For many of us that have been in the business for a while, the news that John Madden was stepping down came as a shock and saddening news. When Madden became the sound of football, he also was the voice of the John Madden Sports quiz and the voice for Ace Hardware. To not hear him anymore will be something I will miss, I am sure I am not alone. if you haven't heard the details, here's some of the story from "John Madden Exits Broadcast Booth" from Variety...
"The burly NFL legend, whose plainspoken, straightforward style set the standard for gridiron analysts, confirmed Thursday that he has decided to retire after 30 years in the broadcast booth, most recently for NBC Sports' "Sunday Night Football." His last game was the Feb. 1 Super Bowl.
"It's time. I'm 73 years old," Madden said in a statement. "I have two great sons and their families, and my five grandchildren are at an age now when they know when I'm home and, more importantly, when I'm not."
Madden surprised NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol when he informed him of his decision earlier this week. Ebersol said he flew to Madden's home in the Bay Area on Wednesday in an effort to persuade Madden to continue at least part time, but the coach with the best winning percentage in NFL history had made up his mind.
"In true John Madden fashion, he was sure," Ebersol said. "We will never see or hear another man like John Madden."
NBC Sports said Cris Collingsworth will move from the pre-game "Football Night in America" show to join play-by-play commentator Al Michaels in the "Sunday Night Football" booth."
There is an interesting parallel between the loss of talent like John Madden from the airwaves and the untimely death of Paul Harvey, these were communicators who never talked at you, they talked directly to you. With John Madden, I always felt like we were squatting on the turf, drawing plays on the dirt on the sidelines. Broadcast is losing talent like this every day and not doing a good job of recruiting who will be the next "John Madden" or "Paul Harvey". Who will be unique and touch us emotionally? Who will our listeners not ever want to miss? Where will they come from?