Madden was 206 cm (6' 9") tall, and one of the tallest men ever to play Australian Rules football, and his potential in this area was fully utilized by Carlton, who used him as their main ruckman.
Madden retired from teaching in 1988, and in 1990, became President of the AFL Players Association, (taking over the role from his older brother Simon) while still playing for Carlton and at the peak of his career.