John Madden, legendary NFL coach and broadcaster, dead at 85

John Madden, one of the NFL's most iconic figures – as a Super Bowl-winning coach and as a longtime TV analyst who translated the intricacies of the game in a colorful way that even casual fans could understand – died Tuesday at age 85, the league announced.

"Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football. He was an incredible soundboard to me and so many others," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "There will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today."

The Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster was known for his exuberant calls combined with simple explanations, which provided fans a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades. The league said he died unexpectedly and did not detail a cause.

Madden gained fame in a decade-long stint as the coach of the renegade Oakland Raiders, making it to seven AFC title games and winning the Super Bowl following the 1976 season. He compiled a 103-32-7 regular-season record, and his .759 winning percentage is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games.

But it was his work after prematurely retiring as coach at age 42 that made Madden truly a household name. He educated a football nation with his use of the telestrator on broadcasts and entertained millions with his interjections of "Boom!" and "Doink!" throughout games. Madden was also known as a pitchman selling restaurants, hardware stores, and beer, and he became the face of "Madden NFL Football," one of the most successful sports video games of all time.

Most of all, he was the preeminent television sports analyst for most of his three decades calling games, winning an unprecedented 16 Emmy Awards for outstanding sports analyst/personality, and covering 11 Super Bowls for four networks from 1979-2009.