Joseph Anthony Madden, a former college and professional football coach, died on January 8, 2021 in San Diego, California. He was 85. The cause of death was vascular dementia. Madden is survived by his wife, Janis Baker Madden, of 60 years, and his four children and their spouses, Kerry and Kiffen Madden-Lunsford (Los Angeles), Duffy Madden (San Diego), Casey and Misty Madden (Chicago) and Keely Madden (New York City). He is also survived by his brother, Lefty Madden, and his sister, Sally Pilkerton of Silver Spring, Maryland and many nieces and nephews who adored their Uncle Joe. His youngest brother, Michael Madden, preceded him in death in 1979, as did his beloved nephew and namesake, Joseph Anthony Pilkerton, in 2020.

Known as “Curby” to his grandkids (because he hit every curb driving on the “wrong” side of the road on a trip through England, Scotland, and Ireland) he took great pride in his seven grandchildren: Flannery, Lucy, Norah, Liam, Sidney, Kolya, and Casey.

Joseph “Joe” Madden was born in Washington DC on March 5, 1935 the eldest son of Mary Patricia Morris Madden and Dr. Joseph Anthony Madden. He attended St. John’s Military Academy where he liked to emphasize that he entered as a private and graduated as a private because of his dedication to sports where he lettered in football, boxing, and baseball. Upon graduation from St. John’s in 1953, he attended the University of Maryland on a boxing scholarship and boxed for two years until Maryland dropped the program, upon which he became a student trainer for the Maryland Terrapins football team.

He graduated from Maryland in 1959 and accepted his first coaching job at Father Lopez High School in Daytona Beach, Florida where he began to build the football and basketball programs. The first football season they had a limited schedule, so Father Lopez played their games at the Daytona Speedway. In the second year, they joined the St. John’s River Conference, and by the third year the team won the conference championship. The coaches displayed the winning scores on the school crosses adjacent to the gymnasium, much to the consternation of the principal, Sister Bernadita, who also refused to allow school dances to be held in the library, Madden’s idea, since he didn’t want the students scuffing up his basketball court in their dance shoes.

Madden met his wife, Janis, a music teacher, and they were married on December 27, 1960 in between football and basketball season with Madden’s players in attendance. He designed the wedding napkin that read “Follow Jan and Joe on the Green Wave” along with the team schedule to build up support for his players.

He became a graduate assistant with the Mississippi State Bulldogs in 1962 where he met Johnny Majors and would later go onto coach with him at three teams. After finishing his Masters degree at Mississippi State, Madden was on the job hunt, and it should be noted that Janis typed him sixty coaching job application letters before he finally landed the job at Morehead State in 1963.

In addition to coaching at Morehead State, he also had to teach health but preferred to be at the football office getting ready for Saturday’s game. He’d have Janis circle “key health points” in the text, and then he would scrawl a daily lesson plan on the board. His students rarely saw him.

At the end of the semester, he was actually in the class looking over his grade book and saw that one student had made A’s on all the tests but had terrible attendance. He called the student up and said, “You made an A on the tests, but you didn’t come to class? How am I supposed to pass you?”

The student replied, “No offense, Coach, but I was here more than you.”

The student received an A.

Also, at Morehead State, the coaches’ wives listened to the away games at the local bowling alley at a table reserved especially for them, because the bowling alley was the only place in town that got reception in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky.

Madden then went on to coach for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1964–1967) including the season Brian Piccolo led the nation in rushing. He then joined Johnny Majors and his coaching staff at the Iowa State Cyclones (1968–1971) coaching the defensive secondary. He became the defensive coordinator for the Kansas State Wildcats in 1972 for a year and then rejoined Majors at the University of Pittsburgh for the Panthers (1973–1976).

