Saquon Barkley Once Babysat a 12-Year-Old Who Beat Him in Madden

Madden wins stand forever.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley stands on the sidelines during a game. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Saquon Barkley continues to dominate on the football field week after week, especially this season, but there's one 22-year-old who could humble the Philadelphia Eagles running back real quick.

When Barkley was playing high school football Whitehall, Pa., he babysat for the children of the school's athletic director Bob Hartman. During one of those times babysitting the Hartman's son Zack and daughter Maisey, the now 22-year-old Zack beat Barkley, the two-time Pro Bowler and contender for NFL MVP this season, in Madden.

Hartman gave quite the anecdote to reporter Alex Coffey at the Philadelphia Inquirer about playing against Barkley in the popular NFL video game when he was just 12 years old.

“I beat him in Madden [NFL],” Hartman said. “I think the score was 31-28, or something like that. I remember he was the Browns, because Johnny Manziel had just gotten drafted. It was a close game, so it probably got intense. I can’t imagine he was too happy about losing to a 12-year-old. But it was fun.”

Hartman would go on to happily bring up the fun fact whenever Barkley did something incredible on the field after he left high school for Penn State, including one time after Barkley hurdled a defender en route to the end zone—a move he has carried with him to the pros.

“I was like, ‘Zack, did you see what Saquon just did?’” Bob Hartman said. “Zack goes, ‘So what, Dad? I beat him in Madden.’ That was always his trump card on Say: That he beat him in Madden.”

The Madden moment has come full circle for Barkley, as his incredible backwards hurdle from a couple weeks ago can now be used in Madden 25.

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