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.Greens family posted a message Friday on the Cardinals website announcing the death.His family was by his side and he fought hard, the statement said. It did not disclose other details, 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.Green spent 10 seasons in Minnesota, leading the Vikings to eight playoff appearances and two NFC championship games. He had only 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.They were pretty good when he was here, current Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. Im just trying to get close to him.Green went out on a limb in the draft before that season, taking Randy Moss at No. 21 after the super-talented receiver fell due to character concerns. Moss was a sensation from the start, teaming with Cris Carter, Jake Reed, Randall Cunningham and Robert Smith to give the Vikings the most dynamic and explosive offense the league had ever seen. The Vikings scored a record 556 points that season, a mark that stood until New England broke it in 2007.But the Vikings were upset at home by the Atlanta Falcons that season and also were embarrassed by the New York Giants 41-0 in their other trip to the NFC title game after the 2000 season.Green went 4-8 in the postseason, one of the reasons he was fired by Minnesota late in the 2001 season.Denny made his mark in ways far beyond being an outstanding football coach, the Vikings said. He mentored countless players and served as a father figure for the men he coached. Denny founded the Vikings Community Tuesday Program, a critical initiative that is now implemented across the entire NFL. 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.Smith tweeted: Rest in peace Denny. I lost my mother in April, I feel like I just lost father.Greens leadership was never needed more than during training camp in 2001 when offensive tackle Korey Stringer collapsed and died from heat illness, but his tenure in Minnesota also was marked by controversy.He penned a book in 1997 entitled No Room for Crybabies in which he threatened to sue the ownership group if he didnt obtain an ownership stake. And at the end of the 2001 season, he was ousted with one game left in the season after losing a power struggle with owner Red McCombs.Green finished his three years in Arizona with a 16-32 record. Perhaps his biggest accomplishment with the Cardinals was overseeing the drafting of Larry Fitzgerald as the No. 3 overall pick in 2004. Fitzgerald was a ball boy for Greens Vikings.Of course, many remember Greens final season in Arizona in 2006 for a Monday night loss to Chicago, when the Bears returned two late fumbles and a punt for touchdowns to rally from a 20-point deficit. Afterward, in one of the more memorable postgame rants by an NFL coach, Green pounded the podium and yelled, The Bears are who we thought they were! afterward, a line that would be replayed endlessly over the years.Green was well known for his Denny-isms, unique phrases like Plan your work and work your plan, which he would often say during practice.I still use that `Denny-ism today, Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. Coach Green is going to be missed dearly by everyone that was lucky enough to know him.Green was also an avid drummer, and Moss said on ESPNs NFL Live that we had a team and one thing he taught us was to play to one beat. His legacy will live on.Born Feb. 17, 1949, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Green once said he was struck by watching early Big Ten football games and seeing both Minnesota and Iowa putting together successful seasons behind black quarterbacks. Green enrolled at Iowa, too, and played running back for the Hawkeyes from 1968-70. He played for the BC Lions in Canada in 1971 before returning to coach in college, beginning at Dayton in 1973 and gradually climbing to bigger programs. Green was also a head coach at Stanford and served as an assistant to Bill Walsh on the dominant 49ers teams of the 1980s.All of us at the Cardinals are incredibly saddened by the news of Dennis Greens passing, Cardinals President Michael Bidwell said. Coach Green will rightly be remembered as a true innovator, leader and pioneer among football coaches. We express our deepest sympathy to his family and his many friends.The family asked that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Boys and Girls Club of San Diego.He did so much for me, tweeted former coach Tony Dungy, who was a defensive coordinator under Green with the Vikings. Was looking forward to saying thanks at HOF. Tomorrow not promised.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---AP Sports Writer Bob Baum in Phoenix contributed to this report. Tytus Howard Youth Jersey . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. Kahale Warring Texans Jersey . