LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — John Madden's family will help honor him at the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday Night Football game at Allegiant Stadium with the lighting of the Al Davis Memorial Torch.
Madden's wife Virginia will be joined by his sister Judy, sons Mike and his wife Susie, Joe and his wife Wendy as well as grandsons Jesse and Jack to light the memorial torch prior to kickoff of the Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers game.
Madden passed away on Dec. 28, 2021, at the age of 85, the National Football League announced.
"On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Virginia, Mike, Joe, and their families," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a news release.
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Raiders representatives say it is most fitting that the Madden family carry out the honor. As it was Madden who was the first to light the Al Davis Memorial Torch in 2011, as a tribute to Davis' legacy and enduring vision that "the fire that burns the brightest in the Raiders' organization is the will to win."
Few individuals meant as much to the growth and popularity of professional football as Madden.
Hired as head coach of the Raiders by Al Davis at the age of 32, Madden coached the Silver and Black for 10 seasons and compiled a 103-32-7 regular-season record.
From 1969-78, the Raiders posted winning records in each season, won seven division titles and qualified for the playoffs eight times.
In 1976, Madden coached the Raiders to a 13-1 record and a 32-14 triumph over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI, marking the franchise’s first World Championship of Professional Football.
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Madden cemented his role as a football icon in the broadcast booth, serving as a leading color analyst for all four major television networks — CBS, FOX, ABC and NBC.
His work on Monday Night Football, the inception of the annual All-Madden Team and his role in the Madden NFL series of video games made the Madden name synonymous with pro football.
Since the tradition began in 2011 in Oakland, many Raiders Alumni, celebrities and fans have had the privilege to light the torch before each home game. The first lady of Raider Nation Mrs. Carol Davis was the first to light the Al Davis Memorial Torch at Allegiant Stadium.
