Boston Herald

Dennis Green, 67, former Vikings, Cardinals coach

-

TEMPE, Ariz. — Dennis Green, the trailblazi­ng coach who led a Minnesota Vikings renaissanc­e in the 1990s before a less successful run with the Arizona Cardinals, has died. He was 67.

Mr. Green’s family posted a message on the Cardinals website on Friday announcing the death.

“His family was by his side and he fought hard,” the statement read. Other details were not immediatel­y disclosed, though the Cardinals said Mr. Green had died of a heart attack.

Mr. Green spent 10 seasons in Minnesota, leading the Vikings to eight playoff appearance­s and two NFC championsh­ip games. He only had one losing season and compiled an overall record of 97-62, including a 15-1 regular season in 1998 spearheade­d by a record-setting offense, a mark second only to Bud Grant in franchise history.

Mr. Green went out on a limb in the draft before that season, plucking 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, quarterbac­k Randall Cunningham and running back Robert Smith to give the Vikings the most dynamic and explosive offense the league had ever seen.

But the Vikings were upset at home by the Atlanta Falcons that season and also were embarrasse­d by the New York Giants 41-0 in their other trip to the NFC title game after the 2000 season.

Mr. Green went 4-8 in the postseason, one of the reasons he was fired by Minnesota late in the 2001 season.

“Denny made his mark in ways far beyond being an outstandin­g football coach,” the Vikings said. “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. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Green family.”

Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said Mr. Green “created an outstandin­g environmen­t for his players and I was privileged to spend four great years under his guidance in Minnesota.”

“He was a real trail blazer and his impact on the game continues to live through the many successful coaches that he mentored,” Del Rio said. “One of his phrases, or ‘ Denny-isms’ as we call them, is ‘ We’re going to plan our work and work our plan.’ I still use that ‘Denny-ism’ today.”

Mr. Green did some television work and interviewe­d with several teams before being hired by the Cardinals in 2004. The Cardinals gave him a four-year, $10 million contract to turn around a woebegone franchise. In his final season, the Cardinals won their opener and then lost eight in a row to quickly fall out of the playoff hunt.

 ??  ?? MR. DENNIS GREEN
MR. DENNIS GREEN

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States