Before Super Bowl XL in Detroit, Rich Eisen was able to announce who made the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Some of the names that were a part of that class were Troy Aikman, Harry Carson, and the great head coach and broadcaster, John Madden.
Usually, when someone announces news like that, they figure that people like Madden know they have received the prestigious honor already. Well, that was not the case here.
On Thursday’s edition of The Rich Eisen Show, Fred Gaudelli, the executive producer for NBC’s Sunday Night Football, joined the show and talked about one of his favorite John Madden stories. It occurred the day before Super Bowl XL when Gaudelli was producing Monday Night Football for ABC. While Gaudelli, Madden, and the broadcast crew were in the Steelers locker room, they were unable to find out if Madden made the HOF.
“He was told he would be called by 1 PM if he got elected to the Hall of Fame. It was now 2 something in the afternoon and he had not received a call. We were in the bowels of Ford Field and no one really had cell service, so his agent kept walking out. No calls,” said Gaudelli
“We hang up with Cowher and I just turn on the TV and there you are and literally as the TV comes on, you are saying and now the Class of 2006. I look at John because I have the remote and I say what do you want me to do? He said just leave it. You said Troy Aikman, Harry Carson, John Madden. When you said John Madden, our room exploded.”
As you could imagine and see in the clip, that was hard for Eisen to imagine that he was the first to inform Madden of his induction.
“Fred, I’ve got to be honest with you. I’m getting emotional hearing this because I didn’t know until right now that I literally informed John Madden he was going to the Hall of Fame. I assumed the information I was dispensing that day that the phone call had already been given to him.”
