Why John Madden Wouldn’t Fly.
There’s a great unintentional understatement about John Madden in the Associated Press story announcing Madden’s retirement from broadcasting today – kind of funny, considering that “Madden” and “understatement” almost never go together.
But at one point, the story intones, “Madden is reluctant to fly, and often traveled to games in a specially equipped bus.”
Well, no, not really. The truth: Madden is a Class A claustrophobic who absolutely refuses to fly, hasn’t flown in a plane in 30 years, and for decades has always traveled to games in a specially equipped bus. And he’ll tell anybody who asks.
It may sound nit-picky, but it’s worth noting. Madden’s complete acceptance of who he was, and his willingness to share that with anyone and everyone, is one reason he ultimately became so beloved as a broadcaster. Madden was, above all, himself – and never more human than when discussing his refusal to get on a plane.
He never shied from describing the events of 1979, when, after a decade of white-knuckle flights as the Raiders’ head coach, he suffered what he described as his “third full-blown panic attack” while on a trip during his first year as a broadcaster. He swore that if he got through that flight in one piece, he’d never get on another plane in his life. He has kept that vow.
Some trace Madden’s visceral reaction to a terrible airplane accident in 1960 that took the lives of several Cal Poly San Luis Obispo football players and staff members. It was a flight that Madden, a Cal Poly graduate assistant at the time, was initially supposed to be on. Instead, he stayed behind to coach a JV game.
Whatever its emotional roots, Madden never made a secret of his claustrophobia when it came to airplanes (and anyone who similarly saw his reluctance at entering an elevator can believe it). He spoke openly. He didn’t let it prevent him from having an incredible second career, but he also didn’t sugar-coat his own fears – and that openness was consistent with the way Madden came across in the broadcast booth. For better or worse, he always sounded like who he was, and people were drawn to it – charmed by it, mostly – for 30 years.
Story link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/16/sports/s075301D99.DTL
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