Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dave McGinnis dies at 74 after sickness

Dave McGinnis, a former Arizona Cardinals head coach and Tennessee Titans assistant coach, died on Monday. He was 74.

The Titans introduced the demise of McGinnis, who died after being hospitalized for an sickness in early March. The Titans’ information launch mentioned that he handed away at Ascension St. Thomas Midtown Hospital together with his household by his facet.

“My coronary heart aches with the lack of Coach Mac, who was a lot greater than a coach and broadcaster – he was household,” Titans proprietor Amy Adams Strunk mentioned in an announcement.

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Head coach Dave McGinnis of the Arizona Cardinals watches from the sideline throughout a recreation in opposition to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Subject in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Nov. 9, 2003. The Steelers defeated the Cardinals, 28-15. (George Gojkovich/Getty Photos)

Cardinals proprietor Michael Bidwell additionally launched an announcement on McGinnis.

“As Dave typically mentioned, he was a ‘ball coach’ by and thru, and nobody ever stuffed that function with extra ardour, enthusiasm and charisma,” Bidwell mentioned. “Coach Mac really beloved the sport and every thing – and everybody – related to it, particularly his gamers. He was certainly one of a form and will likely be drastically missed.”

McGinnis discovered himself in an interim head teaching function through the 2000 season with the Cardinals, the staff for which he served as defensive coordinator in 1996. He was retained within the head teaching submit from 2001-03.

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In 57 profession video games, McGinnis went 17-40 with the Cardinals, in the end being fired after a 4-12 season in 2003.

After he was fired, McGinnis landed with the Titans as a linebackers coach underneath head coach Jeff Fisher. He would change into a mainstay in Nashville, holding that function and ultimately being promoted to assistant head coach till 2011.

Coach Dave McGinnis of the Arizona Cardinals walks the sideline in opposition to the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, on Nov. 16, 2003. The Browns received the sport, 40-6. (Tom Pidgeon/Getty Photos)

“Coach Mac gave a lot of himself to this group through the years, and his ardour, loyalty and love for the Titans by no means wavered,” Strunk added. “He cared deeply concerning the folks round him, and that kindness and authenticity left an enduring impression on everybody who knew him. He held a really particular place in our household, and his presence in our lives and inside this franchise won’t ever be forgotten. We are going to miss him dearly, and we’ll all the time be thankful for the legacy he leaves behind.”

McGinnis’s teaching profession started in 1973 when he was an assistant with TCU. He additionally held posts with Indiana State, Missouri and Kansas State till the 1986 season when he broke into the NFL with the Chicago Bears.

McGinnis served as linebackers coach for Chicago from 1986-95 earlier than getting a promotion with the Cardinals. He additionally held roles with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams earlier than leaving coach after the 2016 marketing campaign.

McGinnis returned to Nashville to affix Titans Radio in 2017, the place he served as a coloration announcer for video games.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Dave McGinnis stands on the sideline throughout a recreation in opposition to the Oakland Raiders at Community Associates Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Dec. 2, 2001. (Jed Jacobsohn/Allsport)

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“I really like Dave McGinnis, and I do not know that I’ve met anyone who was created for soccer, and a soccer life, greater than Coach Mac,” mentioned Burke Nihill, president and CEO of the Titans. “He simply beloved the sport. Clearly, he performed it for a very long time and coached it for longer, and with every thing he has performed for us through the years as coloration commentator and a Titans persona. He lived such a particular soccer life. He was such a particular man.

The Related Press contributed to this report.

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