Remembering Coach Dennis Green

Former Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green passed away on July, 21, 2016 at age 67.

Prior to his professional career, Green was head football coach at Northwestern University when I met him in 1985. I shared our meeting with my friends on Facebook after his passing was publicly announced. I should have saved it here then. Better late than never. 

When I was a senior at Indiana University studying Telecommunications and Journalism, I did a student-assist job for ESPN's coverage of an IU vs Northwestern football game.
As Coach Green walked toward me after warmups, he saw me wearing a headset with "ESPN" on the mouthpiece.
"Will you be doing the (on field) interviews (at halftime and at the end of the game)?" he asked.
"No sir, My instruction is to let your team out on the field when ESPN is ready," I replied.
"Aren't you cold?" he then said.
"I'm fine, sir. Thank you," I said.
Apparently, Coach didn't think I was dressed warm enough for a chilly mid-fall day, because a few minutes later, a student manager gave me a long-sleeved shirt and said "Coach wants you to have this."

Later, as I'm holding back the Northwestern team and waiting for my cue, the giant linemen were getting antsy.
"Come on! Come on! We want to go!" they were yelling.
"SHUT UP AND WAIT UNTIL HE LETS YOU GO!" I hear from behind me. "THE MAN IS JUST DOING HIS JOB!"
That day has, and always will be, a valued memory for me.
RIP Coach Green.