his achievements as a head coach. Quite possibly the greatest source of John Madden’s wealth, however, is his name – Madden has made a multi-million deal lending his name to the world’s most popular sports video game of all time, EA Sports’ “Madden NFL Football”.
John Madden Net Worth $200 Million
John Madden moved to San Francisco with his family when he was young, and was educated at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and then Jefferson High School, matriculating in 1954. First making his mark as an excellent player during his high school years, Madden went on to play at college level and aspired to become a professional athlete. Unfortunately, though he was drafted by the NFL team “Philadelphia Eagles” in 1958, Madden’s career as a player was over before it could even begin – while training, Madden injured his knee and was rendered unable to safely compete. What must have seemed a tragedy at the time would turn into a spectacularly successful career in coaching and broadcasting, however, and John Madden was already taking his first steps in that direction in 1960, when he became an assistant coach for the Allan Hancock College of Santa Maria.
By 1969, John Madden was already the youngest head coach in the whole professional American Football stage – aged 32 at the time, he worked with the Oakland Raiders, and would lead them to a Super Bowl victory in 1976. At the time of his retirement from coaching in 1978, Madden was the youngest coach to have reached 100 regular season victories, and remains the most successful Oakland Raiders head coach in the team’s history. Hence, even before making his mark as a sportscaster, John Madden was already an American Football legend, ranking alongside other leading head coaches of his era like Tom Landry and Don Shula. Madden’s career as a professional coach certainly left its mark on his impressive net worth.
Having retired from coaching, John Madden went on to a career as a football commentator and analyst. With his charisma and his lively sense of humour, Madden was a near-instant hit with the fans, and soon became known for his excited exclamations (“Boom!” being a particular favourite). It was during his years on television that John Madden was first approached with the offer to lend his voice, name and personality to the EA Sports’ series of American Football games. In a deal valued at $300 million, Madden accepted, and the wildly popular series of games have remained titled “Madden NFL” ever since. Renewed yearly, the “Madden NFL” series has sold millions of copies, boosting Madden’s net worth with every copy sold.
Madden has served to inspire a whole generation of sportscasters, and his analytic techniques and particularities of style remain a vital part of commentating to this day.
In his personal life, John Madden remains married to Virginia Fields(m. 1959). The couple lives in Pleasanton, California, and have two adult sons – Joseph and Michael.
