CANTON, Ohio (Aug. 24, 2005) -- John Madden, who coached the Oakland Raiders for a decade before becoming one of the NFLs best-known television personalities, was nominated as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, along with former Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Rayfield Wright.
The two, chosen by the Hall's seniors committee, will be joined by 13 other candidates from the modern era. The vote for election will be on Feb. 4, 2006, the day before the Super Bowl in Detroit.
Four to six from that group of 15 will be elected to next year's class.
Madden had a record of 112-39-7 with the Raiders between 1969 and 1978. His winning percentage of .739 is second among coaches with 100 or more wins, behind Vince Lombardi at .750. Madden, whose team won the Super Bowl following the 1976 season, has the best regular-season percentage at .750.
But he has gained even more fame as an analyst on NFL telecasts and more recently for the football video game that bears his name.
"There are some people who still call me Coach," he said Wednesday. "But there are a lot of people who know me as an announcer. Then there are the youngsters who just call me Madden. They're the ones who know me only from the game."
Wright, one of the premier left tackles of his day, played for Dallas from 1967-79 and was on two Super Bowl winners. He narrowly missed being elected in the regular phase of the voting two years ago, his last shot before going into the seniors pool. He played in six Pro Bowls and was All-Pro three times.
"I'm really happy, he said. "I'm speechless."
