John William Madden was born in 1865 about half way up Dumbarton High St., the last surviving child of eight. His father was a labourer, both parents Irish, from Co. Londonderry and married there. At sixteen Jake was at the top end of the street, working as a Rivetter and at twenty-five he was still there, living with his widowed mum, a professional cum shamateur footballer from the age of twenty-two, but still recorded for his old trade. He, a goal-scoring and slightly flashy forward, had begun his footballing career with Dumbarton Albion, progressed to Dumbarton Hibs aged twenty and to Dumbarton a year later. He was in the home-town side at centre-forward when it in 1887 lost the Scottish Cup Final 2-1. It was a bad day at the office, he apparently missing enough chances to have won. 

Perhaps it was the shame or he was just chancing it but he immediately headed south for an apparently successful season at Gainsborough Trinity and/or Grimsby before Celtic in 1888 recruited him for its first ever match. But still he did not stick. He went to back to Dumbarton before finally in 1889 returning to The Bhoys and this time more permanently. In fact he was to stay eight seasons, take the League three times, play in the first of the winning 1822 Scottish Cup Final games, but lose in 1893 and 1894, and be awarded two caps, scoring four in his first game and one in his second, 2.5 goals a game.      

But by the end of the 1897-8 season at the age of thirty-two and after short spells at Dundee and Spurs the boots were finally pegged and it looked as he would be lost from the game forever. He went back to an unmarried life, living still with mum and working in the local shipyards. That is until 1905, aged almost forty he received an offer from Slavia Prague in what was then Bohemia of a job as a trainer, the only explanation seeming to be former team-mate, Willie Maley. Under his management Celtic had toured the city in 1904. The offer was accepted and Madden in February would leave Scotland for good but take its game with him. And at Slavia he would not only change the team but also Czech football, with his training and injury-treatment methods with a reputation for kindness with discipline, no smoking, no drinking, in seemingly direct contrast to his playing days. 

Jake Madden would stay coaching with Slavia essentially for the rest of his life. He would be in charge until 1930, stepping back only at sixty-five. His record with the club is of one hundred and sixty-nine domestic matches, one hundred and thirty-four were won (80%). Of matched played with non-domestic opposition it is three hundred and four of four hundred and sixty-nine (65%). In doing so he won local cups, three championships and three leagues and was innovative. He is said to amongst the first to have employed both 3-4-3 and 4-3-3 depending on circumstances.