119 Fun Facts About Madden NFL

Which Electronic Arts founder conceived the Madden series and first approached John Madden in 1984?

Hawkins had written a football simulation on a PDP-11 as a Harvard student and said his real reason for founding EA was to make computer versions of games like Strat-O-Matic.

The very first John Madden Football, released in 1988, debuted on which computer?

Apple II owners got John Madden Football in 1988 after three years of work; it was only a modest seller, and the series' breakthrough came two years later with a console version.

John Madden refused to put his name on EA's first football game unless it included what?

Full 11-man teams were Madden's condition when EA proposed seven a side: 'If it's not 11-on-11, it's not real football.' The demand overwhelmed the home computers of the day and helped stretch development to three years.

Because of the long delays, the first Madden game earned what nickname inside Electronic Arts?

EA staff nicknamed the long-delayed game 'Trip's Folly'; it took roughly three years, more than twice the usual development time, before finally shipping on the Apple II in 1988.

Because John Madden feared flying, EA's founder and a producer held their 1984 pitch meeting with him where?

On an Amtrak train, from sunrise to midnight over two days, Madden taught the executives football plays; he had taught a Berkeley class called 'Football for Fans'.

Which company was hired to help build the first Madden game, then sued EA over its own Gridiron! title?

Bethesda Softworks had caught EA's eye with Gridiron!, its 1986 debut built on realistic player physics; it sued when EA, having hired it for Madden, never published the promised new versions of that game.

The 1990 John Madden Football was a surprise smash on Sega's Genesis, helping it gain ground on which rival's console?

Nintendo had dominated American living rooms. The series' breakthrough was this console version, not the 1988 computer original, and its sales helped Sega pull level.

What did EA secretly do to Sega's Genesis to win a cut-price licence before its 1990 Madden?

Reverse-engineered it: once EA could make Genesis games without Sega's blessing, it had the leverage to demand a far cheaper licence.

After EA refused to let Sega rebrand Madden, Sega released a football game named after which quarterback?

Sega released Joe Montana Football in 1991; EA quietly built it for Sega as a stripped-down alternative without Madden's 3D view and most of its 113 plays, and it still sold well.

John Madden Football '92 was notorious for what vehicle that ran over any players in its path?

An ambulance raced on for injured players in John Madden Football '92, flattening anyone in its path; a later Madden producer said he would love to bring it back, but the NFL must now approve game content.

Which studio did EA hire for Madden NFL '97 after Visual Concepts failed to deliver, and later buy outright?

Tiburon Entertainment stepped in after EA cancelled the PlayStation version of Madden NFL '96, which Visual Concepts could not get working; EA bought the Orlando studio outright in 1998 and it has made every Madden since.

Madden NFL '94 was the first edition with licensed NFL teams, but its players still lacked what until the following year?

Their names had to wait for the players' union licence in Madden NFL '95; the 1993 game had real teams, logos and uniforms, but every player was just a number.

Which mode, new in Madden NFL '99, let players carry one team through multiple seasons of drafts and trades?

Franchise Mode debuted in Madden NFL '99, letting one player draft, trade and sign talent from season to season; Madden NFL 13 later relaunched it under the name Connected Careers.

Which Super Bowl-winning coach was a generic stand-in in Madden because he stayed out of the NFL Coaches Association?

Bill Belichick stayed out of the NFL Coaches Association, which licenses coaches' likenesses to EA, so Madden gave his team invented stand-ins, among them one called Griffin Murphy.

Which feature reached Sony's console in Madden NFL 2003 but Xbox owners only two editions later?

Online play reached PlayStation 2 with Madden NFL 2003, yet the Xbox editions had none until Madden NFL 2005, even though Microsoft's own Xbox Live service had been running since 2002.

Madden NFL 2004 introduced which right-analog-stick tool for redirecting routes and blockers on the fly?

Playmaker control, on the right analog stick, let players redirect routes and blocks on the fly in Madden NFL 2004; before the snap, one flick could also flip a running play to the other side.

