Football legend John Madden to retire
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Legendary football coach and broadcaster John Madden is retiring, he announced Thursday.
"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," he said in a statement released by NBC Sports.
Madden, 73, was a Hall of Fame coach for the Oakland Raiders, but is best known to millions as an ebullient football commentator.
He won 16 Emmy awards for outstanding sports analyst/personality, NBC said.