On February 4, 1969, the Oakland Raiders made John Madden the youngest head coach in pro football history. By the time he was done stalking the sidelines for the Raiders, he had turned himself into one of the best coaches in NFL history, as well as the best head coach the Raiders franchise has ever had.
After starring in football in high school, and bouncing around to a few college, Madden settled in at Cal Poly back in the 1950s. Playing both football and baseball, Madden was so good that the Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the 1958 NFL Draft, but he injured his knee in training camp and never played again.