Former NFL coach Dennis Green died Friday of cardiac arrest, a friend confirmed to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 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.
“All of us at the Cardinals are incredibly saddened by the news of Dennis Green’s passing,” Cardinals president Michael Bidwill said 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.”
Green also coached the Arizona Cardinals from 2004-06, going 16-32 with no playoff berths over three seasons. The 2006 campaign 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! That's why we took the d-mn field. Now if you want to crown them, then crown their a--! But they are who we thought they were! And we let 'em off the hook!"
The rant became so popular that it was used in a Coors Light commercial the following year.
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