It’s not often that a loss brings about the anniversary of an all-time classic. But for Arizona Cardinals fans, it’s indeed the case for one particular meltdown.
It was 19 years ago today, on October 16, 2006, their team fumbled away a 23-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter to the Chicago Bears to drop a 24-23 decision on Monday Night Foootball. That set off one of the all-time great post-game press conference rants by Cardinals head coach Dennis Green.
ESPNNews carried the press conference live.
Green’s Meltdown Considered One Of The All-Time Sound Bites
Rant has gone from the world of football to become meme and advertising sound bite
That 45 second stretch of anger from Green is always one of the first that comes to mind when you think of press conference responses. NFL Network lists it at the #7 all-time meltdown in its series Top 10, and is front-and-center when the network talks about coaches getting angry at the media. But the sound bite took on a life of its own, and has moved on into the world of social media and advertising. Whenever something that looks like it’s a sure thing turns out to be a failure, you’re sure to see his face in GIF form.
And when Coors Light needed a new face and voice to replace Jim Mora in their “press conference” style ads, who else would they turn to?
Green, who died in 2016, has a legacy that is wide-reaching. He was the second-ever African-American head coach in Division I-A (now FBS) college football when he took over Northwestern in 1981. He was also the second African-American head coach in the modern NFL, and the first to become a head coach without playing in the NFL. He made the postseason eight times in his ten years as head coach in Minnesota. But when you say the name Dennis Green, this minute of meltdown is what you think of first.
