Approved as to Form and Legality
City Attorney’s Office
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBER TREVA REID
RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE AND LASTING LEGACY EAST
BAY LEGEND AND GLOBAL ICON, FORMER OAKLAND RAIDERS
HEAD COACH JOHN MADDEN AND APPOINTING APRIL 10, 2022 AS
JOHN MADDEN DAY IN THE CITY OF OAKLAND
WHEREAS, Coach John Madden was born in Austin , Minnesota on April 10, 1936 and was raised in Daly City, California. He went on to play for the offensive and defensive lines for California Polytechnic State University from 1957 -1958 and earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from that institution; and
WHEREAS, Coach Madden was selected to go to the all -conference team and from there, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. Unfortunately, a knee injury would end his hopes of a professional football career. Instead, Madden got into coaching, first a t Hancock Junior College and then as defensive coordinator at San Diego State University; and
WHEREAS, Al Davis brought Coach Madden to the Oakland Raiders as a linebacker’s coach in 1967, and the Oakland Raiders went to the Super Bowl in his first year w ith the team.
Coach Madden replaced John Rauch as head coach after the 1968 season at the age 32, beginning a remarka ble, unprecedented 10 -year run. With his demonstrative demeanor on the sideline and disheveled look, Madden was the ideal coach for the col lection of castoffs and misfits that comprised the Oakland Raiders at that time; and
WHEREAS, Coach Madden coached the likes of: Daryl (The Mad Bomber) Lamonica, Old Man Willie Brown, Jim Otto, Kenny (The Snake) Stabler, Jack ( The Assassin) Tatum, George (The Hitman) Atkinson, Fred Biletnikoff, Cliff Branch ( Speed Kills), Gene Upshaw, Art Shell, Dave (The Ghost) Casper, John (The Tooz) Matuszak, Lester (The Judge) Hayes, and many more; and
2 WHEREAS, Coach Madden's career was unprecedented, holding the b est Winning Percentage over his tenure of 10 years, the Best Monday Night Football record during his tenure, coaching some of the NFL’s most memorable games ever, that also brought change s to the rules of the NFL: The Heidi Game, The Immaculate Reception (Deception), The Sea of Hands Game, The Holy Roller & The Ghost to the Post; and
WHEREAS, Coach Madden's Greatest achievement was delivering Oakland it’s 1 st Super Bowl XI on Sunday, January 9, 1977, with a victorious win against the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14; and
WHEREAS, Sports Illustrated ranked Coach John Madden’s 1976 - 1977 Oakland Raiders, as the Best NFL Team for a season of All Time, posting a 13 -1 Record and Super Bowl XI victory; and
WHEREAS, C oach Madden’s status as Oakland & Global Icon continued to grow after he retired as the Oakland Raiders head coach in 1979 and joined CBS. In his time as a broadcaster, he won 16 Emmy Awards and became known for his exuberant calls combined with simple explanations; and
WHEREAS, Coach Madden was the preeminent television sports analyst for three decades, covering 11 Super Bowls for four networks from 1979 -2009. Play-by-play announcer Al Michaels would share that "no one has made the sport more interesti ng, more relevant and more enjoyable to watch and listen to than John," and
WHEREAS, Coach Madden educated a football nation with his use of the telestrator on broadcasts; entertained millions with his interjections of "Boom!" and "Doink!" throughout games and was an omnipresent pitchman selling restaurants, hardware stores and beer; and
WHEREAS, it is hard to think about Coach Madden without thinking about the TURDUCKEN. The iconic culinary wonder , made up of a deboned chicken, stuffed inside a deboned duck, stuffed inside a deboned turkey , which was a staple of the late broadcaster and NFL legend for NFL Games played on Thanksgiving; and
WHEREAS, Coach Madden’s global legacy grew even more, touching all generations, and sports lovers everywhere, as the face of "Madden NFL Football," via EA Sports, one of the most successful sports video games of all-time.
WHEREAS, Coach John Madden was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 5, 2006; and
WHEREAS, Coach Madden and his wife Virginia made Pleasanton their home in 1967 and became a prominent couple in the community throughout the decades; and
3 WHEREAS, Coach Madden passed on at his home in Pleasanton, on December 28, 2021, at the age of 85. In a press release announcing Madden's passing, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that Madden " was football", adding, "there will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today." ; and
WHEREAS, The Madden Family are very grateful for the leadership of Making Oakland Better, Forever Oakland Inc., for assisting in making Coach Madden ’s legacy cemented in Oakland forever, on Coach Madden’s birthday April 10th, every year; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: T hat Councilmember Treva Reid for the 7 th District, on behalf of the Oakland City Council, do hereby recognize April 10, 2022, and each year after, as John Madden Day in the City of Oakland.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - FIFE, GALLO, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, TAYLOR, THAO AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
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