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Madden: A Biography
No person in the sports world is as popular 80-year-olds as well as 8-year-olds. And in Madden , Bryan Burwell gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the 'Boom!' in our Sundays. From Al Davis and the Raiders to Canton, from the booth to the bus to Turduckens on Thanksgiving Day, this is the definitive Madden book, a wild collection of stories from Madden's 50 years in the NFL.
207 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 22, 2019
Great content. John is a multi dimensional person and great guy for sure.
Not very well written though. I noticed a number of duplicate passages.
Not very well written though. I noticed a number of duplicate passages.
December 1, 2021
Very good book, could've been a lot better
Raiders section excellent but:
- Brushes over the 1976 playoff game vs. Patriots like it was a snoozer on way to the showdown with Pittsburgh. Yes, Pittsburgh was THE GAME, but Oakland was in the fight of its life vs. New England and were, in the opinion of some, bailed out by the call of the old gruff referee Ben Dreith, setting up their game winning touchdown.
- More on the sheer talent of the Raiders - guys like Cliff Branch, Clarence Davis, Jack Tatum, Upshaw, Shell, Casper etc etc
It seems like the author rushes through his CBS career, focusing more on when he got on TV initially and less on the full breadth of his 22 year CBS career. Epic games could’ve been mentioned. Relationships with coaches and players. He switched from the field to the booth – did he alienate people through on air criticism? Was he fine doing that? Did he get on well with coaches..he always seemed to.
What about more on the pairing with Summerall? Madden was the verbose, boisterous one while Summerall the smooth operator who could let the game tell the story, often going silent in big plays while the crowd roared. This was prime viewing, must watch television, in large part due to each guy's operating style.
Maddenisms – boom, doink, whap, whomp…the guy had his own vocabulary
All Madden Teams – this wasn’t necessarily about all pros as much as it was hard workers, blue collar players..guys Madden really liked.
Madden the pitchman – Miller Lite!, Ace Hardware, tough actin Tinactin, etc etc..cripes he was always doing commercials.
Madden the businessman/entrepreneur – video games, real estate – lots of material here. Madden football mentioned in the epilogue..a lot of people don't read epilogues.
Madden the bus rider – we hear the events that likely caused his aversion to flying, but cripes, give us more on the Madden Cruisers that he rode all over the country for 30 years or so. And how did it work..when did he roll into town before a game, what were his meetings w/ coaches and players like. What about the time he got Hostetler to his plane in SFO after his Giants team bus left him? There had to have been some crazy stories from all this cruiser riding.
Frank Caliendo/Brett Favre
Still, it was a great book, a real page turner, but after the juicy parts on his early life, Oregon, Cal Poly, and the Raiders, the rest left you wanting much more.
Raiders section excellent but:
- Brushes over the 1976 playoff game vs. Patriots like it was a snoozer on way to the showdown with Pittsburgh. Yes, Pittsburgh was THE GAME, but Oakland was in the fight of its life vs. New England and were, in the opinion of some, bailed out by the call of the old gruff referee Ben Dreith, setting up their game winning touchdown.
- More on the sheer talent of the Raiders - guys like Cliff Branch, Clarence Davis, Jack Tatum, Upshaw, Shell, Casper etc etc
It seems like the author rushes through his CBS career, focusing more on when he got on TV initially and less on the full breadth of his 22 year CBS career. Epic games could’ve been mentioned. Relationships with coaches and players. He switched from the field to the booth – did he alienate people through on air criticism? Was he fine doing that? Did he get on well with coaches..he always seemed to.
What about more on the pairing with Summerall? Madden was the verbose, boisterous one while Summerall the smooth operator who could let the game tell the story, often going silent in big plays while the crowd roared. This was prime viewing, must watch television, in large part due to each guy's operating style.
Maddenisms – boom, doink, whap, whomp…the guy had his own vocabulary
All Madden Teams – this wasn’t necessarily about all pros as much as it was hard workers, blue collar players..guys Madden really liked.
Madden the pitchman – Miller Lite!, Ace Hardware, tough actin Tinactin, etc etc..cripes he was always doing commercials.
Madden the businessman/entrepreneur – video games, real estate – lots of material here. Madden football mentioned in the epilogue..a lot of people don't read epilogues.
Madden the bus rider – we hear the events that likely caused his aversion to flying, but cripes, give us more on the Madden Cruisers that he rode all over the country for 30 years or so. And how did it work..when did he roll into town before a game, what were his meetings w/ coaches and players like. What about the time he got Hostetler to his plane in SFO after his Giants team bus left him? There had to have been some crazy stories from all this cruiser riding.
Frank Caliendo/Brett Favre
Still, it was a great book, a real page turner, but after the juicy parts on his early life, Oregon, Cal Poly, and the Raiders, the rest left you wanting much more.
August 11, 2024
Undeniably Inspirational
To think you knew John Madden simply by watching him coach or even break down a Super Bowl from the commentator's booth would be a sad misunderstanding. Only after reading this biography do I feel I have a true appreciation for the man, the myth, and the legend. What a giving and kind individual he was, and I found myself not only wishing I knew half of this information when I watched him as a younger man, but also found myself liking him more and more. His appeal was obvious, and his approach to everything in life was exaggerated with energy and excitement. It is a true pleasure to read every page and I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to learn not only more about football, but also those interested in learning ways to be a better human. A must-read in every sense!
