john madden
Courtesy Twitter: @BarstoolSports

One of the legendary figures in the history of the league passed away Tuesday.

The NFL has sadly announced the passing of John Madden, a legendary coach, broadcaster, Hall of Famer, and one of the biggest names in the history of the league. He was 85.

Madden passed away unexpectedly Tuesday morning.

The league released the following statement in regard to his death.

Further details in regard to his tragic passing have yet to be revealed.

Madden head coached the Oakland Raiders from 1969-78, leading them to a Super Bowl 11 victory. He subsequently worked as a broadcaster from 1979 until his retirement in 2009, notably providing color commentary for both Monday Night Football on ABC and Sunday Night Football on NBC.

Madden endorsed the Madden NFL video game franchise. Electronic Arts has released a new version of the game, which commenced as John Madden Football in 1988, every year since 1990.

Ryan Honey is a staff writer and host of the Wide Right Podcast.