John Madden (RIP, 1936-2021) ended his NFL coaching career in 1978. It took him just 10 seasons to become an all-time great of this sport. During this time, he won a Superbowl with his beloved Oakland Raiders and achieved plenty of records, included the highest career win percentage by Head Coach in history (according to ESPN Stats & Info). But his longest legacy was, curiously, outside the field, for example in the video game industry with Madden NFL.

In 1988 the EA Sports company launched one of the first video game titles about sports in history. The consoles that held this novelty were the Commodores 64 and 128, home computer models. The risky undertaking needed a powerful public personality to lead the marketing campaign. There was no other like The Coach. So, it was settled that the name of the football videogame was John Madden Football

Despite a difficult starting, the video game is now established as one of the most successful series ever with more than 250 million copies sold around the world and incomes over the 4 billion dollars. Undoubtedly, Madden did it again: he put one of his creations in the hall of fame.

Facts of Madden NFL's videogame

When John Madden Football was launched EA Sports couldn't obtain the license to use the official name of NFL teams and players, so the ones who appeared on the game were just approaches to the real ones. 

The legendary coach was offered to buy unlimited stocks for the initial public offering of EA but he decided not to accept. Years after, Madden regretted his action due to the game's success:"it was the dumbest thing I ever did in my life".

In the 90's decade, there was a fierce competitor of this video game: an American video game developer, BlueSky Software, launched Joe Montana's Football. The game transformed into a small series of 4 titles and then disappeared.

It was in 1993 when the game got a real upgrade: the license and permission of the NFL were finally granted, so there were no more fake player, team and stadiums names. Also, the title passed from its original name to the one it holds currently, Madden NFL, and was adapted to be used on hand-held consoles, such as Game Boy.

In the year of 1998, EA Sports added the Franchise Mode to the game, one of the players all-time favorites. This option allows the player to control the totality of a team: contracts, draft picks, coaches hiring or removal, and strategy during the matches. 

Since 2004, an official simulation of the Superbowl is held through a Madden NFL match. From a total of 17 Superbowl games simulated, 11 of them were predicted right. However, of the last 5 clashes predicted, only 2 were correct. 

In 2009, John Madden decided to end his participation as a commentary voice in the game. The Coach had to record multiple phrases and lines so that the game could simulate a real coverage just as it were broadcasted live. 

There was a trend known as the Madden Curse that involved the NFL players that appeared on the video game cover: usually, they suffered serious injuries or dramatically dropped their level after starring the game. Stars like Marshall Faulk, Michael VickDonovan Mcnabb, Brett Favre, Troy Polamalu among others, were the victims.

Players that have starred Madden NFL's cover so far

Year Protagonist
1988 to 2000 John Madden
2001 Eddie George, Tennessee Titans, Running back
2002 Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota Vikings, Quarterback
2003  Marshall Faulk, St. Louis Rams, Running back
2004 Michael Vick, Atlanta Falcons, Quarterback
2005 Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens, Linebacker
2006 Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles, Quarterback
2007 Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks, Running back
2008 Vince Young, Tennessee Titans, Quarterback
2009 Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers, Quarterback
2010 Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals, Wide receiver & Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers, Safety
2011 Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints, Quarterback
2012 Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns, Running back
2013 Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions, Wide receiver
2014 (Madden NFL 25)

Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions, Running back & Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings, Running back

2015 Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks, Cornerback
2016 Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants, Wide receiver
2017 Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots, Tight end
2018 Tom Brady, New England Patriots, Quarterback
2019 Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers, Wide receiver
2020 Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs, Quarterback
2021 Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens, Quarterback
2022

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs, Quarterback &

Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Quarterback