Over the years, Madden’s teams made it to the Sun Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Bluebonnet Bowl, and he coached at the Hula Bowl with Majors and Don Shula after winning the Sugar Bowl. Pitt won the National Championship at the Sugar Bowl in 1976 with Tony Dorsett, Heisman Trophy Winner, and Bear Bryant declared Pitt’s defensive secondary the finest he’d ever seen.

After winning the National Championship at Pitt, Madden went with Majors to the University of Tennessee (1977–1979) where he coached the defensive secondary for Tennessee Volunteers and was Assistant Head Coach.

After leaving Tennessee, he then spent the next eight years in the pros, as special teams’ coach for the Detroit Lions (1980–1984), on the defensive staff of the Atlanta Falcons (1985–1986) and finally with the San Diego Chargers (1989) back on special teams.

Upon retiring from coaching, he began several business ventures and devoted himself to Janis’s career as a music teacher with the San Diego School District and supported her by attending student concerts, trips, and competitions. They also traveled to college football reunions at Iowa State and Pittsburgh and Wake Forest to visit with players and coaches over years.

He and Janis were active members of the San Diego Mission, Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá and took choral trips to Ireland and ran Irish bingo booths for fundraisers and participated in the Festival of the Bells. Although he could not sing a note, he was an honorary choir member by show of support. They never performed his favorite song “Unchained Melody,” but that never stopped him for attempting to hit the notes with Janis coaching him.

Several of his former Pitt Players also sent their memories:

“My condolences to the family. I am so stunned right now. He was responsible for my success at Pitt. The reason why our defensive secondary was so good back then was because of Coach Madden. We were so prepared. Coach, thank you for everything you ever did for me. I will never forget you. We’ll miss you and love you forever. I am grateful that the last reunion I was able to thank Coach for having faith in me. He helped me become Pitt’s all-time interception’s holder and an All-American. If it wasn’t for him, that would never have happened. Every day, we would watch film and he would show me what to expect when the opponent would come out in certain formations. He and Coach Majors were responsible for me staying at Pitt during my freshman year. I will never forget Coach Madden. May God bless him and his family. “Bob Jury, defensive back

“My condolences to the family. Coach Madden was a great man and a big part of my life.” Jim Morsillo, defensive tackle

“Coach Madden recruited me to Pitt. He wasn’t my position coach, but always checked up with me while I was there. He was a good man.” Thomas Brozoza, center and guard

“Prayers to the Madden family. I had the pleasure of knowing Coach as a player and a coach. We had many laughs and great stories.”Ray Olson, offensive guard

“To the Madden family, I send my condolences and prayers. Even though I was a student manager, Coach Madden, having met my parents at the weekly Beaver Valley Golden Panther Club meetings, he would regularly ask me, “How’s your mother and father?” He was a true gentleman and coach and at a few of our reunions, he enjoyed them as much as we did. Hail to Pitt, Coach Madden, Peace.” Richard J. Gradisek

“A very good man with high performance standards. He taught you more than football.” Mark O’Toole, defensive secondary

“I remember releasing outside the linebacker and laughing as everyone ran by to stop Tony. It was a great design along with the Hook and Slide pass against a 5.2 defense. A great play on 3rd and 6+. Robert Haywood was the best passing QB over the middle. Tommy Y. picked it up well from the Youngstown “KID” Matt C. The real gentleman on our Nat’l Champ team. Grateful for this experience. Really heartbroken over the passing of our Coach Madden. He always believed in US! Thank you Coach and family. “Jim Corbett, tight end, #81

“Coach Madden was my coach as the left-side cornerback, and he was great. I was a junior college transfer and an unknown, starting our first game under Coach Majors against heavily favored Georgia. Coach Madden came up to me before the kickoff and explained because I was an unknown, they were going to test me, so to be prepared and to try and go deep. I was ready and almost intercepted that first pass, and to start the second half, when Georgia tried going deep again, I did pick it off. It was because Coach Madden understood opposing teams’ strategies and prepared us.”Jeff Hartin, cornerback

ON RAISING A FAMILY

Madden had many well-known lines over the years raising a family like members of his team, and here are a few:

“Get your ass in the car!”

