DENNIS GREEN
Game 419 | January 29, 1992 | Dennis Green
Coming off successful head coaching assignments at both Northwestern and Stanford, Green was a hot property when the Vikings hired him after the 1991 season to succeed ,Jerry Burns. At the time of his hiring, he was only the second African American NFL head coach in modern football history. The team responded well to Green's West Coast offense and won the NFC with an 11-5 record before losing at the Metrodome 24-7 to Washington in the first round of the playoffs.
Game 427 | July 15, 1992 | Dennis Green
It was Green's second appearance in six months after being named Vikings coach. His topic was the recently completed draft in which the Vikings had no first-round picks for the fourth consecutive year because of the trades involving Mike Merriweather and Herschel Walker: The Vikings had only one pick in the first three rounds, but got guard Ed McDaniel on the fifth round. Green said he was intrigued by his ninth-round pick, a Florida State basketball player and backup quarterback named Brad Johnson.
Game 445 | July 7, 1993 | Dennis Green
Green was making his third Dunkers appearance in 18 months when he came before Dunkers in July 1993. For the first time in five years the Vikings had a first-round draft choice, and Green said he was thrilled with the team's new additions, which included Ohio State speedster Robert Smith in the first round, Syracuse wide receiver Qadry Ismail in the second round, and Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta, the Miami quarterback, in the seventh round.
Game 464 | July 12, 1994 | Dennis Green
It was Green's third year as Viking coach, and the team won another Central Division championship, finishing 10-6. Once again, however, the team could not get beyond the first round of the playoffs, losing 35-18 to the Chicago Bears at the Metrodome.
Game 514 | July 15, 1997 | Dennis Green, Dwayne Rudd
Vikings Coach Green introduced his first-round draft choice, Alabama linebacker Rudd, who played four seasons with the team. The Vikings that year finished the season with a 9-7 record and won their first playoff game before losing 38-22 at San Francisco in the NFC Division Playoffs.
Game 551 | August 31, 1999 | Red McCombs, Dennis Green
The Minnesota Vikings were coming off perhaps their best and most disappointing year in history. After a perfect 4-0 preseason, the team breezed through its schedule with a 15-1 record, best in Vikings history. With Randall Cunningham passing, Robert Smith running and Randy Moss and Cris Carter receiving, the Vikings were heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl. They easily beat Arizona 41-21 in the Divisional playoffs, but lost to Atlanta 30-27 in overtime at the Metrodome in the NFC Championship game. It was Green's eighth year as head coach and the second under Mc-Combs' ownership.
NOTE: On July 21, 2016, Green died at the age of 67 following a heart attack. He was survived by his wife and four children. 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."
