Former Arizona Cardinals head coach dead at 74

Dave McGinnis, who spent 25 seasons coaching in the NFL — including three seasons as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2000-03 — died on Monday, April 13, following an illness that hospitalized him more than a month ago. He was 74. McGinnis, affectionately known as “Coach Mac,” passed away after being admitted to a Nashville hospital on March 4.

In recent days, friends and colleagues and many of his former players reportedly came to visit him and he listened to recorded voice messages from those who couldn’t be there. “We were deeply saddened to learn of Dave McGinnis’ passing and extend our heartfelt condolences to all who knew and loved him,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in a statement. “As Dave often said, he was a ‘ballcoach’ through and through, and no one ever filled that role with more passion, enthusiasm and charisma.

Coach Mac truly loved the game and everything — and everyone — associated with it, especially his players. “He was one of a kind and will be greatly missed. ” McGinnis was defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears for 10 years before joining the Cardinals in that role in 1996.

He replaced Vince Tobin as head coach midway through the 2000 season and went 17-40 in 3½ seasons with Arizona before being replaced by Dennis Green in 2004. One of the players McGinnis coached in Arizona was Pat Tillman, who left the NFL to enlist in the U. S.