A Brief History of Madden NFL Cover Stars

October 19, 2024

by DCAdminSeptember 18, 202405

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When would you be able to tell that you have finally made it in football? Maybe it is when the team has reached the top-most achievement in getting a Super Bowl Ring. Or maybe, it is when you are recognized as the best in the league individually as season MVP. But in commercial times, landing the cover spot on a high-end football video game is certainly the big day. And in video games, they don't get much bigger than the Madden NFL franchise.

The unveiling of the next gamer to land on the cover of the series – newcomer Christian McCaffrey has been tapped for the latest game, Madden NFL 25 – has evolved into a relatively big deal unto itself. From its humble beginnings, across the history of the game, it has largely reflected the evolving nature of the NFL. Its cover stars have all been the best of both sides of the mix: themes and narratives offered, from bona fide superstars to those merely brimming with potential, fan favorites to those too good to ignore, and of course, the great John Madden himself.

THE EARLY YEARS

The first John Madden Football was in 1988. Gaming is as different, including sports gaming as it's gotten today. We have hundreds of different sporting games at our disposal. We can download or stream any one of these games on instantly. We can use a variety of accessories to play games, among others. There is even alternative ways of gaming, such as eSports games, casual games on Netflix, or sports-themed slots on platforms like Sports Millions. Ah, back in 1988, you'd need an Apple II computer to get the hottest sports game. The game, now known as Madden '88 to avoid confusion, was primitive, but it established many of the mechanics that characterized the franchise.

And the dude on the box? John Madden, of course. The legendary coach alone appeared on every front cover up until the year 1999. The big change came with Madden 2000 when Barry Sanders* appeared on the cover alongside Madden. This signaled a shift change, showing that the series was becoming bigger than the man who lent his name to it – we say that respectfully. A year later, Madden wouldn't be on the cover at all. Eddie George of the Tennessee Titans was the sole cover athlete for Madden 2001; this would later be the standard.

* Garrison Hearst was the Madden NFL 99 cover athlete only on certain editions that were released abroad, out of the country, and outside the United States.

The 2000s and the Player Cover Era

The 2000s was an interesting point for the series. We entered what is now considered a golden era of sports gaming. It was also characterized by a fight for supremacy, as the NFL 2K Series and NFL Fever Series all sought to claim Madden's seat. Madden won out, of course, and it continued its official relationship with the NFL, meaning it could get stars and team logos on the cover. Players like Michael Vick, Larry Fitzgerald, Daunte Culpepper, and Marshall Faulk were among the cover stars, now sometimes as an ensemble.

This decade of the 2000s and early 2010s, of course, brings along with it an acknowledgment that to be a cover supermodel is an accomplishment. It also fathered another concept in the popular psyche-the Madden Curse. Eddie George, Daunte Culpepper, Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, and Shaun Alexander were just a few who witnessed some decline or mishaps after being the face of Madden.

2010s and the Contemporary Period

It's relatively simple to make an educated guess about some of the names that appeared in recent versions of Madden, even if you know nothing about the game: Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson are just a few of those at least one version of the game. In truth, one of our favorites was Madden NFL 22, which featured Brady and Mahomes, an all-time great put alongside the ascending young sensation of the game.

We also fondly remember the face of Peyton Hills on the cover of Madden 12, who initially received such a privilege through a fan vote and lastly, Madden NFL 23 featured the great man on the cover again. Unfortunately, Madden passed away late in 2021, so the game developers made him have a special cover once it was released the following year.

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A Brief History of Madden NFL Cover Stars

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