 During that final campaign, the Aztecs were ranked among the top small colleges in the country.While at SDSU, Madden coached under Don Coryell, whom Madden credits as being an influence on his coaching and who he feels will one day be included in the Hall of Fame.Building on that success, Madden was hired by Al Davis as linebackers coach for the AFL's Oakland Raiders in 1967, putting him in the Sid Gillman coaching tree.