John Madden's Steelers connections are many, and numerous Steelers fondly acknowledged his legacy

Tim Benz
Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021 10:55 a.m. | Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021 10:55 a.m.

From Jan. 3, 1976: Oakland Raiders coach John Madden stands inside the inflated field covering at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh to inspect the artificial turf. A chilly drizzle on the eve of the AFC Championship Game made it necessary for the ground crew to cover the field while they painted it.

Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden died on Tuesday at the age of 85. His indelible imprint on the NFL came in many ways.

As a Super Bowl winning coach with the Oakland Raiders. A legendary broadcaster. And the voice and name behind the iconic EA sports “Madden NFL” video game.

An outpouring of praise and condolences was seen throughout the football world on social media. Including from those connected to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

RIP to an incredible man and coach, John Madden. My thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones and Raider Nation????????

— Jerome Bettis (@JeromeBettis36) December 29, 2021

Thank you Coach Madden for all that did for the game and all the people in it. Please RIP

— Alan Faneca (@afan66) December 29, 2021

John Madden was a true football man. RIP, Coach.

— Mike Tomlin (@CoachTomlin) December 29, 2021

Perhaps most notable were the posts from Steelers legend Franco Harris. The Hall of Famer’s unforgettable Immaculate Reception in 1972 came against Madden’s Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium.

A play that Madden admitted that still gnawed at him, as recently as Fox’s Christmas Day special about him.

The great John Madden on the Immaculate Reception. #RIP #Steelers #Raiders pic.twitter.com/Ugbl0fEnxG

— Steelers Depot ???????????? (@Steelersdepot) December 29, 2021

But that didn’t stop Harris from acknowledging the inexorable link between the Steelers of the ’70s and Madden’s Raiders as frequent AFC playoff combatants.

My condolences to the Madden Family. Thanks Coach for your contributions to the game we love. RIP @ProFootballHOF @Raiders @steelers @NFLLegends

— Franco Harris (@francoharrishof) December 29, 2021

As ESPN Stats and Info pointed out, the Immaculate Reception was just one of many legendary plays involving Madden’s teams.

John Madden passed away on Tuesday at the age of 85. He was a head coach in 4 of the 29 greatest plays in NFL history if you go by the NFL's top 100 plays of all-time.

- Immaculate Reception (No. 1)
- Sea of Hands (No. 17)
- Holy Roller (No. 26)
- Ghost to the Post (No. 29) pic.twitter.com/i08yoTSumF

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 29, 2021

In an ironic twist, Madden could’ve become the defensive coordinator under Chuck Noll when he accepted the Steelers head coaching job in 1969.

A month before John Madden became the #Raiders head coach in 1969, Chuck Noll offered him the #Steelers defensive coordinator job.

Madden will forever be linked to the Steelers in several ways:

-Immaculate Reception
-74, 75, 76 AFC title games
-TV analyst for Super Bowls 40&43

— Ryan Recker (@RyanRecker) December 29, 2021

Who knows what would’ve become of Madden if he had taken that job instead. The Steelers organization also acknowledged Madden’s legacy.

The NFL has lost a great coach, broadcaster and pioneer. Our condolences go out to the Madden family. https://t.co/ZyehM10J6Z

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 29, 2021

Two of the organization’s former players — Troy Polamalu and Antonio Brown — were on the cover of the Madden NFL video game. Pitt product Larry Fitzgerald appeared with Polamalu on the 2009 edition.

The last time Madden had two players on the cover. Pittsburgh Steelers DB Troy Polamalu and Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald pic.twitter.com/ReUseYIk5i

— Donald Bergin (@DonaldBergin2) June 15, 2021

The newest @EAMaddenNFL cover athlete is... @AB84! ????????#Madden19 pic.twitter.com/M8y7WiqSSL

— NFL (@NFL) July 18, 2018

Madden’s voice will also be forever tied to Steelers history as he was on the call with Al Michaels for the Steelers’ wins in Super Bowl XL against the Seattle Seahawks and Super Bowl XLIII over the Arizona Cardinals.

THIS JUST HAPPENED. THIS IS REAL.@_BigBen7 | @ToneTime10 | #SBXLIIIRewind pic.twitter.com/Hgo12miEsN

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) March 30, 2020

That was Madden’s final NFL broadcast. He called the Super Bowl for each of the four major networks: ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS.

According to CBS Sports, Madden’s career winning percentage of .759 was the highest for any coach in NFL history with at least 100 wins.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.