Hey, Wait a Minute

by John Madden, Dave Anderson

The former football coach and latter-day television commentator offers a very personal account of his years as a college coach, coach of the champion Oakland Raiders, sports announcer, and TV-commerical star

Genres: Sports, Football, Nonfiction, Biography, Humor, Autobiography, Memoir

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

There is more than one author with this name in the database. Not all books may belong to the same person.

John Madden was a former American professional football player in the National Football League, a former head coach with the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League and later the NFL, and a former color commentator for NFL telecasts. He won the Super Bowl with the Raiders in 1977. In 2006, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his coaching career. He is also widely known for the long-running Madden NFL video game series he endorsed and fronted since 1988.

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

By no means a literary masterpiece; instead, an anecdotal meandering through an interesting life told in first person by one of the great sports personalities. Not technically a “good book”, but I would have read another five hundred pages of Madden’s stories had he chosen to write them.

[Randy Corn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up out of the free bin at McKay and have enjoyed reading it. There are some real insights into the world of professional football here, especially what it is like to be a coach. I think this book displays some of the qualities that have made John Madden synonymous with the NFL. He took the game seriously and shows a great depth of understanding about it, but he also had a lot of fun. I guess you could say that he did not take himself too seriously. This really is a memoir in the best sense of that word. I have to wonder if Madden has written any other books about his years after coaching. I think I would like to read that as well.

I was interested in this book to see Madden talk so highly about Al Davis. I had the impression that Davis was a bit of meddling owner, but not from Madden’s perspective. Apparently, they had a good working relationship. I am sure that someone who really knows football would enjoy reading this book even more than I did. Still, it was well worth the time. I plan on recommending it to some of my friends.

[Andrew Haile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book. Definitely recommend for any football fan. Lots of great storys. Definitely reading the next madden book.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love listening (or reading) to John Madden talk about football, and this book was just him telling stories, mostly about his time as a coach. If you enjoy football, and you enjoyed John Madden as a broadcaster (or enjoyed the “All Madden” documentary about him that aired last year or so), this is a light, enjoyable read.

[Paul Lawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a character. Great stories and insight into the career of a man who knew American Football. Because it is a few decades old I learned a lot about how the game has changed. I’m a Raiders fan so hearing about the Raiders of old was very interesting.

[Canavan · Rating 2 out of 5]

✭✭

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Outrageous coach, TV commentator romps through the world of big time football.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining book.

[Lani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borrowed this from my dad who was a huge Raiders fan while Madden coached them. While this book does talk about coaching and football, it's mostly about Madden, his experiences with his players, and his life and philosophies. His next book One knee equals two feet, which I'm reading now, is more about FOOTBALL - the best players (of 30 years ago at this point), the mechanics of the game, the positions. So I think it depends on what you're looking for.

This book is more fluffy celeb autobio - by an interesting guy who has some good stories, don't get me wrong - while the next book is really working the expertise of a coach and broadcaster. So if you want funny stories from Madden about the guys he's worked with and coached and learning to be a broadcaster, this is pretty good and he's a funny guy.

It's also a pretty short book so I read it in about 2 days and moved on to the next one.

[Tom Gase · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really quick read on John Madden's career as coach of the Oakland Raiders in the 1970's. A lot of great inside stories on many Raider players such as Ken Stabler, Ray Guy, Tooz, Fred Biletnekoff, Lester Hayes, Art Shell etc. The book "Badasses" is a little better about the 1970's Raiders, but I was still pleasantly surprised with this book. Wish it had a little more on his broadcasting in this book but then I realized this book was written in 1984 and he wasn't a huge household name quite yet. I think his first All-Madden team came out in 1984 or 1985. Raider fans should read this.

[Chuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

You will probably enjoy this book if you are old and if you like sports. It is very dated and highlights many of John Madden's exoeriences as coach of the Oakland Raiders during the seventies. It also highlights many of his coaching methods and draws on a large number of players that are now my age. I read the book also because there are times when Madden is very funny although this wasn't one of his brighter moments. In any case, a few memories and a few laughs.

[Aubrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The inagural book in the 1996 UC Berkeley School of Public Policy's reading club . . . a provocative and challenging read.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Madden is fun storyteller. He reads just like he talks: he'll being talking about the offensive line when, bam, he starts on the quarterback.

[Greg Fanoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It may surprise you that I have read this book, but it's actually not as bad as you would think.

[Randell Carlton Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

7.19.12 - 6.19.12

[Justin Sarginson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love John Madden and love football? Then you'll love this.

[Chris Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read this book in 2016 after almost 30 years. One of the stepping off points into Madden's ascent into a full-time celebrity.

[Mark T · Rating 5 out of 5]

He just passed and I still remember reading this book so many years ago.