If you are a fan of shoes or football, you might have wondered if Steve Madden and John Madden are related. They both share a common surname and have made their mark in their respective fields. But are they really family? The answer is not so simple.
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Steve Madden: The Shoe Mogul
Steve Madden is an American fashion designer and businessman who founded Steven Madden, Ltd., a publicly traded company that designs and markets shoes and fashion accessories He started the company in 1990 with $1,100 by selling shoes out of the trunk of his car to small Manhattan stores
Steve Madden’s shoes are known for their chunky platform look that attracted clothing designers such as Betsey Johnson, who used them in their fashion shows His company has grown to become one of the most successful footwear brands in the world, with over 220 retail stores worldwide and a revenue of $1.9 billion in 2021
Steve Madden has also faced some legal troubles in his career. He was convicted of stock manipulation, money laundering, and securities fraud in 2002, and was sentenced to 41 months in prison. He was forced to resign as CEO from Steven Madden, Ltd. and from the board of directors. He then set himself up as a creative consultant with Steven Madden, Ltd., a position for which he drew $700,000 annually even when he was in prison. He was released from prison in 2005 and resumed his role as the founder and design chief of the company.
John Madden: The Football Legend
John Madden is a former American football coach and broadcaster who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of the sport. He coached the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, leading them to a Super Bowl victory in 1977. He had a winning percentage of .759, the highest among all coaches with at least 100 games. He never had a losing season as a head coach.
John Madden retired from coaching in 1979 and became a color commentator for NFL broadcasts. He worked for four major networks: CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC. He won 16 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Analyst/Personality. He was known for his enthusiastic, humorous, and insightful commentary, as well as his trademark phrases such as “boom”, “whap”, and “doink”. He also popularized the use of the telestrator, a device that allows him to draw on the screen to illustrate his analysis.
John Madden is also the namesake of the Madden NFL video game series, which he has endorsed and provided commentary for since its inception in 1988. The series is one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, with over 250 million copies sold worldwide. It is widely credited with bringing football to a wider audience and influencing the culture and language of the sport.
Are They Related?
According to sitename What Box Game, Steve Madden and John Madden are distant cousins, at least once removed. While both of them have contributed to the world of football and video games, Steve Madden has done so much more. John Madden was a director of the Steve Madden company and brother of its founder, Steve Madden.
However, this claim is not verified by any other sources, and it seems unlikely that they are closely related. According to sitename Wikipedia, Steve Madden was born in Far Rockaway, Queens, the son of a Jewish mother and an Irish Catholic father. John Madden was born in Austin, Minnesota, the son of Earl Russell Madden and Mary Margaret Flaherty, who were both of Irish ancestry.
There is no evidence that they share any common ancestors or have any family ties beyond their surname. Their surname is not uncommon either; it is derived from an Irish Gaelic clan name meaning “little dog”.
Therefore, it is safe to say that Steve Madden and John Madden are not related, at least not in any significant way.
Conclusion
Steve Madden and John Madden are two famous personalities who have achieved success in their respective fields of shoes and football. They both share a common surname, but they are not related in any meaningful way. They have different backgrounds, origins, and careers, and there is no proof that they have any family connection beyond their name.