Which quarterback, whose speed made him almost unstoppable in the game, was the cover athlete of Madden NFL 2004?

Michael Vick fronted Madden NFL 2004, then broke his leg in a preseason game that same summer, one of the injuries that fed talk of a Madden cover curse.

Which defensive move, triggered by flicking the right analog stick, did Madden NFL 2005 introduce?

The Hit Stick turned a flick of the right analog stick into a jarring tackle more likely to force a fumble; it headlined a Madden NFL 2005 whose biggest changes were all on defense.

Which Madden NFL 06 feature let a ball carrier lower his shoulder to break a tackle?

The Truck Stick in Madden NFL 06 let a ball carrier lower his shoulder to bowl over a defender; Madden NFL 07 folded it into the Highlight Stick, which gave smaller backs acrobatic dodges instead.

What did EA call the passing cone it introduced in Madden NFL 06?

QB Vision in Madden NFL 06 drew a cone showing the quarterback's field of view; its width tracked his awareness rating, so Peyton Manning saw nearly the whole field while weak passers saw a sliver.

Which Madden NFL 06 feature guided a rookie through an IQ test, interviews, the draft and hiring an agent?

Superstar Mode built its rookie from the DNA up: players first chose his parents, whose IQs, jobs and hobbies shaped his talents, then steered one man's career instead of a whole team.

Madden NFL 08, out in August 2007, was the last game ever released for which console?

The GameCube got its last official release, Madden NFL 08, in August 2007, nine months after its successor the Wii had launched; the same edition shipped for the Wii too.

Which part of making the Madden games did John Madden call 'the least amount of fun'?

Recording the commentary meant long, lonely studio sessions reading a line for every down and distance, and he admitted he got bored; yet when EA dropped his voice he said he felt something was being taken away.

Which system, introduced in Madden NFL 09, used a series of drills to set the difficulty automatically?

Madden IQ scored players on run and pass drills, on offense and defense, then tuned the difficulty to match; a virtual John Madden, voiced by the coach himself, talked them through the test.

Brett Favre was a Packer on the Madden NFL 09 cover, but a downloadable cover showed him in which team's uniform?

After Favre unretired and was traded to the New York Jets in August 2008, EA offered a downloadable Madden NFL 09 cover showing him in a Jets uniform instead of Packers green.

Who replaced Madden as color commentator alongside Tom Hammond in Madden NFL 09 and Madden NFL 10?

Cris Collinsworth took Madden's seat in the game with Madden NFL 09, then in real life a year later, succeeding him on NBC's Sunday Night Football when the coach retired from broadcasting.

Which real-life broadcasting duo debuted in Madden NFL 13, complete with an in-booth cutscene?

Jim Nantz and Phil Simms called four editions from Madden NFL 13; a year after the game replaced them, CBS broke up the real pairing too, moving Simms from the booth to its studio show.

Which card-collecting mode arrived as a free Madden NFL 10 download in January 2010?

Ultimate Team arrived as a free download five months after Madden NFL 10 shipped; its packs of player cards could be bought with coins earned on the field or, for those in a hurry, with real money.

Madden NFL 10 introduced which animation technology that let up to nine players shove one pile forward?

PRO-TAK let as many as nine players, offensive as well as defensive, push one pile forward or back; the same Madden NFL 10 added button-mashing scrambles for loose balls in fumble pile-ups.

Madden NFL 11 added a new Old Spice-sponsored player rating with what name?

Madden NFL 11 added an Old Spice-sponsored Swagger rating; fans assumed it measured confidence, but it governed a player's personality in celebrations.

Madden NFL 12 slipped three weeks to 30 August 2011 while which NFL labour dispute threatened the season?

The player lockout was unresolved when EA moved Madden NFL 12 from 9 to 30 August 2011; EA insisted the dispute had no impact and said it wanted every future launch closer to the season's kickoff.

The 2013 release skipped the expected '14' suffix for what 25th-anniversary title?

