That was until Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George appeared on Madden NFL ’01. In the early days of Madden, Coach Madden himself was associated with the game’s cover. Players could trade, sign free agents, and compete through multiple seasons in an attempt to start a dynasty.Ģ000 – Madden NFL 2001 – First ever cover athlete For the first time, gamers had control of more than what occurred on the field. The most beloved mode in Madden NFL got its start with Madden NFL ’99. The 3D look was a major departure from the traditional look of the series. 3D players were introduced for the first time, dramatically improving in-game visuals. The release of the Sony PlayStation revolutionized the way Madden looked and felt. After creating a player, draft position was determined by your success in a number of training camp drills including Coach Rogers – Down! Up! Left! Down! Right! With NFL players in the mix, Madden NFL ’96 gave players the opportunity to put themselves into the game for the first time. After seven iterations, Madden NFL finally featured both NFL teams and NFL players. Suddenly, team “Dallas” was now the Dallas Cowboys complete with stud players like #8, #22, and #88.ġ994 – Madden NFL ‘95 – First use of real player namesĬarrying on the momentum of Madden NFL ’94 – one of the most beloved versions in franchise history – Madden NFL ’95 secured the NFLPA license, turning the aforementioned Cowboys trio of #8, #22, and #88 into Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin respectively.

That changed with Madden NFL ’94, which introduced the league license, including official NFL teams and logos for the first time.

The Madden series has always been about football, but it wasn’t always about NFL football. Who can forget the ambulance?ġ993 – Madden NFL ’94 – NFL license, real teams and logos But that’s not the only memorable part of Madden NFL ’92.

For the most part, Madden looked this way until the introduction of polygonal players (more on that later). The Madden NFL that most of us know and love began with John Madden Football ’92, which introduced the classic 3D playing field. Our beloved John Madden said it best: “If it isn’t 11 on 11, it isn’t real football.” Coach Madden vowed not to put his name on anything that wasn’t “real.” Thus, the first 11-on-11 Madden was born.ġ991 – – John Madden Football ‘92 – First ever 3D playing field and Ambulance Where do you start? From the beginning, of course. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Madden NFL franchise, EA SPORTS compiled 25 of the greatest features that make Madden NFL what it is today: the best football video game on the planet.ġ989 – John Madden Football – First 11-on-11

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