Dennis Green was an American football coach who worked in the game’s highest level, the National Football League (NFL). Interestingly, he never played at this level. Green played for the University of Iowa as a halfback. After his college career ended, he joined the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League for a year and started coaching. In this post, we review the teams he’s worked for.
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5 Teams Dennis Green Has Coached
Green earned respect among his peers as one of the most reliable coaches in the game. He began his career as an assistant coach at Iowa where he worked as a graduate assistant. He then moved to the University of Dayton as a running backs coach & wide receivers coach.
He Green returned to Iowa as a running back coach and served in the same position at Stanford University and later as the offensive coordinator. His first job in the NFL was with the San Francisco 49ers as the team’s special assistant.
After serving as an assistant and in other coaching positions, Dennis Green eventually landed the big job and never looked back.
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Northwestern University
This was his first head coach position. He was appointed in 1981 and became the second African-American to coach in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, previously called the Division I-A. The following year, he received the Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year. He left the team in 1985 for the San Fransisco 49ers.
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Stanford University
After his stint with the 49ers, during which they won Super Bowl XXIII, Green joined Stanford University as its team coach. When he took over, 17 of its starting players graduated but he still managed to produce results. He led the team to an 8-3 record, which was the team’s best since 1986. They also played in the 1991 Aloha Bowl but lost to Georgia Tech.
Minnesota Vikings
Dennis Green holds a special place in Minnesota Vikings history. He took over as the head coach in 1992 and became the second African American head coach in the NFL’s modern era and only the first to work at such a level without playing in the game.
He took the team to greater heights, going for six years without a losing record. However, the fans demanded more, wanting someone who could help them get through to the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
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As a result, the owners of the team began scouting for a replacement but those plans didn’t go through immediately. Amidst the fiasco, Green published his autobiography No Room For Crybabies in which he refuted the claim.
The coach didn’t lose sight of his work and achieved a career-high record in 1998. They set the record for the most points in a season and also played in the NFC Championship Game. 2001 was his last season and for the first time, the team registered a losing record.
Dennis Green was posthumously awarded the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor.
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Arizona Cardinals
In 2004, Dennis Green was back on the sidelines with the Arizona Cardinals. He started on a high, getting 11 wins and a 3rd place finish in the NFC West. However, things changed quickly after his team gave away a 20-point lead. Green went on a rant on television that led to his eventual sacking.
Sacramento Mountain
In 2009, Green was announced as the head coach of Sacramento Mountain, a team in the United Football League. Things didn’t start well as he lost his first game. After a season, the team relocated and changed its name from California Redwood to Sacramento Mountain. However, things weren’t all rosy as Green later sued the league for non-payment.
Dennis Green enjoyed a fruitful career in different levels of the game. Although he didn’t play in the NFL, he showed his prowess, which is why his services were sought after by the teams mentioned above.
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