The 2013 game was titled Madden NFL 25 for the series' 25th anniversary; its cover vote pitted an 'Old School' bracket against a 'New School' bracket, and the name was reused for the 2024 edition.

Barry Sanders won the 2013 anniversary-edition cover vote over which 'New School' finalist?

Adrian Peterson lost the final to the long-retired Barry Sanders but still got a cover: EA put him on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions, launch titles for both consoles that November.

Odell Beckham Jr. won the Madden NFL 16 fan vote over which tight end, who then got the Madden NFL 17 cover?

Rob Gronkowski lost the Madden NFL 16 final to Odell Beckham Jr.; a year later EA scrapped the fan vote altogether and simply named Gronkowski its Madden NFL 17 cover athlete.

Madden NFL 18 was the first entry built on which game engine?

Frostbite, the engine DICE built for its Battlefield shooters, took over with Madden NFL 18; the same edition added Longshot, the series' first story mode.

Madden NFL 20 introduced which online eliminator mode?

Superstar K.O. arrived a month after Madden NFL 20's launch: short games under house rules in which each side gets a single drive to score and ties are settled by a tug-of-war.

Madden NFL 21 added a backyard-football-inspired online mode called what?

The Yard brought backyard-style football to Madden NFL 21, and EA soon made NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo and two of his brothers playable in it, in kit inspired by Greece.

Which running back replaced John Madden himself on the cover of Madden NFL 2001?

Eddie George took over the box of Madden NFL 2001 against the coach's wishes: Madden disliked the idea of cover athletes, since it was his own name on the product.

Which 49ers running back fronted the PAL edition of Madden NFL 99 while John Madden kept the American box?

Garrison Hearst appeared on the PAL cover of Madden NFL 99 in 1998 while Madden stayed on the North American box; players took over the cover for good two years later with Madden NFL 2001.

Fans of which running back built a website begging him to refuse the Madden 08 cover?

LaDainian Tomlinson's fans launched SaveLTfromMadden.com; he turned the Madden NFL 08 cover down, later saying it was over contract terms rather than the curse, and Vince Young took the spot.

Which Cleveland Browns cover athlete openly blamed the 'Madden curse' for his poor 2011 season?

Peyton Hillis blamed the curse after a 2011 of failed contract talks, a game missed with strep throat on his agent's advice and a hamstring injury; the Browns let him walk that winter.

Which quarterback fronted Madden NFL 20, then shrugged off the 'curse' with a triumphant season?

Patrick Mahomes ended his Madden NFL 20 cover season by winning Super Bowl LIV and its MVP award, the first cover athlete to do both; sceptics of the curse also cite Tom Brady's MVP award in his cover year.

EA's 'Madden Day' on 1 June marks the anniversary of what?

The first game's release, on 1 June 1988, is what Madden Day marks; in 2022 EA used the date to put the late coach back on the cover for the first time since Madden NFL 2000.

Madden NFL 26 was the first entry in the series to recognise which position as distinct?

Long snapper finally became its own position in Madden NFL 26; until then snappers were listed as tight ends, leaving Titans veteran Morgan Cox to joke that he was the worst-rated player in the game.

Which running back fronted Madden NFL 26 after a 2,000-yard rushing season?

Saquon Barkley earned the Madden NFL 26 cover with his 2,000-yard 2024 season; the artwork recreates the backwards hurdle he pulled off over a Jaguars defender that year.

The Madden Bowl, played in the Super Bowl host city with NFL players and celebrities, has run since which year?

The first Madden Bowl was held in 1995 around Super Bowl XXIX in Miami; winners get a trophy and recognition in the next game, and the 2006 edition in Detroit was televised on ESPN.

Which actor won the 1998 Madden Bowl, back when celebrities competed alongside NFL players?

Later winners included Dwight Freeney and Alex Smith, each of whom took the title in back-to-back years.

Which competing series ended when EA secured its exclusive NFL licence in 2004?

