The NFL world lost one of it’s most beloved, recognizable personalities back in December when the Hall of Fame head coach and legendary broadcaster John Madden passed away at the age of 85.
Madden won a Super Bowl as the coach of the Oakland Raiders and he was a 12-time Emmy Award winner during his time in the broadcast booth. But the one thing that John Madden is perhaps best known for is his world-famous video game, Madden NFL Football.
Every year, NFL players and fans anxiously wait as EA Sports announces the “Cover Athlete” that they have chosen to appear on the cover of their next edition of the Madden video game series. It’s a tradition that’s been taking place since 2000, when Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George was placed on the cover of Madden 2001.
Every year since then, the honor has gone to one of the NFL’s top players. But this year, in honor of the man himself, EA Sports announced that they would be placing none other than John Madden on the cover of Madden 23.
In the full press release on their website, EA explained their decision to give the honor to the Hall of Fame coach with the following statement:
Today, June 1, is #MaddenDay, a special day that commemorates the very first launch of John Madden Football on June 1, 1988. What better day to celebrate Coach Madden and his legendary career in sport and entertainment than the day he changed the gaming industry forever. Electronic Arts is celebrating in many ways with a new cover, an update on the $5 million John Madden Legacy Commitment to Education, and with the dedication of a renovated field all in Coach Madden’s honor.
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There were certainly no shortage of possible candidates to grace this year’s cover — Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals are just a few names that come to mind. However, with the football world having just lost the great John Madden, placing him on the cover of his very own game one more time just feels right.
Well done, Electronic Arts. And thank you, Coach.
M
