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Opinion | You hear his name, you think of football, and there will never be another one like him | Richard Ransom

ABC24 News Anchor Richard Ransom discusses in his Ransom Note about the passing of the legendary John Madden.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In tonight’s Ransom Note: the passing of legendary NFL coach, broadcaster, and gamer John Madden who died unexpectedly today at the age of 85. 

Anyone who loves football has a John Madden memory. He called so many NFL games over at Fox Sports, spanning who knows how many generations. Viewers loved him because he was real and genuine. 

And I don’t even want to know how much money I spent over those years on Madden video games. My son wanted every single one and most of the time, he got what he wanted. 

But what I hope won’t get overlooked was his commitment to charity. 

In fact, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital honored him in 2016 at its Legends for Charity event which is held as part of every Super Bowl weekend. Madden couldn’t make it, but his sons Mike and Joe accepted the award for their dad. That particular event raised 350-thousand dollars for St. Jude. 

As NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said today, “Madden was football.” He absolutely was but he was so much more. 

I’d love to hear what you think. Join the conversation by email (rransom@abc24.com), Facebook, or Twitter.

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