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LOOK: EA Sports reveals John Madden to grace cover of 'Madden 23'

Stephen Samraby:Steve Samra•06/01/22•

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Ethan Miller/Getty Images

BOOM! EA Sports got it right with Madden 23, revealing the video game franchise will honor the late icon and their namesake — John Madden — with the cover to this year’s edition of their football video game.

It was theorized that having Madden grace the cover of this year’s game would be the perfect way to honor the legendary football mind, and EA Sports is doing just that. Check out the cover that’ll be hitting stores this summer.

“The Madden 23 cover. As it should be,” tweeted Adam Schefter of ESPN. “It’s the first time John Madden is on the cover since 2000.”

Last December, Madden passed away unexpectedly at the age of 85. After 10 seasons as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, he spent three decades in the broadcast booth with CBS, FOX, ABC and NBC. Of course, he was the first introduction into football for a generation of fans, as his video game series helped give kids and adults alike a crash-course in the sport.

While the Madden cover has been a way to recognize talented players who are making their mark on the NFL, no cover aside from John Madden would’ve sufficed for Madden 23. The football world got their wish, and kudos to EA Sports for making it happen.

More on John Madden

After starting his coaching career as an assistant at Allan Hancock College in 1960, John Madden quickly rose through the ranks and accepted the Oakland Raiders linebackers coach job in 1967. Just two years later, at 32-years old, he became head coach. The team reached five AFC championship games in seven years before breaking through for a Super Bowl win in 1976. After failing to reach the playoffs in 1978, he retired from coaching.

He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame in 2010. Over the course of his career Madden added 16 Emmy Awards to his Super Bowl trophy.

After becoming one of the most recognizable faces in football over his time with every major network, he also helped launch the NFL’s most popular video game with EA Sports. In 2012, he stated that the game provided’ “a way for people to learn the game (of football) and participate in the game at a pretty sophisticated level.” The Madden title continues to grace the cover of the video game beyond his career and now carries his legacy.

Along with his wife Virginia, John Madden had two sons. Both attended Ivy League schools, with Joe playing football at Brown and Mike playing at Harvard.