Dennis Green, the former coach of the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals, passed away Thursday night from complications of cardiac arrest. He was 67.
"Dennis passed away last night from complications of cardiac arrest," Green's family said in a statement. "His family was by his side and he fought hard."
College Start
Green’s coaching career began at the college level in 1971 with Dayton as running backs and wide receivers coach. He then went to coach Iowa, then Stanford as running backs coach.
Green got his first head coaching job at Northwestern in 1981. In five seasons, he registered a record of 10-45. Afterwards, Green went on to be the wide receivers coach for the San Francisco 49ers.
Green got another head coaching job again in 1989 returning to Stanford. In his three seasons with the Cardinal, Green accumulated a 16-18 record. His tenure with the Cardinal culminated with an 8-3 record and earned an invitation to the 1991 Aloha Bowl, Stanford’s first bowl appearance in five years.
NFL Success
On January 10, 1992, Green became the second African-American head coach by being named the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings replacing Jerry Burns. Green’s best season came in 1998 when the Vikings went 15-1. Ultimately, the Vikings lost to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game. This team is still seen as on of history’s greatest team to miss the Super Bowl.
Green went out on a limb in the draft before that season, picking Randy Moss at pick No. 21 after the super-talented receiver fell due to character concerns. Moss was a sensation from the start, teaming with Cris Carter, Jake Reed, revived quarterback Randall Cunningham and running back Robert Smith to give the Vikings the most dynamic and explosive offense the league had ever seen.
After spending two seasons as an analyst for ESPN, Green was hired as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. It was during his time with the Cardinals that Green had the infamous “They are who we thought they were,” rant after the Cardinals blew away a 20-0 lead against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football in 2006.
Although the Cardinals had a losing record during Green’s tenure, Green is credited for putting in the ground for the team that would win its first NFC Championship and play in the Super Bowl two years after being let go. He drafted Larry Fitzgerald, Karlos Dansby, Darnell Dockett, Antonio Smith, and Matt Leinart. Green was also responsible for bringing in veteran quarterback Kurt Warner.
Following his time in Arizona, Green surfaced in the now-defunct United Football League, where he coached three seasons for the Sacramento Mountain Lions.
He is the second former Cardinals head coach to pass away this summer. Buddy Ryan, who coached in Arizona from 1994 to 1995, died June 28 at the age of 85.