On December 29, 2021, John Madden, one of the biggest stars in American sports history, passed away at the age of 85. Madden was an NFL icon; a Hall of Famer Super Bowl-winning coach, arguably the greatest broadcaster ever, and the name bearer of NFL’s most popular video game.

And naturally, the news of his passing transcended into other sports as well, including NASCAR.

Several drivers and teams retweeted and posted about Madden’s passing. One of the most touching tributes came from Joe Gibbs. The Joe Gibbs Racing owner is a former NFL coach and is the only person to have won a Super Bowl and a NASCAR Cup Series championship.

The statement he posted on his team’s Twitter account mentioned how Madden had “an immense impact on the sport in so many ways.” 

“I think his success as a coach can get overlooked at times because of his accomplishments as a broadcaster and the popularity of the video game. I don’t think you can measure how many fans he brought and continues to bring to professional football.”

Another personality from NASCAR, Kenny Wallace, expressed his shock at Madden’s demise.

John Madden was a game-changer, according to NASCAR Hall of Famer

In his recent appearance on the SiriusXM podcast, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett referred to Madden as “more than a football coach.” Jarrett said, “When you talk to people who were around him in that scenario, they’d talk about his brilliance. That came through when he retired from coaching.”

“And when you’d sit in front of your TV and listen to him as he analyzed a football game, you realized just how much he knew about,” Jarrett added.

“The things that he did as a coach and then the things he told us that he was basically changing the game in different ways.”

John Madden was a celebrated figure in his life, and he remains a celebrated figure in his death; a legend and a treasure not just to the NFL but to American sports history.

May he rest in peace.

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