Trailblazing coach excelled with Vikings
MINNEAPOLIS — 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.
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 Green had died of a heart attack.
Big Ten’s historic hire
Green was the first black head coach in Big Ten history when he took over at Northwestern in 1981 and was just the third black head coach in the NFL when the Vikings hired him in 1992. Through it all, Green worked hard to provide opportunities for minorities on his coaching staffs and was beloved by his players for the loyalty he showed them.
“He was one of the forerunners, standard bearers from an African-American standpoint,” Vikings COO Kevin Warren said. “He was there early and won a lot of football games. He not only got in that position as a head coach, he then hired people and gave them opportunities.”
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, a mark second only to Bud Grant in franchise history. That included a 15-1 regular season in 1998 spearheaded by a record-setting offense.
“They were pretty good when he was here,” current Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “I’m just trying to get close to him.”
Green went 4-8 in the postseason, one of the reasons he was fired by Minnesota late in the 2001 season.
3 years with Cardinals
“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.”
Green, a native of Harrisburg, Penn., finished his three years in Arizona with a 16-32 record. Perhaps his biggest accomplishment with the Cardinals was overseeing the drafting of Larry Fitzgerald as the No. 3 overall pick in 2004. Fitzgerald was a ball boy for Green’s Vikings.