Through five decades of exponential growth of professional football, media and technology, John Madden became a household name in America.

Depending on the house and each person living in it, Madden was known nationally as a:
• Pro Football Hall of Fame coach
• Television ad pitchman
• Lead network football broadcast analyst
• Co-founder and developer of the Madden video game

But there was another audience who knew differently than most. For more than three decades, radio listeners in the San Francisco Bay Area were treated to weekday call-in segments with Madden spanning 15 minutes (and sometimes more if Madden was on a tangent) .

Stan Bunger, a radio veteran of more than 40 years, was on the other end of these calls for more than 15 years, and he details these extemporaneous sessions in his book “Mornings with Madden.” In this delightful and humorous collection of anecdotes from on and off the air,
Bunger focuses on the local radio side of Madden and treats readers to tales the rest of the country sorely missed.

As a TV broadcaster, Madden was as good veering off onto inane topics as he was breaking down what happened on a play, such as talking about a “baby bucket” during one Super Bowl broadcast. With that in mind, his radio segments featured a lot of these types of observations.

They also included stories, like when he had once broken open a turducken with his hands. About that time, Tom Benson, the attention-loving owner of the New Orleans Saints, popped in to say hello. Madden picks up the story:

“I have all this stuff on my hands and then I’m wondering, ‘Do I shake his hand?’”

Bunger relays Madden’s answer was “Yes” but not before licking “the turducken goodness off a few of his fingers” before reaching for the handshake. “It would be the last time Tom Benson and John Madden ever shook hands,” Bunger tells us. “In fact, Coach said they never spoke again.”

“Mornings with Madden” is filled with hilarious stories like this. It also touches on poignant on-air moments, such as when Madden, who left coaching for good at age 42, identified with the angst of football coach Bill Parcells and basketball coach Larry Brown as they jumped back and forth between coaching and retirement.

Through it all, we also get to know more about Madden’s family and friends, who were included regularly through on-air mentions and occasional on-air drop-ins. And Bunger includes his various on-air partners as he gives us a peek at Madden as a co-worker, teammate and friend.

“Mornings with Madden” is a terrific recap of a brilliant local radio career through the actual on-air words of a national television personality. This book makes you feel as if you’re once again listening to John Madden in real time.

Thank you NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group/Triumph Books for an e-copy of MORNINGS WITH MADDEN to review.

I rate MORNINGS WITH MADDEN five out of five stars.

Stan Bunger offers readers an intimate look into the side of John Madden that many did not have access to. His personal insight, wit, and charisma on full display, Bunger welcomes readers to the Madden radio personality where, ultimately, John continues to be himself. This well written tribute to a man we all recognize, but few have had the pleasure of interacting with on a daily basis. Thank you for this book!

My review was published at www.equinoxx.info on Saturday August 3 2024. Thank you to NetGalley and Triumph Books for the ARC.

It's the weekend of the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony and - ever since John Madden was inducted in the Hall - I've always spared a thought about the legendary football man.

The reason why I find myself thinking about Madden is because he - on numerous occasions - shared a belief that the busts of all the honourees inside the Hall of Fame building spoke to each other when the lights go out each night in Canton, Ohio.

Peyton Manning mentioned Madden's idea during his own induction speech in 2017, so it evidently resonated with him as well.

Fittingly, I found myself reading Mornings With Madden: My Radio Life with an American Legend this Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week. The upcoming title is written by Stan Bunger who hosted a morning radio show on the KCBS radio station from somewhere in California. John Madden was a frequent contributor to the programme.

It's hard to call Bunger's book a 'biography' about John Madden. The author himself states it isn't. Mornings With Madden is Bunger's tribute to his colleague and - most importantly - friend using a lot of the words and content Madden provided to the morning show.

I am a fan of American football from the UK, so my introduction to John Madden was done through his TV work. With that said, Madden transcended the sport by becoming an even bigger - ie: worldwide - name through Electronic Arts' video game series his name and likeness has appeared on since at least the early 1990s. If not earlier. So, it was quite refreshing to learn about Madden's more 'local' job by being a part of the morning show on KCBS which serves in and around the Bay Area in San Francisco.

Bunger is able to sew a lot together from the plethora of things John Madden brought to each show. Obviously, most of Madden's interactions were about the sport he was most knowledgeable in. And there is a lot of that in Mornings With Madden. However, there are other anecdotes and observations - outside of the American football bubble - which Madden, via his words and through the author's work, is shared in this brilliant book.

I was entertained by some of the things Madden shared with his friends to highlight just how much of a 'doofus' he could be. One example the broadcaster shared with his colleagues is a situation he found himself in during a televised golf broadcast when a bird pooed on him live on air. I legit laughed out loud at how Madden dealt with that one.

Another charming tale, shared by Madden, is the dilemma he faced when then US President - Ronald Reagan - made a telephone call asking for John's help.

Even though I found almost everything entertaining through this read, I did feel downcast when Bunger wrote about Madden's decision to retire from the show. John's reasoning behind his decision is shared verbatim and it felt weird to read knowing that it was a final farewell yet it would have just been a farewell when it was said on the radio.

I don't want this review to close on a sour note, though. I would like to refer to something that summed up my opinion of the book by using one of the quotes inside it.

The following is from around the time when John Madden first became a grandfather:

'You know what I'm thinking about now, seriously on this grandfather deal. You know how all your life you've said 'someday I'm going to be sitting around and I'm going to tell my grandkids about this,' Now I have to remember all those things that happened to me in my life...'

Stan Bunger has done his friend a great justice with this book. Bunger has allowed John Madden's stories to remain with everyone, Madden's grandkids included, through print and not lost to the radio waves of the past.