Friday morning, after an apparent cardiac arrest, former NFL head coach Dennis Green has passed away at age 67.
After a sudden cardiac arrest, former NFL head coach Dennis Green passed away Friday morning at the age 67. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has confirmed the news, via Green’s wife and his former agent.
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Green spent 13 seasons as an NFL head coach, with the Minnesota Vikings (1992-2001) and Arizona Cardinals (2004-2006). He notably declared there was a “new sheriff in town” upon being hired by the Vikings, after eight unremarkable seasons (26-63 record) as a college head coach at Stanford and Northwestern.
Green worked as wide receivers coach with the San Francisco 49ers under head coach Bill Walsh in the late 1980’s, as part of a coaching tree that sprouted multiple NFL head coaches. Green’s own coaching tree is notable itself, with eventual head coaches Tony Dungy, Brian Billick and Mike Tice working under him as assistants in Minnesota.
Green led the Vikings to the playoffs eight times in nine full seasons, with a 97-62 record and a 4-8 record in the playoffs. His tenure in Arizona was not nearly as successful, with zero playoff appearances and a 16-32 record. A post game tirade after the Cardinals blew a lead against the Chicago Bears, during his third and final season as head coach, stands out as a notable moment of Green’s coaching career as well as one of the classic meltdowns we’ve ever seen.
Check it out here (NSFW):
Former Vikings’ running back Robert Smith offered a brief sentiment about his relationship with Green on Twitter:
Rest in peace Denny. I lost my mother in April, I feel like I just lost father.
— robert smith (@Robert26Smith) July 22, 2016
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