JOHN MADDEN JOINS "NBC'S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL"

JOHN MADDEN JOINS "NBC'S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL"

Ebersol: "The Best Analyst of Any Kind In Sports Television History"

NEW YORK - June 15, 2005 - John Madden, the most honored NFL broadcaster of all time, will join NBC Sports as the game analyst for the inaugural 2006 season of "NBC's Sunday Night Football." The announcement of Madden's six-year deal with NBC was made today by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics. Madden, who has won an unprecedented 14 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Analyst/Personality, is renowned by football fans nationwide for his ability to analyze the details of the game with wit, candor and an inimitable style. Madden will join "NBC's Sunday Night Football" with over 25 years of broadcasting experience, most recently as the game analyst with ABC's Monday Night Football, where he will broadcast this upcoming season including Super Bowl XXL in Detroit, Mich.

"John Madden is the best analyst in the history of the National Football League and, in my opinion, the best analyst of any kind in sports television history," said Ebersol. "John is much more than a football legend, he's an American icon. He is the only sports television talent who resonates across all ages - kids grow up today playing his video game and watching him on TV, as their fathers grew up watching him on NFL sidelines every Sunday as the head coach with the best winning percentage in league history. We are extraordinarily proud to have him join 'NBC's Sunday Night Football.'"

Madden said: "I have been doing this a long time and when I went to ABC to do 'Monday Night Football,' I thought I would finish my career there. But when the NFL did this new television deal, I looked at 'NBC's Sunday Night Football' package, and I thought this really fits me well. I also look forward to the opportunity of working with Dick Ebersol."

In 2009, Madden will call his 11th Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla. on NBC.

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has honored Madden with 14 Outstanding Sports Analyst/Personality Emmy Awards, the most recent in 2004, in recognition for his work during the 2003 season. In all, Madden has been nominated for 17 Emmy Awards. In addition, the American Sportscasters Association named him Sports Personality of the Year in 1985 and 1992. In 1982, Madden became the first NFL analyst to receive the Touchdown Club of America's prestigious Golden Mike Award. Sports Illustrated has called Madden "an American fixture" and said that he "brings an unequaled big-game buzz to the broadcast booth."

Madden's EA Sports video game "Madden NFL Football" is the No. 1 selling sports video game of all-time with more than 43 million copies sold since its release in 1989. "Madden NFL 06" will be available on multiple platforms in August. Madden is also one of the leading spokesmen in the advertising world, with endorsement relationships including Ace Hardware, Outback Steakhouse, Schering Plough (Tinactin) and Sirius Satellite Radio.

Prior to joining the broadcasting ranks, Madden had an outstanding career as head coach of the NFL's Oakland Raiders. He guided the Raiders to an overall record of 103-32-7, leading the team to seven AFC Western Division titles and a victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. Madden's .750 winning percentage is the best of any head coach in NFL history.

A linebacker coach when he began his NFL coaching career with Oakland in 1967, Madden became the head coach in 1969 at age 33, the youngest head coach in the American Football League. Madden retired in 1979 and started his broadcasting career at CBS in 1980. Madden also was the lead NFL analyst for FOX from 1994-2002.

Before coaching in Oakland, Madden was the defensive coordinator at San Diego State from 1964-66 where the Aztecs were ranked first among small colleges with a 26-4 record. From 1960-64 Madden coached at Hancock Junior College in Santa Maria, Calif.

Madden started on both the offensive and defensive lines as a player for California Polytechnic College at San Luis Obispo in 1957 and 1958 and was voted to the All-Conference team. He was also a catcher on the school's baseball team. Madden earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1959 and a Master of Arts degree in 1961, both from Cal Poly. The Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the 21st round of the 1958 NFL draft, but a knee injury in his rookie season prematurely ended his career.

Madden is the author of several New York Times best-selling books: Hey, Wait a Minute! (I Wrote a Book!); One Knee Equals Two Feet (and Everything Else You Need To Know About Football); One Size Doesn't Fit All; and All Madden, each written with New York Times sports columnist Dave Anderson. He has also written a cookbook titled John Madden's Ultimate Tailgating.

Born April 10, 1936 in Austin, Minn., Madden was raised in Daly City, Calif. He now resides in Pleasanton, Calif. with his wife, Virginia. The couple has two sons.

"NBC's Sunday Night Football"

"NBC's Sunday Night Football" is the National Football League's primetime network television package. The six-year deal, which includes innovative flexible scheduling, begins with the 2006 season, continues through 2011 and includes Super Bowls in 2009 and 2012 and Pro Bowls in the same years. The deal also includes a unique GE association with the NFL in the healthcare technology, security equipment, electrical products (including lighting) and financial services categories.

For each of the six seasons, NBC kicks off the NFL regular season with a Thursday night primetime game. The first regular season game of the new agreement, NBC's "NFL Kickoff 2006," launches the NFL regular season on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2006 in primetime.

The agreement calls for 16 regular season Sunday night games, each season's "NFL Kickoff" Thursday night primetime game, two postseason Wild Card games and three preseason games in primetime. NBC also will broadcast Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 in Tampa, Fla. and XLVI in 2012, and Pro Bowls in the same years.

Under the new agreement, the NFL provides flexible game scheduling over the final seven weeks of the regular season. The flexible game selection, offered for the first time by the NFL, ensures marquee matchups over the final seven weeks of the season when many teams' playoff chances are at stake.

"NBC's Sunday Night Football" will broadcast an NFL pre-game show from 7-8 p.m. ET followed by the kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET. Both the game and pre-game will be aired in high definition.