"He asked to see it" - All Madden director reveals the last request John Madden made 3 days before his death

Hall of Fame head coach and broadcaster John Madden passed away at the age of 85 on December 28, 2021. The documentary, All Madden, came out on Christmas Day, three days before Madden’s death.

The directors of All Madden, Tom Rinaldi and Joel Santos, describe the documentary as a "love letter" to Madden’s life and the impact he left on the game of football.

In a joint interview with Rinaldi, Santos said:

"John asked to see it. It was our wish to make it a gift for him and his family on Christmas Day."

Last year, the directors began chronicling Madden's life and illustrious football career. They started with his successful decade coaching the Oakland Raiders. Then, they highlighted his legendary career in the broadcasting booth, and finally, they detailed how his name ended up on one of the most sought-after video games ever created, sports or otherwise.

Now that he has passed on, the documentary is seen through another lens. All Madden comprises interviews from the late-head coach, his wife Virginia, and their sons Joseph and Michael. It also includes Hall of Fame New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

What stands out about Taylor's and Belichick’s appearances is that both individuals are well-known for not courting the media. Rinaldi and Santos sent out 38 interview requests for the piece. Of the 38 requests, Rinaldi mentioned that all 38 people accepted the interview requests.

Santos spoke on Madden’s feelings on everyone accepting the requests to be interviewed:

"He was really blown away… it made (Madden) realize his impact and the fact that so many people loved him.”

Rinaldi also spoke on the significance of those who were interviewed for the documentary:

"Now that John has passed, I don't think I'm overstepping by saying that everyone of those people that sat down with us and shared their time, their thoughts and their hearts, feel all the greater for having done so."

John Madden and his career

NFL Class of 2014 Enshrinement Ceremony

Madden coached the Oakland Raiders from 1968-1978 and won a Super Bowl in 1976 over the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 32-14. He went 103-32-1 in his time there and had a winning percentage of .759, the best in NFL history.

After coaching, he went into broadcasting in 1979 for CBS as a color commentator. In 1981, he was paired with the legendary Pat Summerall and was on the call for five Super Bowls. He left CBS for FOX in 1994 to call three more Super Bowls with Summerall.

After eight years at FOX (1994-2001), Madden found himself in the booth with the great Al Michaels on ABC from 2002 to 2005 and NBC Sports from 2006-2008 before calling it career. He won 16 Emmys throughout his time in the booth.

The Madden video game franchise started while Madden was still a broadcaster. The game came out in 1988, and there has been a new Madden game out every year since 1990. It is the lone officially licensed video game series for the NFL.

John Madden was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.