MINNEAPOLIS — Dennis Green, the trailblazing coach who led a Minnesota Vikings renaissance in the 1990s before a less successful run with the Arizona Cardinals, has died. He was 67.

Green’s family posted a message on the Cardinals website on Friday announcing the death.

“His family was by his side and he fought hard,” the statement read. Other details were not immediately disclosed, though the Cardinals said Green had died of a heart attack.

Green was the first black head coach in Big Ten history when he took over at Northwestern in 1981 and was just the third black head coach in the NFL when the Vikings hired him in 1992. Through it all, Green worked hard to provide opportunities for minorities on his coaching staffs and was beloved by his players for the loyalty he showed them.

“He was one of the forerunners, standard bearers from an African-American standpoint,” Vikings COO Kevin Warren said.

“He was there early and won a lot of football games. He not only got in that position as a head coach, he then hired people and gave them opportunities.”

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Green spent 10 seasons in Minnesota, leading the Vikings to eight playoff appearances and two NFC championship games. He only had one losing season and compiled an overall record of 97-62, a mark second only to Bud Grant in franchise history. That included a 15-1 regular season in 1998 spearheaded by a record-setting offense.

BEARS: Charles Tillman is officially retiring as a member of the Chicago Bears.

The two-time Pro Bowl cornerback signed a one-day contract and called it a career with the team that drafted him in 2003.

The 35-year-old Tillman, known for his “peanut punch” after forcing 44 career fumbles, spent his first 12 seasons with the Bears and went to two Pro Bowls.

COLTS: Indianapolis defensive lineman Arthur Jones has been suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

STEELERS: Running back Le’Veon Bell is facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, according to an ESPN report.

COWBOYS: The NFL is reviewing domestic violence allegations against rookie Ezekiel Elliott.

A police report says Elliott denied allegations that he assaulted his girlfriend early Friday in Columbus, Ohio, causing bruises and abrasions.


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