Top 5 moments of Dennis Green’s career
By Hunter Cooke
3. The mentorship of Tony Dungy
During Dennis Green’s tenure with the Vikings, he had one of the most dominant defenses of the modern era. He did this partially through a young man that would soon become a household name to fans of the NFL: Tony Dungy.
Dungy was whisked away from his position as the defensive backs coach with the Kansas City Chiefs to become one of the architects of Green’s success in Minnesota. Green took Dungy under his wing immediately, and continued his mentorship when Dungy took over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1996. When Dungy was elected into the Hall of Fame, he didn’t forget Dennis Green, saying:
"“But more than anything, Denny said, ‘Hey, I’m going to show you how to be a head coach and what goes into it.’ He mentored me, taught me and showed me the ropes. So, yes, I got to get a reputation, but more than anything, he showed me things. And I have to say this: When I got the job in Tampa — we’re in the same division, we’re competing against them, and I would call Denny and say, ‘Oh, it’s a Monday night schedule, how do we do that?’ And he would tell me because he wanted me to be successful, and that’s the type of guys you grew in the 49ers organization.”"
Tony Dungy was arguably one of the most successful coaches of the modern NFL era, and it’s partially due to Dennis Green. Yes, Dungy was the beneficiary of the Tampa 2 defense from Monte Kiffin and Peyton Manning in Indianapolis, but none of those victories were possible without the guidance he got from Green.
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