Madden, the legendary broadcaster who died on Dec. 28, 2021, is known to most as a decades-long color commentator of NFL telecasts on CBS, Fox Sports and ABC. He was a staple of the league’s Thanksgiving coverage and helped to establish the Turkey Leg Award, given to the best players on the field in the holiday contest.
As such, it makes sense that the NFL would celebrate Madden one of the most important in-season dates on the league calendar. And part of that will be about honoring Madden’s career as a coach.
Some of the NFL’s younger fans may not be as familiar with Madden the coach, but he was a great one. His time as an NFL sideline leader wasn’t as long as some other legends, but he established himself as one of the best coaches in NFL history during his 10-year career with the Raiders.
Here’s everything to know about John Madden’s coaching career, including his record, Super Bowl performances and winning percentage.
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What teams did John Madden coach?
John Madden coached just one team during his NFL coaching career: the Raiders. He was in charge in Oakland from 1969 to 1978 before he retired at age 42 and stepped into the broadcast booth.
Before Madden coached the Raiders, he briefly played for the Eagles during the 1959 preseason before a knee injury cut short his career. From there, he became an assistant coach at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California, in 1960 and 1961 before serving as the college’s head coach for the next two seasons and posting a 12-6 record.
Madden later left the community college ranks and became the defensive coordinator at San Diego State. He worked under Don Coryell for three seasons before being hired as a linebackers coach for the Raiders in 1967.
Madden served in that position for two seasons before being promoted to head coach of the Raiders.
Below is a brief timeline of Madden’s coaching career:
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John Madden coaching record
Madden put together one of the most impressive records in NFL history during his time with the Raiders. He posted a career record of 112-39-7, postseason included, and had a winning record in all 10 of his NFL seasons.
Below is a season-by-season breakdown of Madden’s season-by-season performance, during which his Raiders teams went a combined 103-32-7 and 9-7 in the postseason.
Madden is one of just 43 NFL coaches to win more than 100 regular-season games. He coached the fewest games of those 43, needing just 142 to reach that impressive milestone.
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John Madden winning percentage
Madden may not have had the same longevity as a coach that some of the other all-time greats have had. However, his success and consistency have ensured that he remains one of the winningest coaches in NFL history by percentage.
Madden has a winning percentage of .759 for his career, according to Pro Football Reference. That is the second-best in NFL history among qualified candidates, trailing only former Chicago and Cleveland coaching legend Guy Chamberlin, whose career ran from 1922-27.
It will be hard for any active coach to surpass Madden’s winning percentage. Packers coach Matt LaFleur has the best winning percentage among active coaches at .717; no other coach is over the .700 mark.
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How many Super Bowls did John Madden win?
Madden won one Super Bowl during his 10 years in charge of the Raiders. That came in the 1976 season when they beat the Vikings 32-14 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to earn the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.
Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler completed 12 of 19 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown in that contest while the Raiders ran roughshod over the Vikings. Clarence Davis totaled 137 yards on 16 carries, Mark van Eeghen totaled 73 yards on 18 carries while Pete Banaszak had two touchdowns and 19 yards on 10 carries.
The Raiders led 19-0 before the Vikings achieved their first score and held a 25-point lead in the fourth quarter thanks to a 75-yard interception returned for a touchdown by Willie Brown.
Super Bowl 11 may have been Madden’s lone title as a coach, but his teams enjoyed a lot of regular season success. They also made it to the AFC championship game seven times in his 10 seasons. Oakland’s consistency is part of why Madden is still, to this day, considered one of the greatest coaches to ever grace an NFL sideline.
