A Tribute to Coach John Madden

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

A tribute to Coach John MaddenOn the TunneySide of Sports January 3, 2022 #881 Up next… a Tribute to Coach John Madden

After further review… ”Who are these guys? I mean, what kid grows up wanting to be a referee? Most kids want to be players or coaches in the NFL – not referees!”

That’s the opening line from the foreword that coach John Madden wrote to my book “Impartial Judgment.”  Coach Madden wrote that foreword for the book when it was published in 1988. It was the first book I had written from my perch as a 31-year NFL referee and I wanted someone with superb creditability to write the foreword. Who better than John Madden? John died Jan. 28. He was 85. We were friends for almost 60 years. Stay tuned.

In those 31 years, I probably worked with some 300 NFL coaches. I respected them all, but you have to admit Madden was special. All those who coached loved football but not with the same love as Madden. Football was his life!  After he retired from the field, he helped create the Madden NFL video games through EA Sports, a video game company in Redwood City.  He asked me to do the voiceover for the first edition.

I’m getting ahead of myself. Building on the success he had as a defensive assistant coach at San Diego State in 1966 under head coach Don Coryell, Madden was hired by Al Davis, head coach and owner of the Oakland Raiders as a linebackers coach in 1967. We met that year. Every year thereafter we were on the field together. I have lost track how many games to which I was assigned, but they always seemed to be the important ones. As an example, during the 1970s, when the Raiders were the winningest team and the Pittsburgh Steelers were so dominant, I must have been assigned some 10 or 12 times – both in the Oakland Coliseum and Three Rivers Stadium (Steelers home field).

In 1984, John created the All-Madden team where he selected the best offensive and defensive players that season. I was honored but surprised when he named me as the best NFL official. Further, in 2006 John called to invite me to attend his Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction in Canton, Ohio at his expense that August. He had some 250 “guests” fly non-stop from Oakland to Canton, Ohio, but without the coach — who was claustrophobic about flying.

Coach Madden concluded on the back cover of my book: “Anyone who needs to understand people and teamwork ought to read this book. Everybody will enjoy it. I can’t believe I’m saying all things nice things about …a referee!”

Will you mourn the loss of Coach Madden for his specialness to the NFL and sports broadcasting?

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com or email jim@jimtunney.com. “Impartial Judgment” is now out of print but is available for $20 with free shipping from the website or contact Jim at 2962 Club Rd. Ste #32 Pebble Beach, CA. 93953. It includes Jim’s autograph. 

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Jim’s books include many messages about rules and regulations (remember he was a referee). His bobblehead on your desk or shelf will be a treasure in your office or home. Jim’s Bobblehead includes no tax and comes with free shipping. Use PayPal or mail check to 2962 Club Rd, Ste 32, Pebble Beach, CA 93953. Enjoy your Holidays!

Shop here.

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com  or email jim@jimtunney.com.

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Keep Hope Alive!

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

Keep Hope AliveOn the TunneySide of Sports December 27, 2021 #880 Up next… Keep Hope Alive!

After further review… The TunneySide is hoping your holidays were joyful and pleasant. Within our sports world, it was not so pleasant due to the various diseases that plagued us throughout 2021. Let us turn our attention to a more thoughtful and positive 2022.

It’s always been my thinking to K.H.A., meaning Keep Hope Alive!  I remember hearing about a doctor who, after thoroughly examining his patient and seeing/knowing there was not much treatment left that would keep his patient alive, said: “I can’t give you much hope.” I thought to myself: “Hmm, doctor, that’s maybe all you can give him!”

This brings me to 2022. With all we (in the USA) have endured throughout 2021, what can we hope for in 2022? Well, certainly, besides hope we can place our trust in others that are, perhaps, more knowledgeable than we then do our best to stay healthy. Since this column/blog is about sports, let’s examine how difficult it was to carry on in our sports world in 2021.

