Madden may have retired from announcing but his name will remain on games

The master of on-screen scribbling, pre-calling plays and devouring multi-legged turkeys has finally retired from broadcast announcing. Some will miss him. Others think this day should have come a lot sooner.

Regardless of the side you fall off that fence, it’s hard to deny the success of the games that bear the John Madden name. The Madden franchise of football games, as NPR reported today (April 17, 2009), has made more money than all the James Bond films.

Madden retired from field activities in 1979 as the coach of the Oakland Raiders, then becoming a broadcaster and starring in several commercials. With this announcement, Super Bowl XLIII in February 2009 will be Madden’s final official broadcasting appearance. Now 73, he’s leaving in the middle of a 6-year contract (worth approximately $5 million per year) to spend more time with his family.

There’s good news for gamers, however. According to the New York Times, “Madden will continue his work with EA Sports.” That likely means we can plan to see more Madden NFL games for many more years. (Grandaddy’s gotta pay for all those gold-plated gifts to his grandchildren somehow).