Dennis Green Passes Away

He’ll be remembered more for what he didn’t accomplish as a head coach, but that doesn’t change the impact that former Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green had on the game of football. The cause of death was reportedly an apparent heart attack. Green coached in the National Football League for 13 seasons; nine seasons with the Minnesota Vikings from 1992-2001 where he led the

Vikings to the NFC Championship Game in 1998 and 2000. He coached an impressive 10 seasons with the team, the highlight being a 15-1 record in 1998. Green worked as a television commentator, before returning to the sidelines with the Arizona Cardinals, where he served as head coach for three disappointing seasons, compiling a 16-32 record. “Denny made his mark in ways far beyond being an outstanding football coach”, the Vikings said in a statement. “He gave me the opportunity to host and produce his radio show eight years ago”.

Green was also one of the pioneers as an African-American head coach in the National Football League, noting before the infamous Bears game in 2006 – when he was facing fellow African-American head coach Lovie Smith, a rare National Football League occurrence – that “you are hoping you would be given the same opportunity as anyone else”. He is the second former Cardinals head coach to pass away in the past month – Buddy Ryan died in late June. Green did some television work and interviewed with several teams before the Cardinals hired him in 2004. “Freer spirit for the team in its entirety, Dennis Green himself liked to have a good time, so the players exuded that same type of good time atmosphere”, said Boyer. In a statement, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent expressed his sympathy to Green’s family following his passing, while highlighting his key achievements. Denny was a terrific head coach and inspired his players on and off the field.

But despite his success as a head coach, Green may be best known for his news-conference tirade after a Cardinals loss to the Bears in 2006 in which he hollered the immortal line, “They are who we thought they were!”

“After talking to Walsh, I had just heard at that time that Mike Holmgren was going to Green Bay, and I said to Walsh, ‘What’s the difference between Holmgren and Denny Green?’ And he said, ‘I think of them the same'”. Green, a trailblazing coach who led a Vikings renaissance in the 1990s and also coached the Arizona Cardinals, has died. In 1981, Green took on the role of head coach at Northwestern, a program that had gone 3-51 in the four seasons prior to his arrival. He was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1982. Green only trails Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant in each of those categories. “In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Boys and Girls Club of San Diego”.