Was Madden ever a football player?
Yes, John Madden played football as a professional offensive lineman in the American Football League (AFL) and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958, though he never played in a regular-season NFL game due to a knee injury. A 21st-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958 (the 244th selection overall), Madden was with the NFL club for one season before a knee injury halted his professional career. He never played in a regular season game with the Eagles.
Why didn’t John Madden fly?
Aversion to flying In 1979, he had his first panic attack on a flight originating in Tampa, Florida. He never flew on a plane again. Madden stated once in an interview that his fears were not about turbulence, flying, or heights, but primarily claustrophobia. The football legend said his fear of flying stemmed from claustrophobia, though many believed it was from the California Polytechnic State University football team plane crash that took place on Oct. Madden graduated Cal Poly in 1958 and had friends that died on the flight.
How many Super Bowls did John Madden win?
Super Bowl 11 may have been Madden’s lone title as a coach, but his teams enjoyed a lot of regular season success. They also made it to the AFC championship game seven times in his 10 seasons. It all started with a challenge, and a coach who refused to take shortcuts. In 1984, Electronic Arts approached legendary football coach and broadcaster John Madden with a proposal to put his name on a football video game. Madden had one condition. If he was going to be involved, it had to be real football.John Madden was a legendary NFL coach, broadcaster and entrepreneur who had a net worth of $200 million at the time of his death, as per reports.Madden transitioned from his Hall of Fame coaching career into what became an iconic broadcasting career and decided he no longer wanted to fly. He opted to travel long distances by train until it became inconvenient and decided a bus would be the perfect alternative.