Dennis Green
Personal information | |||||||
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Born: | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. | February 17, 1949||||||
Died: | July 21, 2016 San Diego, California, U.S. | (aged 67)||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Harrisburg | ||||||
College: | Iowa | ||||||
Undrafted: | 1971 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
As a player: | |||||||
As a coach: | |||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Coaching stats at PFR |
Dennis Earl Green (February 17, 1949 – July 21, 2016) was an
Green was the second African American head coach in NFL history. He was the Minnesota Vikings head coach from 1992 to 2001. He was one of the winningest coaches of the 1990s, posting a 97–62 record as Vikings head coach. Green's best season in Minnesota was in 1998, when the Vikings finished 15–1 and set the NFL record for most points in a season at the time; however, the Vikings were upset by the Atlanta Falcons in that year's NFC Championship Game, and Green was unable to reach the Super Bowl throughout his otherwise successful tenure with Minnesota. Following his first losing record in 2001, he was fired just before the final game of the season.
Green was hired by the Cardinals to serve as the head coach for the 2004 season, a franchise then noted for its futility, which had posted only one winning season in a quarter-century. In Arizona, Green was unable to match his success in Minnesota, and his poor win–loss record (16–32) with the Cardinals was similar to that of his predecessors in Arizona. However, many describe Green's tenure with Arizona as an inflection point in the history of the Cardinals, arguing that the culture of the team changed under Green, and that the core of the personnel in the Cardinals' 2008 Super Bowl run was acquired by Green.
Early life
Green grew up in a working class household in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at the corner of Walnut and N 12th street. In 2019, the 1100 to 1300 block of Walnut Street was renamed "Dennis Green Way" to honor the late native. His father, Penrose "Bus" Green was of Creole descent and worked as a postal worker, he briefly played for the Harrisburg Lions semi-pro football team. Green's mother, Anna Green was a beautician. His father died when Green was 11 and his mother died of breast cancer when he was 13. Green is the youngest of five brothers: Penrose Green, Robert Green, Stanley Green, and Gregory Green. He was in attendance at the March 2, 1962 NBA game in Hershey, Pennsylvania where Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points. Green has four children: Patti Green (born April, 1967), Jeremy Green (born July, 1971), Vanessa Green (born February, 1997), and Zachary Dennis Green (born November, 1998).
Green attended John Harris High School (now Harrisburg High School) in Harrisburg, and graduated
Assistant coaching career
Green began his football coaching career, returning to the University Iowa in 1972 as a graduate assistant. Green then served as an assistant coach at the University of Dayton (1973), University of Iowa (1974 to 1976) and Stanford University, where he coached under Bill Walsh in 1977 and 1978. In 1979, Green joined Bill Walsh's staff on the San Francisco 49ers, where he coached special teams. Green returned to Stanford in 1980 as offensive coordinator, coaching with Jim Fassel and Jack Harbaugh.[7]
College coaching career
In 1981, Green was named the head coach of
In 1989, Green took the head coaching position at
Professional coaching career
Minnesota Vikings
Green was a disciple of Bill Walsh's West Coast offense and was touted by Walsh and other NFL pundits as a likely candidate to be the second African-American head coach in the NFL. On January 10, 1992, Green was named 5th head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, replacing the retiring Jerry Burns. The day he was introduced as the Vikings' head coach, he announced that there was a "new sheriff in town". He was the second African American head coach after Art Shell in the modern NFL era, and the first to do so without ever playing in the NFL. Green was the third in NFL history after Fritz Pollard in the 1920s and Shell.
Through his first six years with the team, Green never posted a losing record and the team failed to qualify for the playoffs only once. Green was reportedly the pioneer of using the team's day off on Tuesday to do charity work in the community, which eventually became common in the NFL.[10] Initially, Green earned widespread praise for turning around what had recently been a lackluster franchise. However, as the team's fan-base grew accustomed to regular season success, Green came under criticism for failing to advance the team deeper into the playoffs.
