Boom! Madden Hits Fans Announcing Retirement

Legendary football announcer John Madden (and NFL coaching legend) is blowing the whistle on his award-laden broadcasting career, according to NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol.

Madden issued the following statement today:

"It's time. I'm 73 years old.  My 50th wedding anniversary is this fall. I have two great sons and their families and my five grandchildren are at an age now when they know when I'm home and, more importantly, when I'm not...

It's been such a great ride... the NFL has been my life for more than 40 years, it has been my passion - it still is. I appreciate all of the people who are and were such an important part of the most enjoyable, most fun anyone could have... that great life with the teams, the players, the coaches, the owners, the League... my broadcasting partners Pat and Al... the production people and the fans ...is still great... it's still fun and that's what it makes it hard and that's why it took me a few months to make a decision.

I still love every part of it - the travel, the practices, the game film, the games, seeing old friends and meeting new people... but I know this is the right time."

The New York Times indicates that Chris Collinsworth is a likely fill-in for Madden's sizeable broadcasting shoes, and video gamers need not worry, because "Madden NFL Football" will probably not be affected.

For those of us who enjoyed hearing his Thanksgiving turducken stories (it's a chicken stuffed in a duck, stuffed in a turkey, with plenty of other artery-clogging goodness), his trademark "boom", and all his other countless vagaries, we raise our respective turkey legs to John Madden.