“Say good-bye. We got ball games to win!”

“Knock off that Helen Keller bullshit! Nobody’s going blind in this house, and you know why? Because I said so that’s why!”

“When I say jump you don’t ask why, you ask — how high?”

“You want to live in the same town your whole life? What kind of life is that? Me clocking in at five like some bank clerk to help you with your homework. That’s a bullshit life.”

“I don’t swear in church, dammit!”

“It took me six months and a lot of Scotch to get through that sumbitch.” (after reading his daughter’s first novel, OFFSIDES)

“I gave you my best material.”

“I get to write the disclaimer.”

NICKNAMES FOR THE BOYS: Slick, Big Time, Partner, and Turkey.

NICKNAMES FOR HIS KIDS FROM OLDEST TO YOUNGEST:

Gertrude Marblecake

Sammy Junkyard

Dickie Dustmop

Fannie Fat Buckets

ADVICE ON MIDDLE SCHOOL PROBLEMS

“You go tell that Ann Spicer to go defecate in her head gear.”

ON BOYFRIEND PROBLEMS

“He aspires to mediocrity.”

ON GIRLFRIEND PROBLEMS

“Thanks a lot, Big Time. Kept your mother up all night worrying over your sorry ass.”

LIFE ADVICE

“Don’t let the doorknob hit you on the ass.”

“Keep tossing your hat in the ring. Those sumbitches are going to toss it right back out and you just keep tossing it right back in.”

ON CAMPING OR THE WILDERNESS

“Don’t ever ask me to shave out of a coffee can.”

ON HIKING

“Why would I climb a hill without a golf club in my hand?”

ON ART

“Three pubs to every museum! That’s the rule.

ON STARKVILLE

And a perspective on Starkville, Mississippi to his weeping young wife on their first night in town at the “Blue Belle” diner right after leaving Daytona Beach, Florida — “Janis, you got to give this town a chance. We just got here, honey.”

ON POLITICS circa 1983

“Dad you’re just a big American capitalist!”

“You bet your ass I am!”

ITALY

On Madden’s only trip to Rome to see the Vatican for the first time in the summer of 2017, he spoke to everyone in English.

To the taxi driver, he asked, “How’s business?”

To an older woman walking in the street while a moped sped past, he yelled, “Hey watch out, lady!”

To the grocery clerk, he inquired, “Where’s the tonic water, sir?”

To the waiter who didn’t laugh at his joke, he mused, “That guy didn’t crack a smile.”

When the people didn’t respond, Madden said, “Okay, whatever, have it your way.”

But to the Uffizi museum guard in Florence, he said, “How are you? Mind if I sit here? My wife is in the bathroom. Quite a place you’ve got here.”

And she smiled.

The tour guide laughed and said, “I have never seen that museum guard smile. Never. He talks to her like she understands him.”

And later that same day, Madden said to a little Italian boy who dropped a toy in the toy store, “You dropped that. You going to pick it up or what?”

The little boy stared at him and then picked up the toy and put it back.

Our tour guide said, “Ah, now I understand. This man speaks all languages.”

***

One of Madden’s favorite memories was dancing at his granddaughter, Lucy’s wedding in Chicago in 2019 and meeting his new grandson-in-law, Trent.

As a boy, Madden, a native of Washington DC, climbed to the top of the Washington Monument and threw his baseball cap out of one of the top windows and watched it sail to the ground like a red-tailed hawk on the breeze.

A celebration of his life will be held this fall at the San Diego Mission after everyone has received the COVID vaccination. The San Diego Mission Choir will be singing for their friend. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Other links:

I Am Not John Madden’s Daughter

https://www.latimes.com/.../l…...

Bowled Over by Christmas

https://www.latimes.com/la-oe…

Of Football and Flamenco

https://www.salon.com/2000/04…

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