In 1996, two members of the Vikings' ownership board,
In 1997, Green published his autobiography No Room For Crybabies, in which he responded to the criticism and perceived personal vendettas by
The high point of Green's Vikings career was the 1998 season, when the team went 15–1 and set the NFL record for the most points scored in a season (The 2013 Denver Broncos under John Fox currently hold this record). The Vikings advanced to the NFC Championship game, losing to the Atlanta Falcons after Atlanta's Morten Andersen made a field goal in overtime.[10]
In 2001, the Vikings finished with a losing record for the first time in Green's decade with the team. The Vikings bought out Green's contract on January 4, 2002. Assistant coach Mike Tice led the team in their final regular season game against the Baltimore Ravens, and was eventually hired as the head coach.
Arizona Cardinals
After spending two seasons as an analyst for ESPN, Green was hired as head coach by the Arizona Cardinals on January 7, 2004. Through his first two years with the team, Green totaled 11 wins with the Cardinals and finished 3rd in the NFC West, an improvement over predecessor Dave McGinnis. Unlike his previous two seasons, the 2006 season began with great expectations for the Cardinals with the opening of a new stadium, sellout crowds, the drafting of quarterback Matt Leinart, and the signing of Pro Bowl running back Edgerrin James. After a solid start, the Cardinals suffered some tough early losses.
"They are who we thought they were!"
"My doctor was very happy. He called me the next day, said: 'You know what? After that kind of game, (me) blowing up like that was a very good stress reliever', and my wife agreed."
—Dennis Green[16]
The worst of these came in a
The Bears are what we thought they were. They're what we thought they were. We played 'em in preseason — who the hell takes the third game of the preseason like it's bullshit? Bullshit! We played 'em in the third game — everybody played three quarters — the Bears are who we thought they were! And that's the way we took the damn field! Now if you want to crown 'em, then crown their ass! But they are who we thought they were! And we let 'em off the hook![18]
The day after the press conference, offensive coordinator Keith Rowen was fired and replaced with quarterbacks coach Mike Kruczek. Although Green later apologized for the outburst, and the Cardinals rallied to win four of their last seven games, including a rare win over playoff-bound Seattle, many pundits felt that the loss to Chicago and ensuing tirade had already sealed Green's fate. On January 1, 2007, the Cardinals fired Green with a year left on his contract.[19]
Green's tirade is still used heavily in NFL media coverage today, often comically, to describe the obvious flaws of an opponent and the failure to capitalize on that knowledge. It was featured in a Coors TV advertisement.[20]
Later career
In August 2007, the
On March 11, 2009, it was announced that Green would be the head coach of the San Francisco franchise for the United Football League's inaugural season.[22] Green's first game as California Redwoods coach was a 30–17 loss to the Las Vegas Locomotives.[23]
Beginning with the
Death
On Thursday July 21, 2016, Green died at the age of 67 due to complications from cardiac arrest.[25][26] He was survived by his four children.[25]
After his death, the Vikings team released a statement saying, "He mentored countless players and served as a father figure for the men he coached. 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."[26]
Head coaching record
College
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northwestern Wildcats (Big Ten Conference) (1981–1985) | |||||||||
1981 | Northwestern | 0–11 | 0–9 | 10th | |||||
1982 | Northwestern | 3–8 | 2–7 | T–8th | |||||
1983 | Northwestern | 2–9 | 2–7 | T–8th | |||||
1984 | Northwestern | 2–9 | 2–7 | 9th | |||||
1985 | Northwestern | 3–8 | 1–7 | T–9th | |||||
Northwestern: | 10–45 | 7–37 | |||||||
Pacific-10 Conference ) (1989–1991)
| |||||||||
1989 | Stanford | 3–8 | 3–5 | T–7th | |||||
1990 | Stanford | 5–6 | 4–4 | T–6th | |||||
1991 | Stanford | 8–4 | 6–2 | T–2nd | L Aloha | 22 | 22 | ||
Stanford: | 16–18 | 13–11 | |||||||
Total: | 26–63 | ||||||||
|
NFL
Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
MIN | 1992 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 1st in NFC Central | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to NFC Wild Card Game
|
MIN | 1993 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 2nd in NFC Central | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to NFC Wild Card Game
|
MIN | 1994 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in NFC Central | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to NFC Wild Card Game
|
MIN | 1995 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4th in NFC Central | – | – | – | – |