To think you knew John Madden simply by watching him coach or even break down a Super Bowl from the commentator's booth would be a sad misunderstanding. Only after reading this biography do I feel I have a true appreciation for the man, the myth, and the legend. What a giving and kind individual he was, and I found myself not only wishing I knew half of this information when I watched him as a younger man, but also found myself liking him more and more. His appeal was obvious, and his approach to everything in life was exaggerated with energy and excitement. It is a true pleasure to read every page and I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to learn not only more about football, but also those interested in learning ways to be a better human. A must-read in every sense!
December 31, 2024
Ended up reading/listening to this on Audible because my spouse was listening to it in the evenings — not that I wasn’t familiar or not an admirer — just wasn’t the first book or person I would have picked a book to read about.
Not sorry.
Madden has always been “Football” — and if football plays any role in your life, and you are an adult, likely you are at a minimum familiar with the name if not the man. I am well familiar — so I have been and was very interested when the Audible listen came up in our shared evening time.
😁👏🏻
Interesting man with an interesting life.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the book and learning more about this larger-than-life football icon and personality.
Great narration. Fantastic read.
Not sorry.
Madden has always been “Football” — and if football plays any role in your life, and you are an adult, likely you are at a minimum familiar with the name if not the man. I am well familiar — so I have been and was very interested when the Audible listen came up in our shared evening time.
😁👏🏻
Interesting man with an interesting life.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the book and learning more about this larger-than-life football icon and personality.
Great narration. Fantastic read.
September 25, 2019
A good review of a great career
Madden’s biography almost doubles as the history of professional football from the 1960s into the present day. Madden’s tenure as an assistant and head coach was incredibly successful but his legacy is likely to be as the voice of the NFL for 30 years at all of its biggest moments. The biography itself is satisfying enough; Madden is the introspective type and the author does not offer much insight into his subject’s psyche. Still, the book does not suffer from that lack of insight. If you’re a football fan then you’ll breeze through this one.
Madden’s biography almost doubles as the history of professional football from the 1960s into the present day. Madden’s tenure as an assistant and head coach was incredibly successful but his legacy is likely to be as the voice of the NFL for 30 years at all of its biggest moments. The biography itself is satisfying enough; Madden is the introspective type and the author does not offer much insight into his subject’s psyche. Still, the book does not suffer from that lack of insight. If you’re a football fan then you’ll breeze through this one.
July 31, 2024
Way too short. The development of the Madden game only getting a tiny section of this book was criminal. I would’ve also loved more behind the scenes stories from his broadcasting days. Pretty basic, straightforward biography. The guy was a revolutionary coach, a legendary broadcaster, and was a huge part of a video game empire. He deserved a better, more in-depth retelling of his life story. I need to find a book about the Raiders of the 70’s.
July 29, 2017
A very good biography of Madden and very easy read as Burwell does an excellent job with the flow of material. As a life long Raider fan (well from when I was 15 when the Raiders were formed) most of material is familiar but Burwell does a good job of putting together Madden's character and the various periods in his life. An excellent book for any football fan about an icon of the game.
April 24, 2020
Book as good as his coaching!
The book shares his life much earlier than I thought - from early life moves and presented all the features that led us to his coaching of the Raiders - fast reading.
The book shares his life much earlier than I thought - from early life moves and presented all the features that led us to his coaching of the Raiders - fast reading.
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August 6, 2021Why did you choose this rating?
Easy read, very informative. Really enjoyed it. Particularly enjoyed getting to know more info about the players who played for him. I would recommend it to any age group.
Easy read, very informative. Really enjoyed it. Particularly enjoyed getting to know more info about the players who played for him. I would recommend it to any age group.
April 5, 2020
The Coach
Great read. Highly recommend it.
Very informative and easy to read.
Learned alot about the coach I didn't know about.
Great read. Highly recommend it.
Very informative and easy to read.
Learned alot about the coach I didn't know about.
April 26, 2021
Great insight into terrific coach, entertainer, and all round great guy.
September 7, 2021
Worthwhile read for anyone interested in NFL history. It is especially rewarding for Raiders fans.
November 20, 2022
Wonderful read!
Very good book. For someone like me who knew the broadcaster and video game mogul, it was good it focused on his coaching career. Highly recommended
Very good book. For someone like me who knew the broadcaster and video game mogul, it was good it focused on his coaching career. Highly recommended
December 1, 2023
Amusing but very much a predictable sports biography.
October 21, 2025
Great book, would highly recommend. Really enjoyed reading it.
July 2, 2014
Fun read. Listened to Madden for so many years but never understood his rocket ride to head coach of the Oakland Raiders. The best part of the book is learning about the eccentric character of Al Davis, who is the Raiders coach at the start of the book, drivers out the Madden’s predecessor in the top coaching job in Oakland and eventually drive Madden to distraction and almost pushes him over the edge. The story of how Madden breaks into TV and then has a fundamental impact on how the sport is covered by the media is also extremely interesting. High recommend the book for NFL football fans.
October 25, 2011
A fond look at one of America's football icons. Burwell has done his legwork and produced an insider's view of an interesting, enigmatic man. A must read for football fans whatever their team affiliation.
April 24, 2012
A readable, interesting book. A classic story of a guy who works hard, catches a few breaks, and becomes an icon.
December 25, 2015
I love John Madden.
This book was excellent. I feel like John and I are friends.Story very well told.Would recommend this to anyone. Thanks
This book was excellent. I feel like John and I are friends.Story very well told.Would recommend this to anyone. Thanks
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews