Dennis Green, who spent 13 seasons in the NFL coaching the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals, died Friday morning, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Former Vikings and Cardinals coach Dennis Green died early this morning after suffering cardiac arrest, per friend Ray Anderson. He was 67.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 22, 2016
Green took his team to the playoffs eight times and had a record of 113-94.
And of course, he gained notoriety for this postgame rant after the Cardinals blew a 20-0 lead to the Chicago Bears in 2006
While that rant is probably the first thing to pop into your head when you hear Green’s name, his true claim to fame is that he became the second black head coach in modern NFL history after Art Shell. Green was hired by the Vikings in 1992 and went on to have a winning record in eight of his 10 seasons with Minnesota, although he never reached the Super Bowl.
The Vikings went to the NFC Championship Game twice under Green, losing to the Falcons in overtime in 1999 and the New York Giants in 2001.
The 1998-99 team went 15-1 and would have gone to the Super Bowl if not for Gary Anderson missing a 39-yard field goal late in the game that would have put the Vikings up 10. Up until that kick, Anderson had not missed a kick all season. The Falcons tied the game and won 30-27 in overtime.
Green finished his coaching career not with the Cardinals but with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League. The league folded in 2012.
(Via Adam Schefter on Twitter)
