Written by Peter Botte at New York Daily News
Former NFL coach Dennis Green died Friday of cardiac arrest, his family confirmed. He was 67.
Green was the second African-American head coach both in NCAA Division I-A history (at Northwestern) and in modern NFL history (after Art Shell), leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 97-62 record from 1992-2001. That included a 15-1 regular-season record in 1998 and the then-NFL mark for the most points in one season, although the Vikings lost in overtime in the NFC Championship Game to Atlanta.
The Vikings said in a statement that they are “incredibly saddened” by Green’s death.
“Denny made his mark in ways far beyond being an outstanding football coach,” the statement said. “He mentored countless players and served as a father figure for the men he coached…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.”
Green also coached the Arizona Cardinals from 2004-06, going 16-32 with no playoff berths over three seasons.
Cardinals president Michael Bidwill added in a statement tweeted by the team: “Coach Green will rightly be remembered as a true innovator, leader and pioneer among football coaches. We express our deepest sympathy to his family and friends.”
The 2006 campaign with the Cards also featured Green’s infamous “they are what we thought they were” press-conference rant after the Cardinals blew a 20-0 lead in a loss to the Chicago Bears.
“The Bears are what we thought they were. They’re what we thought they were. We played them in preseason — who the hell takes a third game of the preseason like it’s bulls–t? Bulls–t! We played them in the third game-everybody played three quarters-the Bears are who we thought they were!
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