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NFL legend John Madden started his career with the Eagles

In a football career spanning more than 60 years, Madden’s days as a player were decades behind him. But his storied time in professional football all started in — where else? — Philadelphia.

John Madden, tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, poses in July 1959.
John Madden, tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, poses in July 1959.Read more/ AP

NFL legend John Madden, a Hall of Fame coach who became most well known for his sportscasting and for the super-popular, eponymous video games, died unexpectedly Tuesday morning at the age of 85.

After retiring from coaching in the NFL at the age of 42, Madden was known for his animated play calls, coming up with iconic exclamations “Boom!” and “Doink!” and bringing the excitement of the games to viewers for more than 30 years.

» READ MORE: John Madden, Hall of Fame football coach and broadcaster, dies at 85

With a football career spanning more than 60 years, Madden’s days as a player were decades behind him. But his storied time in professional football all started in — where else? Philadelphia.

Getting his start

Madden — an all-conference lineman from California Polytechnic State University — was a 21st-round draft pick by the Eagles (244th overall) in 1958. The 6-foot-4 tackle was set to play for the Eagles, but a knee injury in his first training camp scuttled his NFL career before it could start.

Here’s the first mention of Madden in the Inquirer on Jan. 29, 1958.

It was his time as a redshirt that would lead to his time as a coach, Madden told Electronic Gaming Monthly in 1995.

“I got hurt in my rookie year with the Philadelphia Eagles — a knee injury — and I couldn’t play,” Madden told EGM. “While I was rehabbing, [Eagles great] Norm Van Brocklin would be watching films and would explain what was happening. I ended up with a degree in teaching, and my love for football meshed with teaching.”

Anointing Andy

Andy Reid, coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and former Eagles coach, credits Madden with giving him the support and encouragement as a young coach that led him to future success in his career. Reid, who coached the Eagles from 1999 to 2012, was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame and won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2020.

“Those words of encouragement like that not only are big for me as a young coach, but also big for the city I was coaching,” Reid said in a video tribute to Madden. “So his support helped me tremendously throughout my career there.”

The calls

Over his decades as a sportscaster, Madden called dozens of Eagles games, most of them with the exuberant, catchphrase-laden flair that was his trademark. In one play when former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb scrambled, narrowly escaping being sacked before throwing deep down the field, Madden’s plain-spoken and entertaining commentary was on full display.

“That’s what a quarterback staying alive is,” Madden said. “That’s what a quarterback that played all over can do. That’s what a quarterback who was a basketball player can do. That’s what a quarterback who has great strength can do. That’s what a quarterback who always keeps every play alive can do.”

Here are two more great Madden Eagles calls: