I think they picked the right guy

Dennis Green, one of the National Football League's most successful head coaches, has been named the 33rd head coach of the Arizona
Cardinals.

Green, who has agreed to the terms of a five-year contract, will be introduced as the Cardinals' new head coach at an 11 a.m. press conference on Friday, January 9 in the auditorium of the Cardinals' south Tempe training facility.

Green, 54, posted a 101-70 (.591) composite record in 10 seasons (1992-2001) as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, leading the Vikes to eight postseason berths (four National Football Conference Central Division titles) and two NFC championship games.

The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native also revived programs at Northwestern (1981-85) and Stanford (1989-91) in his first two head-coaching positions.

"Naming Dennis Green the Cardinals' head coach is a significant element to our plan to build a winning team," states President Bill Bidwill. "He is a proven winner with an outstanding track record of success everywhere he has coached. We're anxious for him to begin implementing his winning program with the Cardinals."

Green is one of only three NFL coaches to achieve a 15-victory season (15-1 in 1998), joining Bill Walsh (San Francisco , 1984) and Mike Ditka (Chicago, 1985).

Green also is one of just eight coaches in NFL history to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons (1992-94) as an NFL head coach.

Green's eight postseason appearances with the Vikings were accomplished with seven different quarterbacks -- Sean Salisbury (1992), Jim McMahon (1993), Warren Moon (1994), Brad Johnson (1996), Randall Cunningham (1997-98), Jeff George (1999), and Daunte Culpepper (2000).

The Vikings were the only NFL team to qualify for the playoffs each season from 1996-2000. They also posted the NFL's best winning percentage (.639, 92-52) from 1992-2000.

Under Green, Minnesota won in all environs-outdoors (33-24), indoors (59-28), grass (23-20), artificial surfaces (69-32), and temperatures below 40 degrees (7-3).

The Vikings' 36-12 (.750) composite record from 1998-2000 was the best three-season run in franchise history.

The youngest of five brothers, Green was an all-Pennsylvania running back and class president at John Harris High School before attending the University of Iowa where he started for one season as a flanker followed by two at running back for the Hawkeyes. He earned honorable mention all-Big Ten Conference honors in 1969-70.

Following his college career, Green played defensive back briefly for the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League in 1971.

Green returned to Iowa to begin his coaching career in 1972, followed by stops at Dayton (1973), Iowa again (1974-76), Stanford (1977-78), the San Francisco 49ers (1979), and Stanford again (1980) before accepting his first head-coaching position at Northwestern. He spent 1986-88 with the 49ers before becoming the head coach at Stanford and Minnesota.