20 Years Of Madden Covers
As you probably know, the newest installment of the Madden video game series comes out next week. And since it’s been around for 20 years, here’s all 20 of the covers, starting when that handsome devil himself was the one who graced the front of our favorite video game ever.
JOHN MADDEN FOOTBALL - 1990
This was also the cover for “John Madden’s Kool-Aid Man Impersonation” video game (which wasn’t nearly as popular.)
JOHN MADDEN FOOTBALL - 1991
As you can see from this cover photo, John Madden really likes football.
JOHN MADDEN FOOTBALL ‘92
The third installment of Madden is also the first to incorporate the soon-to-be-iconic date into the title. Oddly, it was Friday The 13th Part III where Jason got his iconic hockey mask. Coincedence?
JOHN MADDEN FOOTBALL ‘93
‘93 was the first to use the “no huddle offense” and “player taunting.” Which meant every 15-year-old who played this spent more time getting in the face of his opponent than figuring out how to complete a skinny post.
MADDEN ‘94
When 1994 rolled around Madden dropped the John and got a new sleeker look. If only his body could’ve done the same.
MADDEN 95
In a controversial move, EA drops the apostrophe before the year. Leaving everyone to wonder, “Is this Madden 1895?”
MADDEN 96
The first year for the “Create A Player” feature, which saw NFL Teams sign many new players with such colorful last names as “Ass,” “Champ” and “Ass Champ.”
MADDEN 97
John isn’t pointing at you on this cover. He’s pointing at the turducken behind you.
MADDEN 98
On this cover, Madden is clearly saying “What can I say? I just love Turducken.”
MADDEN 99
Awesome glitch: Anytime Terry Glenn makes a catch or a play, John Madden will refer to him winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award.
MADDEN 2000
Madden football entered the new millenium by releasing a version of the game for both Mac and PC computers, causing a new generation of nerds to say, “Mac is better.”
MADDEN 2001
This was the year that Madden trained really hard in the offseason and re-entered the league under the name “Eddie George.” Or…this was the year they stopped putting John on the cover and started using players.
MADDEN 2002
This was the last Madden to be released on N64. A moment of silence, please.
MADDEN 2003
Using Madden Cards, Andrew WK and the guys in Good Charlotte can become players you can sign. I assume that even in pixelated form, Andrew WK’s player still really enjoys partying.
MADDEN 2004
Some guy named Michael Vick was on this cover. Apparently he used to be a football player.
MADDEN 2005
Fun fact: Ray Lewis is the first and only defensive player to ever appear on the cover of Madden.
Funner fact: Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is listed as “Ben Roethlisbergr” because of the letter limit.
MADDEN 06
This year featured the QB Vision Control, which meant you had to have your receiver in your field of vision to make an accurate pass. Which also meant I never threw an accurate pass.
MADDEN 07
Because this is an E rated game, the beer concessions were replaced with coffee in this edition. Which may explain why there were 99% less pukings and 100% more excited, chatty ramblings in the stands that year (I made that stat up.)
MADDEN 08
This is the last version to ever be released on the Gamecube. A moment of silence, please.
MADDEN 09
Some up and coming young gunslinger named Brett Favre is on the newest cover. He’s bound to lead the Packers…or Buccaneers or Vikings or Bears or Packers to a great season this year.
Tags: 20 years, cover, covers, football, john madden, video games
August 6th, 2008 at 7:34 am
Oh for fuckin sakes… the dumbass bots have infiltrated HT. Put in a verification code to type in after each post.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:46 am
cool guy,does he still hook up with those tall beauties on the tall dating site ____Tallmingle.c o m____ ???The last time I saw his profile is last monday, hope he does not leave.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:05 am
who gives a fk about this….waste of my life.FAIL
August 6th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Oh for Christ’s sake, are you really that hard up for a story. 1990 to 2008 is not twenty years. Shut and go away until 2010.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Holy crap, its like a swarm of angery 12 year olds who found out they didn’t get the Ding Dong they wanted in their lunch.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Madden is gay.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:40 am
whats with the nintendo bashing
they dont mention the last one to be released on Sega Saturn
or Playstation 1
i dont get it, you come out with a new system, thats what happens…they stop making games for older ones.
so not a funny joke.
oh i get it, these people are sony fan bois. well you cant play madden 1992 on a sony box!
August 6th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I didn’t know they used Chunk from the Goonies on the cover of the first Madden.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:51 am
someone does not know how to count
1990 to 2009 = 20 versions.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Gage: Way to include 1990 as a year. Hate to tell you bud, but there’s 10 possible values between 0 and 9. Dumbass.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:16 am
“Some guy named Michael Vick was on this cover. Apparently he used to be a football player.” FTW
August 6th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Madden looks scary as hell on the first cover.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Madden curse rears its ugly head again. EA probably thought it finally ended it, but putting a retired player on the cover. The power of the curse was so strong, it got him to un-retire and already beginning to reek havoc BEFORE the season has begun.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Um Gage? Are you for real? Dude… seriously. Might want to bust out your Baby Einstein DVD’s. My 3 yr old nephew can count better than you.
Douche.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Ugh….did you mathletes count at all?.. theres 20 box covers!
August 6th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Serious, one person says it and every one got a boner for hating.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
What about Madden 64?
August 6th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
OMG talking about an over inflated windbag! LOL.
JT
http://www.Ultimate-Anonymity.com
August 6th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
time for hatin. sorry buddy but 2005 wasnt first defensive player on the cover. look closely at the 1997 cover: reggie white breaking through blockers. more technical #40 on carolina in 1996
hahaha im a dick
August 6th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Not as good as this list:
http://www.sports-venue.info/Fans/Fans_of_the_Game.html
August 6th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Madded will outsell the best movie of the year:
http://www.mbacasestudysolutions.com/Blog/Projected_Earnings_of_Dark_Knight_7-25-2008.html
August 6th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
jets.
August 7th, 2008 at 4:51 am
Brett Favre is the first white person other than madden to be on the cover…but i don’t see color
August 7th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Hey Gage, count the covers!! 20. Count em - 20!!
August 7th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Thats a tight article man. Get all the latest ratings from Maddenfans.com
http://www.maddenfans.com/showthread.php?t=1116
August 7th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Madden realized that this year was possibly the last chance to put his homoerotic fantasy lover Farve on the cover, even if he was retired at the time of the decision.
August 7th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
i still have the first john madden version for the pc, not even sure if i could even load it on the desktop i have now.
-dan
August 7th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
and I’m guessing you can get the Favre version here:
http://www.broadwaybrettsjets.com/
August 7th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
1990-2009 (assuming 90 was released in 89) sounds like 19 years to me. This cover would of course mark the beginning of the 20th year. It would not mark it as 20 years old.
The title does say 20 years of covers, but then the article claims it is 20 years old.
August 7th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
i like the 1999 cover
August 8th, 2008 at 7:15 am
finally a white player on the cover.
August 9th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I have requested that my picture be changed on the cover of Madden ‘09. I fucking hate those Green Gay Packers!
August 9th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Please stop picking on Brett, he is an old man. Below is something funny to get your minds off of old men.
http://www.mbacasestudysolutions.com/Blog/Idiocracy_Film_Large_Corporation_Theme_8-8-2008.html
August 10th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
haha ive been waiting along time for a white guy on the cover
August 13th, 2008 at 10:40 am
JETS