Christian Bale and Nicolas Cage in Madden
The two most famous graduates of Cal Poly are arguably comic “Weird Al” Yankovic and the late NFL football coach/sports commentator John Madden.
The former got the Hollywood treatment in a 2022 film. Now the latter, who died in 2021, is about to have his career highlights splashed across the silver screen in the upcoming movie Madden.
The first teaser trailer for Madden, starring Nicolas Cage as the second-winningest coach ever in the NFL, dropped the day after Christmas. Fellow Academy-Award winning actor Christian Bale plays volatile Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis. Kathryn Hahn and John Mulaney also appear in the film.
David O. Russell (American Hustle, Three Kings) directs the comedy-satire about Madden’s transition from Super Bowl champion coach to prime time TV sportscaster and developer of a wildly-popular, multi-player video game.
Madden, who grew up in the Bay Area, transferred into Cal Poly, where he played both offense and defense for the Mustangs in 1957 and 1958. He earned a bachelor of science degree in education in 1959, followed by a master’s degree in education in 1961.
In August 1959, Madden suffered a torn knee ligament in his first training camp during a Philadelphia Eagles scrimmage, ending his professional playing career without having had an opportunity to play in a regulation game.
Turning to coaching, Madden initially stayed local, becoming an assistant coach at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria in 1960. Promoted to head coach in 1962, Madden went 12-6 in two seasons, including an 8-1 mark in 1963, during which his Bulldogs were ranked ninth nationally.
Madden is scheduled to be released on the Amazon Prime platform on November 26, 2026.