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For the first time in two decades, the late football legend John Madden will make the cover of an NFL Madden video game.
EA Sports announced Wednesday that the Hall of Fame coach, who died in December, will appear on the cover of all three editions of this year’s Madden NFL 23 video game. The covers will include him at different times in his life, as a coach and as a broadcaster.
The announcement date coincided with the release date of Madden’s first game, John Madden Football, on June 1, 1988. Madden last made the cover of the 2000 edition of the video game. The video game was later moved to NFL players on the cover.
John Madden, former Oakland Raiders coach, celebrates after being selected for the NFL Hall of Fame at a press conference in Detroit, Michigan, on February 4, 2006. (REUTERS / Mike Cassese)
Artist Chuck Styles created artwork for the cover of All Madden, one of the three covers of this year’s video game.
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“As someone who grew up loving football, playing in the suburbs of West Philly, now is a great time to be able to contribute to the culture of the sport by paying tribute to an icon like John Madden, who has influenced generations of football through his passion for football and his unmistakable energy, through my art, ”Styles said.
The coach’s cover shows Madden, who led the Oakland Raiders from the late 1960s to the late 1970s, being lifted by his players after defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the 1977 Super Bowl. .
The video game will feature an interactive experience that will see two versions of the coach leading opposing teams at the Oakland Coliseum in the 1970s. Madden’s voice will also appear in the game with remastered audio clips to honor her days as a broadcaster.
CBS NFL commentator Pat Summerall on the left and NFL analyst John Madden on the air during an NFL football game in 1986. (Focus on Sport / Getty Images)
During her career as a commentator, from 1979 to 2008, Madden was one of the most beloved sports stations. He educated a nation with the use of the telestrator in broadcasts while entertaining millions of people with interjections like “Boom!” and “Doink!”
As part of the cover announcement, EA Sports said it will allocate $ 2.5 million to four nonprofits through the John Madden Legacy to Education Commitment. Another $ 2.5 million will be used to create the EA Madden Scholarship in collaboration with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), which will support students from 12 historically black colleges and universities.
“Coach Madden was a lifelong believer in the importance of education and we are privileged to support these amazing organizations that are creating opportunities for the next generation to pursue their dreams in their honor,” he said. say EA Sports Vice President and GM Cam Weber.
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Madden died unexpectedly on December 28 at the age of 85.
He gained fame in a decade as coach of the renegade Raiders, reaching seven games for the AFC title and winning the Super Bowl after the 1976 season.
Oakland Raiders head coach John Madden is retired from the field by players Ted Hendricks (83) and John Matuszak (72) after defeating the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI on January 9, 1977 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Caliph. . (Focus on Sports / Getty Images)
Madden compiled a 103-32-7 regular season record and was the youngest coach to reach the 100 regular season wins when he made it to 42. He never had a losing season and is still what has more wins among all Raiders coaches.
He retired from training due to an ulcer problem and a general exhaustion of work.
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In 1988, Madden gave his name and character to Electronic Arts to create the video game “Madden NFL.” The popular game went from screen to screen for systems like Super Nintendo and became the huge one it is today on major consoles with eSports leagues developed around the game.
Bradford Betz and Andrew Murray of Fox News contributed to this report