Raiders' Madden Was a Mentor for Chiefs' Reid
Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs, who probably is the best coach in the National Football League these days, has great respect for the late, legendary Coach John Madden of the Oakland Raiders.
Reid, who will lead his reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday, Christmas Day, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, was one of eight speakers at Madden’s memorial service at the Oakland Coliseum after he passed away on December 28, 2021, at the age of 85.
“He took me in like one of his own,” Reid said of his first meeting with Madden. “He said: ‘You played offensive line?’ I said: ‘I did.’ He said: ‘You’re in.’ I was in the club officially. Coach Madden got me to appreciate every day, every game, every play of every game. He taught me not to back off what I knew would be the best for the National Football League. He taught me that coaches weren’t the hamburger flippers of the National Football League -- that we had a voice, and if properly presented, people would listen.
“I got to work hand-in-hand with a great coach, John Madden, and it was an honor. His relentless trust in his own common sense -- suggestions to change the game for its betterment probably drove commissioner (Roger) Goodell crazy, but it was awesome to watch his beautiful mind formulate each want. He taught me to never lose my childish love for life.”
Madden, who coached the Raiders from 1969-78, compiled the best 10-year coaching record in NFL history at 103-32-7 and led the Silver and Black to six American Football League Championship Games.
Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Redi credits Las Vegas Raiders and NFL ICON John Madden as one of his mentors.
© Kyle Terada | 2009 Oct 18
Managing General Partner Al Davis hired Madden when he was only 32 years old, and in 1976, the Raiders went 13-1 and routed the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14, in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
After he retired from coaching, Madden became one of the most excellent NFL television analysts, working from 1979-1993 for CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC. In addition, he also worked in radio for KNBR and KCBS in San Francisco and the Westwood One Network.
Madden was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. There was talk that he would enter the Hall of Fame as a broadcaster, but he was adamant. “No, I’m football coach and that’s the only way I will go in.”
And so he was inducted as a coach and broadcaster.
Because Madden hated to fly on airplanes, he eventually traveled to games that he covered in a large, renovated bus that became famously known as “The Madden Cruiser.”
Reid had more to say about Madden.
“(Madden) was the absolute greatest,” Reid said of the man he viewed as something of a mentor. “I think that’s all. Everybody’s had their say on it, and I think you realize how much he touched the football world and all of us. He made our job what it is today as a coach, made it an honorable position to be in, and heck, it’s hard to be a Hall of Famer, period, but let alone be a Hall of Famer in two different areas. That’s phenomenal, and he was that.
“Yeah, we might have become friends because both of us like to eat. And so, we had that passion, obviously by our body types. You know, he invited me on his bus one time in Green Bay. I got to ride through the parking lot on the bus, and it was the thrill of my life. (Coach) Mike Holmgren was really close to him, so, I automatically got kind of put in, literally, put on the bus. Madden was a California guy and I’m from California. We had a couple of things that were a little bit the same there.
“ … Well, he loved to hate the Chiefs, but he loved the Hunt family (the Chiefs’ owners).”
Madden believed Reid could be a great head coach, and he has been proven correct with a 256-143-1 record in 25 seasons, leading the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chiefs with two Super Bowl victories.
Raider Nation knows how good Reid is, as he is 15-2 against the Silver and Black since he joined the Chiefs.
On Christmas Day at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the Silver and Black will return to action versus their AFC West rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. Don't miss it on Monday, December 25, at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST.
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