Chiefs focus On Thanksgiving, John Madden’s passion for football and family was most evident.
When NBC begins its coverage Thursday before to the Miami Dolphins vs. Green Bay Packers nightcap, it will continue to pay tribute to Madden’s legacy.
The original Madden Cruiser was seen last week traveling from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, to Lambeau Field in the two-minute open. It is still in Green Bay and will be used in the game as well.
This year’s Thanksgiving game on NBC was even more memorable because Lambeau Field was always one of Madden’s favorite places.
Producer Ellie Wright, who went on the trip last week, said, “It’s been unbelievable to see the way John’s legacy is still so important and prevalent.”
Early in June, at NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” production meetings, the notion of bringing the bus out of retirement was initially raised. In 2018, Madden made the Madden Cruiser a donation to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The thought of the cruiser making one last trip throughout the Midwest was one that the Hall wholeheartedly supported. Although it is kept in a warehouse in northeast Ohio for the majority of the year, it is a highlight attraction during Enshrinement Week events.
The cruiser also passed via Chicago on its way through the Midwest, stopping briefly at Soldier Field and a Boys & Girls Club in Wisconsin before arriving at Lambeau Field.
Last week, J.J. Johnson, who spent the last six years of his broadcast career driving for Madden (2003–08), narrated the opener and drove the cruiser.
“The crew would ask me questions or I would tell them tales as I was driving between locations, and it just brought back a lot of happy memories. Additionally, it’s a way for me to honor John,” Johnson added.
Prior to Greyhound donating the first bus in 1987, Madden would take the train to games after experiencing a panic episode during a flight before calling a game against Tampa Bay in 1979.
Over 600,000 miles were covered by the first Madden Cruiser. When Madden switched from CBS to Fox in 1994, it was replaced with an improved model.
In the end, there were five Madden Cruisers. The location of the other two is unclear, but the last two are accessible to the Madden family.
All three of Thursday’s games will commemorate Madden. The NFL has held the “John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration” for the third year since the legendary announcer and Hall of Fame coach passed away in December 2021.
Growing up in Daly City, he had strong links to the Bay Area. In 1969, at the age of 32, he took over as head coach of the outlaw Oakland Raiders. He was the youngest head coach of a professional football team at the time.
After a 13-1 regular season, Madden would go on to amass an incredible 103-32-7 regular-season record, guiding the Raiders to victory against the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI in 1977. At the age of 42, he accumulated 100 career regular-season wins in just ten full seasons of coaching before retiring and beginning his career as a commentator, making him the youngest coach to achieve this feat.
From 1982 to 2001, Madden called 20 Thanksgiving games for Fox and CBS. Although neither network featured a game on Thanksgiving, he joined NBC in 2006 when “Sunday Night Football” began and ABC for “Monday Night Football” in 2002.
The Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions game is broadcast on CBS, while the New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys game is broadcast on Fox in the late afternoon.
In 2006, the NFL added three Thanksgiving games. In 2012, NBC began airing the night game.
Green Bay is hosting the night game for the second time, and for the first time since 2015.
Madden’s influence on NBC’s games endures despite his retirement from broadcasting following Super Bowl 43 at the end of the 2008 season.
Rob Hyland, the coordinating producer of “Sunday Night Football” and Madden’s replay producer when NBC regained the NFL rights in 2006, said Madden played a big part in his growth as a storyteller, not just in football but also in the production of the Kentucky Derby and prime-time Olympic coverage.
“John Madden was the most curious person I’ve ever worked with, and I think his curiosity has definitely rubbed off on anyone that’s worked with him,” Hyland stated. “A player’s taped ankles might not appear the same as they did the week before. He would ask a lot of questions, and his curiosity led me to learn a lot.
As with previous Madden Thanksgiving customs, the victorious team will receive turduckens from NBC, while the most valuable players in the game will receive turkey legs.
Some of the turkeys and turduckens will be prepared on the bus by Hall of Fame safety Leroy Butler, a skilled cook who spent 12 seasons with the Packers.
“There is a memorial to John on the outside of one of our production trucks. According to Johnson, who operates one of the “Sunday Night Football” production trucks, “On Thanksgiving, when we leave the house and go about our work on game day, we think of one person, we think of John, and it’s Thanksgiving, and you have to smile.” “We’re here at Lambeau Field, one of his favorite places, and we love football and Thanksgiving.” He’d love to broadcast this game, after all. And we simply go out proudly to commemorate John by doing our best.”
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