The Gaming Legacy Of John Madden

The hall of famer coach put his name behind the video game series played millions worldwide for decades.

John Madden's football legacy expands far beyond the real-life gridiron, as the hall of famer coach put his name behind the video game series played millions worldwide for decades. 

In 1986, Electronic Arts, or EA, an American video game company, approached Madden about the idea of making a football game, but he initially turned down the offer because EA did not have the technological capabilities to re-create a standard football game. 

Madden did end up working with EA to create a video game that could simulate an authentic NFL experience, like adding playbooks so players could run real-life plays within the game. Since the first Madden game was released in 1988, the series has sold more than 250 million copies.