Sega's NFL 2K series ended after ESPN NFL 2K5 when EA signed its exclusive NFL licence in December 2004, reportedly worth $300 million; 2K returned in 2007 with All-Pro Football 2K8, built around retired stars.

When the NFL licensed a second games publisher in 2020, what kind of football games was it limited to?

Non-simulation games were all the newcomer could make: arcade-style NFL titles were allowed, but Madden stayed the league's only licensed simulation, as it had been since 2004.

Because EA gets the same weekly play database as every team, the NFL calls Madden its what?

The '33rd franchise' label fits: like the 32 clubs, EA is sent a searchable film database of every play each week, and its ratings staff study it to adjust each player's attributes.

As of 2021, the Madden franchise had sold more than how many copies?

By 2013 it had already generated over $4 billion in revenue, and each new game contains more than 10 million lines of source code.

According to John Madden, which Cowboys star was the only player who ever told him the game rated him too high?

Emmitt Smith watched Cowboys teammates playing as him and admitted he was doing things on screen he had never done in a real game; every other player, Madden said, complained.

What EA decision did John Madden later call 'the dumbest thing I ever did in my life'?

Turning down unlimited stock options meant refusing to buy EA shares at the offer price: he told its founder he had given his time and would not give his money, then watched the company's value multiply.

Which broadcast partner from Madden's CBS and Fox days did play-by-play in early Madden games?

Pat Summerall, Madden's partner at CBS and Fox for two decades, called the early games; when Madden moved to ABC's Monday Night Football in 2002, the video game followed suit and paired him with Al Michaels.

When EA pitched him in 1984, what did John Madden imagine a computer football game could become?

A teaching tool was his first thought: pick a play, run it on the machine and see whether it works, with no need to scrimmage; he had already taught a football class at Berkeley.

John Madden coached which NFL team from 1969 to 1978 without ever suffering a losing season?

The Oakland Raiders made Madden head coach at 32, the youngest in the AFL; his teams kept falling in the playoffs until they won Super Bowl XI, and he retired after ten seasons without a losing year.

John Madden's NFL broadcasts helped popularise which piece of on-air technology?

The telestrator let Madden scrawl over replays with a light pen, and his diagrams made it a staple of sports coverage; yet when EA first pitched him, it was the only computer-like gadget he understood.

Which team drafted John Madden as a player in 1958, before injury ended his playing days?

The Philadelphia Eagles took Madden in the 21st round, but a knee injury ended his career before he played a game; while rehabbing he watched film with quarterback Norm Van Brocklin and found his calling as a coach.

What nickname was given to the custom Greyhound bus that carried flight-averse John Madden between games from 1987?

The Madden Cruiser was Greyhound's side of a bargain: a custom coach and drivers in return for adverts and speaking events from a broadcaster who famously would not fly.

Whose 2003 exhibit let visitors play Madden?

The Pro Football Hall of Fame put playable Madden games on show in 2003, so the series reached Canton three years before John Madden himself was enshrined there as a coach.

Which quarterback was revealed in June 2023 as the cover athlete of Madden NFL 24?

Josh Allen was the first Buffalo Bills player on a Madden cover; he opened that season with a four-turnover loss but finished it with 15 rushing touchdowns, a joint record for a quarterback.

On what date was Madden NFL 24 released?

August 18, 2023 put the game on PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One and Series X/S in the series' usual late-August slot, a couple of weeks before the regular season.

What did John Madden send EA to make the first game authentic?

An NFL team playbook, a 1980 edition from his old club, landed on the producer's desk; EA then sent a San Francisco football writer to coax signature plays out of NFL assistant coaches.

What name did EA give Madden NFL 24's next-gen-only technology for more realistic movement and lifelike player models?

SAPIEN rebuilt players' bodies and movement from the inside out: EA judged its old character skeleton too limiting for smooth animation, so it built a new one from the ground up, with more varied physiques.

Which ESPN reality series followed rival Madden gamers across America by bus to find the country's best player?