MIN | 1996 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 2nd in NFC Central | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to NFC Wild Card Game
|
MIN | 1997 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 4th in NFC Central | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to NFC Divisional Game
|
MIN | 1998 | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 1st in NFC Central | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to NFC Championship Game
|
MIN | 1999 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2nd in NFC Central | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to NFC Divisional Game
|
MIN | 2000 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 1st in NFC Central | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to NFC Championship Game
|
MIN | 2001* | 5 | 10 | 0 | .333 | 4th in NFC Central | – | – | – | – |
MIN Total | 97 | 62 | 0 | .610 | 4 | 8 | .333 | |||
ARI | 2004 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3rd in NFC West | – | – | – | – |
ARI | 2005 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 3rd in NFC West | – | – | – | – |
ARI | 2006 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4th in NFC West | – | – | – | – |
ARI Total | 16 | 32 | 0 | .333 | – | – | – | |||
Total[7] | 113 | 94 | 0 | .546 | 4 | 8 | .333 |
*Only coached 15 games
United Football League
Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
CAL | 2009 | 2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | 3rd in UFL | – | – | – | – |
SAC | 2010 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in UFL | – | – | – | – |
SAC | 2011 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 3rd in UFL | – | – | – | – |
Total | 8 | 11 | 0 | .421 | - | – | – | – |
See also
- List of National Football League head coaches with 50 wins
References
- ^ Stuart, Chase (July 26, 2016). "Dennis Green And The Revolving Quarterback Door". Football Perspective. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Notable Executives and CEOs Among UI Alumni". The University of Iowa. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
- ^ Iowa City Press-Citizen, December 25, 1969 (all-Big-Ten honorable mention for Green).
- ^ "1968 Iowa Hawkeyes Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
- ^ "Dennis Green College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
- ^ "Former Hawkeye Dennis Green Passes". University of Iowa Athletics. July 22, 2016.
- ^ a b "Dennis Green Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "BCASports - Guide To Bingo, Online Casinos and Betting". BCASports.org. Archived from the original on May 28, 2007.
- ^ Big Ten Conference Archived April 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine – Football media guide
- ^ a b "The Greatest Team Never to Make It: An Oral History of the 1998 Vikings".
- ^ Vikings' owners divided on Holtz Archived December 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Ron Holtz. Associated Press. November 19, 1996. copy hosted on southcoasttoday.com
- Arizona Republic
- ^ Robson, Britt (January 14, 1998). "Personal Foul". City Pages. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014.
- ^
Green, Dennis; Gene McGivern (November 1997). No Room For Crybabies. Sagamore Publishing. p. 224. ISBN 1-57167-175-7.
There's no room for crybabies.
- ^ Seidel, Jeff (October 25, 1997). "Will Vikings throw the book at Green?". St. Paul Pioneer-Press. Archived from the original on October 25, 1997.
- ^ "Top 10 greatest comebacks in NFL history". NFL.com. July 29, 2009. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- YouTube
- ^ Mandell, Nina (July 22, 2016). "Re-live Dennis Green's famous 'they are who we thought they were' press conference". USA Today. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Baum, Bob (January 1, 2007). "Arizona Cardinals fire coach". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- YouTube
- ^ "Thursday Night Football on Westwood One". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
- ^ "United Football League Announces Former NFL Coaches Jim Fassel, Dennis Green, Jim Haslett & Ted Cottrell as Head Coaches for "UFL Premiere" Season". Reuters. March 11, 2009. Archived from the original on March 16, 2009.
- ^ "Las Vegas beats California in UFL debut". Associated Press. October 9, 2009.
- ^ Dale Kasler, Ex-NFL coach fighting owners of defunct Sacramento team over $1 million in back pay, Sacramento Bee (January 14, 2016).
- ^ a b Mather, Victor (July 22, 2016). "Dennis Green, Pioneering Coach of the Vikings and the Cardinals, Dies at 67". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
- ^ a b Sessler, Mark (July 22, 2016). "Dennis Green, ex-Vikings, Cardinals coach, dies at 67". nfl.com. NFL. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
External links
- Official website
- Sacramento Mountain Lions biography at the Wayback Machine (archived September 12, 2011)
- Arizona Cardinals biography at the Wayback Machine (archived November 29, 2006)
- Dennis Green at Find a Grave