The NFL lost an icon yesterday morning. John Madden has been a staple in the NFL since his decade long reign as coach for the Oakland Raiders back in the ‘70s. The football community has shown major sadness at Madden’s loss, and sports enthusiast Adam Sandler has also penned a tribute to the football coach turned commentator/broadcaster.
John Madden put his mark on the NFL in a number of ways, only one being his simple explanations and comedic approach to commentating football games. If you grew up watching football or even caught a game anytime growing up, chances are you’ve heard Madden do his thing. His voice guided more than one generation to a love of football, even lending his name to the biggest football video game franchise ever.
Adam Sandler expresses how big the loss of John Madden is in his recent Instagram post. As a lover of football and just sports in general, Sandler has obviously had Madden in his life a lot. You can see his tribute to the football icon below, where he says how much he loved the coach and broadcaster and gives his thanks:
Adam Sandler is connected to more than one sport, having played a hockey loving tour champion winner in Happy Gilmore, and his films The Longest Yard and The Waterboy have him excelling on the football field. Sandler’s sports films have a number of major cameos from sports stars, and the cast of The Longest Yard was practically made up of sports professionals. Also, his character in Mr. Deeds ended up buying the New York Jets, and Big Daddy is full of hockey references.
Although John Madden didn’t make an appearance in any Adam Sandler films, he was known to cameo here and there in movies about football. One of the most notable of these cameos would be his appearance in Keanu Reeves’ The Replacements in 2000.
John Madden was at peak presence in the NFL while Adam Sandler was growing up, and he would probably have been a football fan during both Madden’s time as the Oakland Raiders’ coach and as a broadcaster. Assuming this is true, Madden could have really influenced his love for all sports and what that kind of competition can add to one's life.
Even though his sports movies have been heavy on football, hockey, and golf, Adam Sandler seems to be a huge basketball fan and player as well. He has been seen playing many a pick-up game with fans, and even has some major balling skills. He’s played with NBA players, as well, and can apparently keep up decently.
Adam Sandler isn’t done with sports comedy, and he is bringing basketball into his film career now with his upcoming film, Hustle. Sandler plays a washed up basketball scout who finds some talent that he hopes will get him back to the NBA. His production company, Happy Madison, also has another football comedy coming out for Netflix, starring Kevin James.
The loss of John Madden is a big one for the NFL and sports lovers alike. It seems like his legacy will live on in all those he touched with his career, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a reference to the legend in one of Adam Sandler’s future films.
