Dennis Green, the former head coach of the Vikings and the Cardinals, has died. He was 67.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed the news after speaking to Green’s agent Kevin Anderson. Anderson said Green’s wife told him Green died after a cardiac arrest.
Green is perhaps best remembered for his 10-season tenure with Minnesota. He led the Vikings to the playoffs eight times in that spell, and reached the NFC championship game in 1998 and 2000. His team posted a 15-1 season in 1998, but fell to the Atlanta Falcons in a dramatic overtime loss in the title game.
The Vikings said in a statement: “Denny made his mark in ways far beyond being an outstanding football coach. He mentored countless players and served as a father figure for the men he coached. Denny founded the Vikings Community Tuesday Program, a critical initiative that is now implemented across the entire NFL.
“He took great pride in helping assistant coaches advance their careers. His tenure as one of the first African-American head coaches in both college and the NFL was also transformative.”
Mike Tice, who served on Green’s staff in Minnesota and succeeded him as head coach, called Green a “great motivator of men.”
“Great teacher of coaches. Excellent eye for talent,” Tice said. “I hadn’t seen Denny in years, but I find myself quoting him: ‘Plan your work and work your plan.’ He taught me a lot.”
After the Vikings, Green moved to Arizona in 2004, and provided one of the most memorable soundbites in NFL history. After the Cardinals blew a 20-point lead against the Bears on Monday Night Football, Green got angry in the post-game press conference, and yelled to reporters: “They are who we thought they were! And we let them off the hook!”
“All of us at the Cardinals are incredibly saddened by the news of Dennis Green’s passing. Coach Green will rightly be remembered as a true innovator, leader and pioneer among football coaches,” Cardinals president Michael Bidwill said. “We express our deepest sympathy to his family and his many friends.”
Kurt Warner, who played under Green in Arizona, posted on Twitter:
My heart goes out to family of my former coach Denny Green - we lost a good man way too soon!
— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) July 22, 2016
Green had a career record of 113-94, and he went 4-8 in the playoffs. He also served as a head coach of Northwestern (1981-85) and Stanford (1989-91), and was named the Big Ten coach of the year in 1982.