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. http://www.officialhoustontexanspro.com/Lonnie-johnson-texans-jersey/ . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. DeAndre Hopkins Youth Jersey . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Cullen Gillaspia Youth Jersey .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury.England played their final fixture of 2016 with Tuesday nights 2-2 draw with Spain at Wembley Stadium. With the Three Lions not back in action until March of next year, we reflect on a tumultuous year for the national team.From beating Germany in Berlin to Southgates audition to succeed Sam Allardyce, here are Englands key moments from 2016. Winning in GermanyIts easy to forget that England kicked off 2016 with the dizzying high of a 3-2 win over world champions Germany. They seemed destined for defeat when Toni Kroos and Mario Gomez put the hosts 2-0 up at Berlins Olympic Stadium in March, but Roy Hodgsons youthful side staged a brilliant comeback. Harry Kane celebrates Englands 3-2 win over Germany in Berlin Harry Kane pulled one back with a low finish, then Jamie Vardy equalised with an audacious flick from Nathaniel Clynes cross before England wrapped up a stunning victory when Eric Dier headed home from Jordan Hendersons corner in stoppage time.From Dele Allis brilliant performance to Englands dangerous new strikeforce, there were plenty of positives for Hodgson. He described it as his greatest night since taking the job, and while it was only a friendly, it felt like a welcome boost ahead of the summer at Euro 2016.Rashfords emergenceAfter scoring with his first shots on his Europa League and Premier League debuts for Manchester United, the irrepressible Marcus Rashford repeated the trick on his England bow against Australia in May. The teenager, picked ahead of Daniel Sturridge, took just three minutes to make his mark. Marcus Rashford celebrates after scoring the first goal for England against Australia His volleyed finish at the Stadium of Light was struck with unerring accuracy, and at 18 years and 208 days, it made him the youngest player to score on his England debut - beating a record set by Tommy Lawton in 1938. Six months half price Upgrade to Sky Sports to watch Man Utd v Arsenal on Saturday and get the first six months half price It was another happy chapter in his extraordinary rise, and it guaranteed his place in Hodgsons final squad for Euro 2016. Im delighted for Marcus and delighted that hes received such praise, said Hodgson. Im also delighted that my decision to thrust him into the side was not proved to be ridiculous. He tired a bit in the second half but what a debut.Iceland humiliationThe pre-Euro 2016 optimism evaporated as England struggled through the group stages, but they appeared to have lucked out when they were pitted against minnows Iceland in the last 16. England slumped to a shock defeat by Iceland at Euro 2016 England were huge favourites to set up a mouth-watering quarter-final against hosts France, but instead they exited the tournament in abject humiliation.dddddddddddd Wayne Rooneys early penalty was cancelled out within two minutes by Ragnar Sigurdsson, and Kolbein Sigthorsson put Iceland in front shortly afterwards.England had over 70 minutes to turn the match around, but their response was pitiful as they froze on the big stage. Simple passes went astray and shots were miscued, with the England fans in Nice venting their frustration with chants of youre not fit to wear the shirt. Hodgson resigned immediately, and England packed their bags.Big Sams short stayA month after the Iceland debacle, the FA announced the appointment of Sam Allardyce on a two-year contract. The former Bolton, West Ham and Sunderland manager vowed to turn Englands fortunes around, but one game and 67 days later, he left his post by mutual consent following a newspaper sting. Sam Allardyce speaks to the press after leaving his post as England manager Allardyce was filmed discussing how to circumvent rules on player transfers, and the video footage also appeared to show him mocking his predecessor Hodgson and criticising the FAs decision to rebuild Wembley. Allardyce apologised in a meeting with FA chiefs, but two days later he was gone.On reflection it was a silly thing to do, he reflected. I was trying to help someone out I knew for 30 years and unfortunately it was an error in judgement on my behalf. Entrapment has won on this occasion.Southgate makes his caseGareth Southgate will be hoping he has done enough to lead England into 2017. The former U21 manager steered England to two wins and two draws after being placed in temporary charge in September, and while he might not be an appointment to set the pulses racing, he seems well placed to take the job permanently. Gareth Southgate is expected to be made Englands permanent manager There were plenty of positive signs in the 3-0 win over Scotland, and for 89 minutes ag