NFL Teams to Honor John Madden With Moment of Silence Ahead of Week 17 Games

Madden died unexpectedly on Tuesday at the age of 85.

The NFL will hold a moment of silence before all of its Week 17 games on Sunday to honor Hall of Fame coach and legendary broadcaster John Madden.

Madden died Tuesday at the age of 85.

"As you know, the NFL lost a true giant on Tuesday with the passing of John Madden," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote earlier this week in a memo distributed to teams. "To help honor his legacy, we ask that each home team in Week 17 observe a moment of silence in his memory just prior to the start of the game."

The moment of silence will occur prior to the national anthem being played.

Madden was only 32 when then Raiders owner Al Davis hired him in 1969 to coach the franchise. He led Oakland to a 103-32-7 regular-season record and won the Super Bowl during the '76 season before heading to the broadcasting booth in ’78. 

The franchise won seven division titles and made the playoffs eight times under his leadership.

As a broadcaster, Madden worked for CBS, Fox, ABC and NBC, winning 16 Sports Emmys for his color commentary. His name is attached to one of the best-selling sports video game series—Madden NFL— which began in 1988 as John Madden Football.

For all his successes, Madden was added to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

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