Fansided
Fansided

2016 Football In Memoriam: Remembering the Legends Lost

By Sayre Bedinger

Nov 5, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; A sign honoring former Nebraska Cornhuskers punter Sam Foltz (27) will greet players on their way to the field for the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; A sign honoring former Nebraska Cornhuskers punter Sam Foltz (27) will greet players on their way to the field for the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 20
Next
Aug 12, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A detailed view of the Minnesota Vikings logo on a helmet in a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. The Vikings won 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 12, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A detailed view of the Minnesota Vikings logo on a helmet in a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. The Vikings won 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

Dennis Green: 1949-2016

We all remember Dennis Green as the Cardinals coach who held a press conference to remember, but there is much more to the man. Dennis Green had a certain coaching aspect to him. When Dennis Green passed on from a heart attack that shook up the NFL, the ESPN correspondent was surely missed.

I want to remember Dennis for what he was, so began his career. Dennis Green started his pro career at the BC Lions in 1971, where that was the only experience as a player took place. After that ended, he went to his alma mater to be a coaching assistant in Iowa. When I fast forward, the first head coaching experience he experienced came in 1981-1985, when he coached for Northwestern. In 1982, he went 0-11 as a coach. That would be his only defeated season as a head coach.

The best came when Dennis Green became the coach for the Minnesota Vikings from 1992-2001, as he turned the culture around for the Vikings. He coached Hall of Famers like Randall Cunningham, Cris Carter, Randy Moss, Randall McDaniel, John Randle, and a future Hall of Famer in Gary Anderson. He missed out on a super bowl in 1998, when he would lose out to the Atlanta Falcons.

Then came the most outstanding outburst when the Arizona Cardinals gave up a 20-point lead to the Bears. “If you want to crown their a**, then do it” is the motto that follows NFL fans these days. Dennis Green outlived the outburst, and will live with us as fans for as long as the NFL lives. We lost Dennis Green due to heart attack on July 21, 2016.

Home/College Football