By RICHARD SANDOMIR
Published: April 16, 2009
John Madden retired from calling professional football on Wednesday, leaving a craft that he revolutionized for 30 years with a coach's eye, a collection of comic book sound effects and a refined taste for Thanksgiving turducken.
He will be replaced on NBC's Sunday night games by Cris Collinsworth, who has been the network's lead analyst on the "Football Night in America" pregame program.
Madden became a near immediate hit as a broadcaster and commercial pitchman after retiring as a Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders in 1979. His second career began at CBS, moved to Fox and ABC, and ended at NBC.
A younger generation discovered Madden as the name and inspiration for EA Sports's "Madden NFL Football," the best-selling sports video game ever.
"There's nothing wrong with me," Madden, 73, said on his regular appearance on KCBS Radio in San Francisco. He had three years left on a six-year contract with NBC that paid him $5 million a year. He isn't tired of traveling the country in a plush bus but missed his wife, Virginia, of nearly 50 years, his two sons and his five grandchildren.
"I missed a lot of my sons' growing up," he said. Now, with the grandchildren between the ages of 4 and 8, he said, "They know when I'm here, and they know when I'm gone." Part of his desire to curtail his bus rambling emanates from his inability to call any local games from the Bay Area; the continuing struggles of the Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers have precluded them from playing at home on NBC's Sunday schedule.
My Thoughts: The greatest Ever!! Already was debating whether or not to watch sunday night footall..this does it..who is tony kornheiser??