Madden Nation ran from 2005 to 2008 as a joint EA and ESPN production; the gamers lived on a tour bus between cities, playing each other for the right to stay aboard until the final in Times Square.

Which Saints quarterback was the cover athlete of Madden NFL 11?

Drew Brees was the first Madden cover athlete picked by a fan vote, months after he led the Saints to their first Super Bowl title.

Which on-field presence, missing from several recent entries, returned to the field in Madden NFL 24 alongside improved blocking?

Referees came back in Madden NFL 24 because fans asked for them: EA put a seven-person crew of male and female officials on the field again.

Which Cardinals receiver shared the Madden NFL 10 cover with Troy Polamalu?

Larry Fitzgerald shared the Madden NFL 10 cover with Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, months after their teams met in Super Bowl XLIII in February 2009.

Which Seahawks cornerback was the cover athlete of Madden NFL 15?

Richard Sherman fronted Madden NFL 15 after winning the 2014 fan vote, months after his Seahawks beat Denver 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Which Thanksgiving dish did John Madden popularise, once sawing one open bare-handed on air?

Turducken is a deboned chicken stuffed into a duck, stuffed into a turkey. Madden promoted the dish during Thanksgiving Day broadcasts and later on Monday Night Football.

Which actor was cast as John Madden in Madden, David O. Russell's film about the coach?

Nicolas Cage landed the part in 2024, more than a year after Will Ferrell had been in early talks to play the coach.

John Madden voiced himself in Sunday, Cruddy Sunday, a 1999 Super Bowl episode of which animated series?

The Simpsons sent Homer on a chaotic bus ride to the big game, with Dolly Parton, Dan Marino and Rupert Murdoch also lending their voices.

Which Green Day song appeared on the Madden NFL 2005 soundtrack before it had been released as a single?

American Idiot went on to earn four Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year, as the first single from the album of the same name.

John Madden's team lost a 1972 postseason game to Pittsburgh on which famous Franco Harris play?

The Immaculate Reception turned what looked like a last-minute win for Madden's side into a 13–7 Steelers victory, one of his most frustrating defeats.

Madden NFL 22's home-field advantage system drains visiting players' stamina faster at which team's stadium?

The Denver Broncos get the thin-air perk at Empower Field at Mile High, while at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium a visiting offense's audibles may fail to go through.

EA's 1999 refusal to release Madden and its other sports games hurt the chances of which Sega console?

The Dreamcast went without Madden, so Sega had Visual Concepts build a football series of its own. The console's failure ended Sega's time as a console maker.

For which retail chain did John Madden appear in commercials as spokesperson from 1987 to 2010?

Ace Hardware kept Madden as its pitchman for 23 years and sent him to store openings nationwide, while his longtime broadcast partner fronted ads for rival True Value.

John Madden became the first sportscaster to work for all of the Big Four networks when he joined which one?

NBC hired him for its Sunday night games after spells at CBS, Fox and ABC, where he had called Monday Night Football.

Which broadcast tool did John Madden's commentary help turn into a staple of television sports coverage?

The telestrator let Madden draw light-pen diagrams of plays over video footage, a trick now used in coverage of nearly every sport.

Which network aired Madden Nation, a reality show that sent top gamers across America by bus toward a $100,000 final?

ESPN2 carried the series, which ESPN made with EA Sports, and each season's deciding game was played in Times Square on a huge outdoor screen.

The studio that has developed the Madden games since the late 1990s is based in which Florida city?

Orlando has been part of the studio's own name since 2023. Engineers who had left Visual Concepts founded it in 1994, and EA bought it outright four years later.

Madden NFL 13 was the first and only entry in the series released on which Nintendo console?

The Wii U got no further Madden games, and the series stayed off Nintendo consoles until Madden NFL 26 arrived on Switch 2 in 2025.

Which Super Bowl-winning coach was on the cover of NFL Head Coach, a management spin-off built on the Madden engine?

