OAKLAND — The spirit of John Madden returned one last time Monday night to the venue that helped make him famous.
The first time Madden walked the sidelines at the Coliseum as head coach of the Raiders was on Aug. 9, 1969, a few weeks after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. It was a preseason game against the Baltimore Colts, with the Raiders losing 34-30. More than a month later, the Raiders opened the season at home against the Houston Oilers and won 21-17 — starting a 10-year run of success that eventually led to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
So it was only fitting that Madden family arranged to have “One more Monday Night in Oakland: A Celebration of John Madden” in memory of the ball coach who became a larger-than-life figure in coaching, broadcasting, advertising and eventually the video game that bears his name. Madden passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 28 at age 85.
With the Raiders having moved to Las Vegas following the 2019 season, the Madden memorial is likely the final NFL act for the facility where his teams provided a legacy of consistent victory for the home fan base.
Madden’s 103-32-7 all-time record included a 57-11-2 record at the Coliseum. Madden’s Raiders were 6-2 in the playoffs at home (2-5) on the road and were 1-0 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena – the site of his greatest triumph and a 32-14 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI.
There was nostalgia in the idea to have the celebration on a Monday night, where Madden’s teams were 5-0 at the Coliseum and 11-1-1 overall during his tenure when the Raiders were known as the “Kings of Monday night.”
Virginia Madden told NFL Network host Tom Rinaldi there was no doubt where the public memorial would be held.
“When John passed, I said, I want to have the players that are here and all of the fans that supported him for so many years gathering at the Coliseum,” said Virginia Madden, John’s wife of 62 years. “I know he’s up there and I know he’s smiling down.”
Then Virginia Madden, to rousing cheers, said, “John believes in the town of Oakland. He believed in the Coliseum and he believed in the Raiders — the Oakland Raiders. Oakland needs a football team.”
Mike Madden, John’s son, said the goal for a service would be to determine what his father would have wanted.
“What would he want?” Mike Madden said. “He would want to do it in Oakland. He loved Oakland, and Oakland loved him back. I was in SoFi Stadium (at the Super Bowl) last night, but tonight I’m in a football stadium. So how in the heck could you not celebrate the life of John Madden anywhere else but the Oakland Coliseum?”
Andy Reid, a friend of Madden’s for more than 30 years and coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, received the requisite number of boos from the home crowd because of his affiliation with the Raiders’ arch-rivals.
“I’m glad I’m out of spitting distance,” Reid said. “It’s great to be in the Black Hole.”
A crowd of approximately 2,000 were in the stands on a brisk 52-degree night. Mike Madden was on stage with featured speakers with Virginia, son Joe and five grandchildren in seats along the first base line.
Proceeds from the event raised through ticket sales go to the John Madden Foundation to be distributed to Bay Area charities, and Virginia Madden pledged to match the money raised up to $1 million.
The program included several speakers and taped interviews, including quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Brett Favre and announcers Jim Nantz and Al Michaels. Former Raiders tackle and 13-year-veteran Henry Lawrence opened the proceedings by singing “Amazing Grace,” and there was also a taped performance from musician Nils Lofgren of E Street Band fame. Lofgren wrote a song specifically for the occasion entitled, “Miss You John.”
Ron Rivera, coach of the Washington Commanders, requested a meeting with Madden and paid him a visit in his office in Pleasanton. The Carolina Panthers had a 3-13 record in games decided by six points or less under Rivera, so Madden asked him to review those games. Rivera told Madden he thought he was “going by the book.”
Madden’s response?
“He said, `What book? You’ve played enough football, you’ve coached enough football, go by your gut. Go by what you know.”
Emboldened, Rivera began to go for it fourth down and was more daring in his decisions.
Madden’s response?
“Ron, I told you to go by your instincts. I didn’t want you to get carried away,” Rivera said.
Stan Bunger, who did a radio show on KCBS with Madden for years, said he was more than the regular guy he seemed to be.
“I met a lot of smart people in my 40 years in broadcasting and I don’t think I ever met anyone smarter than John Madden,” Bunger said.
Leadoff speaker Steve Mariucci became friends with Madden through television production meetings. Together, the two put on an annual bocce ball tournament for local charities.
“Everybody knows John’s a big man, a big personality,, and I hope you know he had the biggest heart of all. We were able to raise over $8 million dollars for some Bay Area charities in 22 years. That’s how long we did this.”
Lesley Visser, a former CBS commentator, said Madden insisted on teaching football to the network.
“John insisted we have seminars before our seminars,” Visser said. “We were going to Pebble Beach and Napa Valley, and he didn’t want to drink wine or play golf. He wanted to talk about defense and about football. We all learned a lot about football and we cherished that. John taught all of us.”
Staff writer Cam Inman contributed to this report
