This person died in 2021 at age 85. He had an irrepressible way, and a distinctive voice. Fox snagged him in the mid-1990s to establish credibility. Before broadcasting, he was a lineman for Philadelphia and then a coach for the Raiders, leading them to their first Super Bowl victory in 1977. His Electronic Arts video game evolved into a cultural phenomenon. His influence, steeped in everyman sensibilities, made the NFL more interesting, more relevant and more fun for over 40 years. Today’s dead celebrity is John Madden.

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 31 “The Greatest” (Muhammad Ali)

LINKS:

Transcript of this episode

New York Times Obituary for John Madden

John Madden page on NFL Hall of Fame website

“The Genius of John Madden” from The Ringer

Frank Caliendo impression of John Madden

An exclusive tour inside the Madden Cruiser

Chuck Klostermann article in GQ about future of football

John Madden’s chair at Chuy’s in Van Horn, TX

John Madden once met Nelson Mandela

Residents of the Dakota Building in NYC

Dead or Alive quiz game

Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Famous & Gravy official website

Famous & Gravy takes a biographical dive into the cultural imprint of John Madden as part of a dead celebrity podcast and known for what makes a life worth remembering, highlighting moral posture, iconic status, and career longevity. This episode offers a layered look at how we remember — and reinterpret — famous lives. This legacy podcast explores biographies from a different point of view and contributes to obituary-based storytelling.

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