Bill Cowher, then in charge of the Pittsburgh Steelers, fronted the game, which came out in June 2006, months after his team won Super Bowl XL.

EA's Madden simulation predicted the exact 28–24 final score of Super Bowl XLIX; which team did it pick to win?

The Patriots won 28–24, just as the simulation said, and EA's run even had Seattle leading 24–14 in the third quarter before losing.

Which Monday Night Football announcer took over play-by-play duties in the Madden games from Madden NFL 2003?

Al Michaels was Madden's real-life booth partner, first on Monday nights and later on Sunday nights, so the games mirrored the broadcasts.

John Madden made his feature film debut as himself in which 1994 family sports comedy starring Rick Moranis?

Little Giants casts Moranis and Ed O'Neill as brothers who coach rival pee-wee football teams in a small Ohio town.

In Madden Ultimate Team, which currency, earned by winning games and scoring touchdowns, pays for new player packs?

Coins buy better packs as a team improves, though packs have also been sold for real money since the mode first appeared.

Madden NFL 20's career mode QB1 opens with a created quarterback competing in which event before the NFL draft?

The College Football Playoff opens the story, with ten licensed schools to choose from, including Clemson, LSU, Oklahoma and USC.

The EA founder who conceived Madden coded an early football simulation while playing for which Ivy League college?

Harvard is where he wrote a simulation that, by his own account, called a 1974 Super Bowl win for the Miami Dolphins to within a point for each side.

John Madden played offensive tackle at which California university, where a football center now carries his name?

Cal Poly was also where he earned two education degrees and played catcher for the baseball team.

Madden NFL Arcade, a downloadable five-on-five spin-off, was styled after which Midway football series?

NFL Blitz inspired the fast arcade feel, and Madden NFL Arcade added 13 Game Changers, power-ups a side could use at once or save for later.

Early Madden Ultimate Team drew complaints because every player card expired after ten games unless it was given what?

A new contract, bought as a separate card, put the player back in action. Critics said the system made it hard to keep a good side together without spending real money.

Which feature, new in Madden NFL 2004, let players build a stadium, negotiate salaries and even set concession prices?

Owner Mode impressed Entertainment Weekly, which gave the game an A and singled out the feature for its obsessive detail.

Which physics system debuted in Madden NFL 13, improving tackle animations with a new player balance model?

The Infinity Engine brought real in-game physics to collisions, though a reviewer of the following year's game blamed its sensitive collision detection for an inconsistent running game.

Madden NFL 20's halftime studio host Jonathan Coachman first found fame as an announcer in which wrestling promotion?

WWE made him a familiar face on its Raw broadcast team, and he went on to voice studio segments in several Madden games, starting with Madden NFL 19.

Which radio personality hosts EA Sports Radio, the fictional call-in show in Madden NFL 2005's Franchise menus?

Tony Bruno interviewed players and coaches about the simulated season and took quiz calls from fake listeners, in a feature that ran for three editions.

Which TV host was on the winning three-person team at the 2011 Madden Bowl with Patrick Willis and Chad Ochocinco?

Maria Menounos won in the first year the event swapped solo matches for groups of three, a format built on a co-operative feature from Madden NFL 11.

Madden NFL 20's soundtrack was a first for the series because its 22 tracks were all what?

Written for the game by artists including Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa and De La Soul, the 22 songs were original recordings rather than existing hits.

Which quarterback won league MVP the season he fronted Madden NFL 18, then shared the Madden NFL 22 cover?

Tom Brady was 40 that season, the oldest MVP the league had seen, and by his second cover he had moved to Tampa Bay.

Which Ravens linebacker fronted Madden NFL 2005, an edition marketed around its improvements to defensive play?

Ray Lewis then went a whole season without an interception for the first time in his career, which believers in the cover jinx duly noted.

Which receiver nicknamed Megatron set a single-season receiving-yards record in the year he fronted Madden NFL 13?

Calvin Johnson piled up 1,964 yards that season, which is why doubters of the cover jinx like to bring him up.