Many professional games in all sports – NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB – and so on had players infected with COVID-19. How do you compete with only a partial roster? Last week in the NFL, seven rookie quarterbacks were starting for their teams with some of them in battles for a playoff berth. As I write this the NBA is quarantining players and coaches.

The NHL has canceled the US hockey team from the 2022 Winter Olympic Games scheduled to begin the first week in February 2022. I  wonder how many other Winter Olympians will be forced to withdraw due to the pandemic of COVID-19 or omicron variant or even another virus? Or even, perhaps, other countries will be forced to withdraw their teams due to infections?

Then, too what about our student-athletes at the college level or on down to the Little League level? Will some just give up hope that it’s just not worth it to try again next year? I’ve heard some coaches worried that they may not have enough players trying out for their teams. Our high schools have tried to carry on during this pandemic. What is their level of hope that 2022 will be better?

Will you keep hope alive for those who still have the desire to compete?

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Jim’s books include many messages about rules and regulations (remember he was a referee). His bobblehead on your desk or shelf will be a treasure in your office or home. Jim’s Bobblehead is on a holiday sale for $25, (vs $30.) and includes no tax and free shipping. Use PayPal or mail check to 2962 Club Rd, Ste 32, Pebble Beach, CA 93953. Enjoy your Holidays!

Shop here.

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com  or email jim@jimtunney.com.

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‘Stompin’ at the Savoy,’ Raider Style

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

poor sportsmanshipOn the TunneySide of Sports December 20, 2021 #879 Up next… ‘Stompin’ at the Savoy,’ Raider Style

After further review… ”Stompin’ at the Savoy” is a jazz standard composed by Edgar Sampson (circa 1933) and named after that famed Harlem nightspot. One interpretation is that it is a drama about four young Black women trying to achieve their dream of success. I know it’s a stretch, but that song struck me as I watched the opening of Sunday’s game when the Las Vegas Raiders took the field in Kansas City in Week 14. Before the game with the Chiefs, some of the Raiders went to the logo in the center of the GEHA field and stomped on the Chiefs’ logo. Were they trying to achieve their dream of success?

What is it about some of today’s professional athletes that feel they need to intimidate their opponents with words or actions versus play on the field/court? Of course, “jawing” at each other is not new. Being on the NFL field from the 1960s and beyond, jawing occasionally did occur but, in those days, a player would often step in to help his teammate “knock it off.” NFL Hall of Famer defensive end Jack Youngblood once told me “when trash talk or insulting remarks were directed at me, I would just laugh and walk away.” That usually settled things down.

In today’s NFL, the game officials are instructed to penalize the offending player by throwing the (yellow) flag and assessing 15 yards for what is called “taunting.” All too often the official only “catches” the second guy. Coaches can and should be responsible for controlling this kind of behavior. A 15-yard penalty hurts the entire team! And for what? An insult that gets one player upset? One has to be bigger than that. The team leader has to step in and help.

“I own you!” said an NFL player (certain-to-be in the Hall of Fame one day) toward an opponent, and later in his own stadium (about that same team) that his team has beaten twice this season. What does that player have to gain with that kind of talk? I’ve worked in that stadium many times yet never heard Bart Starr, Zeke Bratkowski, Lynn Dickey, or Brett Farve use that kind of talk to promote himself. Seems to me that’s the kind of talk you hear kids say on the playground. Wonder where they learned that?

P.S. About that gang that was stompin’ on the other team’s logo? That stompin’ team got beat 48-9!

Will you log in about foolish acts that have nothing to do with playing the game?

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Jim’s books include many messages about rules and regulations (remember he was a referee). His bobblehead on your desk or shelf will be a treasure in your office or home. Jim’s Bobblehead is on a holiday sale for $25, (vs $30.) and includes no tax and free shipping. Use PayPal or mail check to 2962 Club Rd, Ste 32, Pebble Beach, CA 93953. Enjoy your Holidays!

Shop here.

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com  or email jim@jimtunney.com.

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