Eden Prairie, Minn. — Dennis Green's stormy run with the Minnesota Vikings ended Friday when he was forced out with one game left in the season. Green, whose 10-year tenure tied him with Pittsburgh's Bill Cowher for longest in the league, accepted a buyout of the last two years of his contract.
"I've been very blessed and very fortunate. The players have been absolutely fantastic," said Green, who took no questions.
Green was only the second black head coach in modern NFL history when he was hired in 1992. His dismissal leaves Tampa Bay's Tony Dungy and the New York Jets' Herman Edwards as the league's only black head coaches.
Offensive line coach Mike Tice was appointed interim head coach for the team's final game Monday night at Baltimore.
The Vikings are 5-10 and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1995. This is their first losing season under Green. Under Green, the Vikings won four division titles and went to the playoffs eight times. They also lost two heartbreaking NFC championship games in 1998 to Atlanta and last season to the New York Giants.
Green guided the Vikings to the best record in the NFL over the previous three seasons, but things got off to a rocky start in 2001. On the second day of training camp, offensive tackle Korey Stringer collapsed of heatstroke. Stringer, a Pro Bowl player and team leader, died the following day.
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