Madison played college football for the University of Louisville. Madison was a three-year starter for the Cardinals and set the school records for interceptions with 16 and passes defended with 44. As a junior, he earned third-team All-America selection after recording 65 tackles, two sacks, 13 passes defensed and seven interceptions. As a senior, he was named a second-team All-America and first-team All-Conference USA after finishing with 52 tackles, two sacks, six interceptions and 16 passes defensed.
Professional career
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins selected Madison in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. Madison was the eighth cornerback drafted in 1997. Madison made the Pro Bowl for four straight years from 1999 to 2002. On March 1, 2006 the Dolphins released him. He finished his career with the Dolphins starting 127 of 138 games, recording 353 tackles, a sack, 31 interceptions and two touchdowns. For much of his career as a Miami Dolphin, Sam Madison played alongside fellow cornerback Patrick Surtain. During their time together, Madison and Surtain were one of the most prolific cornerback tandems in NFL history, posting a combined 697 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 60 interceptions, and 2 touchdowns.
Madison signed a four-year contract with the New York Giants on March 10, 2006. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII against the New England Patriots. Madison appeared in just seven games for the Giants in 2008, recording eight tackles and an interception. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a broken ankle on December 30. He was released on February 9, 2009.
NFL statistics
Coaching career
On February 19, 2019, Madison was hired as the secondary/cornerbacks coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. In his first year as coach, Madison won Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers earning Madison his second Super Bowl ring.
Personal
Madison and his wife, Saskia, have two sons, Kellen and Kaden, and a daughter Kennedy. He donated a kidney to his daughter, who was three days shy of her 11th birthday, when both of hers were failing in 2016. His house was featured on an episode of MTV Cribs. Before coming to work for the Chiefs in 2019, Madison resided in Davie, Florida, and worked for WTVX as a Miami Dolphins analyst.