Appearing on the Madden cover has been called an honor akin to appearing on the box of which cereal?

Wheaties has pictured athletes on its boxes since 1934, starting with Lou Gehrig. EA began giving its cover to players despite John Madden's own opposition.

The Madden curse is often compared with a similar cover jinx long attached to which magazine?

Sports Illustrated's jinx is counted an urban legend, yet bookmakers have still offered odds on whether a Madden cover athlete will get hurt.

Which Steelers receiver fronted Madden NFL 19's standard edition, three years after being a finalist in the cover vote?

Antonio Brown had led the league in receiving yards the season before his cover, then caught a career-high 15 touchdown passes during it.

Madden NFL 15's start menu showed its cover star with the rest of which nicknamed defensive unit?

Legion of Boom was the name for Seattle's hard-hitting secondary of the 2010s, fresh from a Super Bowl XLVIII win when the game came out.

Which 49ers running back fronted 2024's Madden game, the first at his position on its cover in over a decade?

Christian McCaffrey earned the spot by leading the league in scrimmage yards and touchdowns, a season that made him Offensive Player of the Year.

Which Rams running back, the Madden NFL 2003 cover athlete, later hosted a pregame prediction segment in Madden NFL 08?

Marshall Faulk returned to the box itself years later, fronting a limited edition released in the year he entered the Hall of Fame.

Which Vikings quarterback fronted Madden NFL 2002, then missed the final five games of that season with a knee injury?

Daunte Culpepper was hurt in a December game against Pittsburgh, and his was among the first seasons widely blamed on a cover curse.

Which quarterback fronted Madden NFL 06 after a Super Bowl run, then had his season cut short by a sports hernia?

Donovan McNabb had played through the injury from the opening weeks, and was even named his conference's Offensive Player of the Month for September.

Which Seahawks running back, then the league's reigning MVP, broke his foot weeks after fronting Madden NFL 07?

Shaun Alexander was also the first athlete to front both Madden and EA's college football series, having appeared on NCAA Football 2001.

Which Titans quarterback was picked for the Madden NFL 08 cover after being named Offensive Rookie of the Year?

Vince Young was, by EA's count, the youngest player yet to appear on the cover, having led Texas to a college national title before turning professional.

Which Hall of Fame receiver appeared in a Cowboys uniform, to some surprise, on a special edition of Madden NFL 19?

Terrell Owens had spent eight seasons with the 49ers and only three in Dallas, which is why the choice of uniform raised eyebrows.

Which quarterback, the first pick of the 2011 draft, lost the fan-vote final for the Madden NFL 13 cover?

Cam Newton lost to a receiver, and two years later his name was back in the bracket when fans voted on the Madden NFL 15 cover.

Which Packers running back appeared on the cover of Madden NFL 2000 in PAL territories such as Europe?

Dorsey Levens is often counted among the first victims of the supposed cover jinx, and his team released him after the 2001 season.

Fans picked Madden NFL 11's cover star from a quarterback, a Vikings defensive end and which Colts receiver?

Reggie Wayne lost out to the quarterback in the first cover vote the series ever put to its fans.

Which fan-polling TV show ran the 64-player bracket vote that decided the Madden NFL 13 cover athlete?

SportsNation announced the winner on air, after an opening round that pitted two team-mates from each of the 32 clubs against each other.

Barry Sanders, pictured behind John Madden on the Madden NFL 2000 cover, spent his whole career with which team?

Detroit Lions great Sanders retired without warning at 31, about five weeks before the game carrying his picture went on sale.

Which late-night host revealed on his show that the retired Brett Favre would front Madden's 2008 edition?

David Letterman broke the news that April. Favre was the first non-active player picked for the cover, and he came out of retirement before the game went on sale.

Madden NFL 08 was reissued in December 2007 with new cover art and commentary in which language?

Spanish play-by-play came from broadcaster Álvaro Martín, and a Chargers defensive end replaced the usual cover star on the box.