His family confirmed the news to the National Football League, saying that Green passed away surrounded by family and friends after suffering from complications related to a heart attack. The team didn’t make a playoff appearance under Green.
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Unfortunately, Dennis Green most likely will be remembered for his classic post-game tirade following the 2006 Bears-Cardinals game, which his Arizona team lost after gagging up a 20-point lead.
After working as an analyst for two seasons at ESPN, Green accepted the Arizona head coaching position in January of 2004. His famous “they ARE who we thought they WERE” rant following a loss to the Chicago Bears in 2006 remains one of the memorable coaching rants in all of football.
“We are saddened to hear the news of Dennis Green’s passing”, NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent said in a statement. The team bought out his contract near the end of his tenure, and Green did not coach the final game in that last season. The first black coach in league history was Fritz Pollard, who coached in the 1920’s in the American Professional Football Association, which later became the NFL. The team lost the NFC Championship game at the Metrodome when Gary Anderson missed a late field goal – his first of the season – and the Vikings lost to Atlanta in overtime.
His next head coaching gig was also at the college level when he took over at Stanford University in 1989.
Green coached the Vikings from 1992 to 2001. “Denny was my guy”, Fitzgerald said. He mentored countless players and served as a father figure for the men he coached. His coaching career started in 1973 as an assistant at Dayton where he was able to earn US$6,000 annually.
The news of Green’s passing swept through the sports community. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Green family”.
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After being a head coach for 13 seasons in the NFL, Green coached in Sacramento. 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.
