Dave McGinnis, the energetic and personable head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2000-2003, died Monday at the age of 74.
"Coach Mac" had been the Tennessee Titans radio analyst since 2017, after a 41-year coaching career in college and the NFL. But his time in Arizona, despite a 17-40 overall record, was marked with matter-of-fact analysis, homespun anecdotes in his Texas twang, and a love for his players that morphed often into hugs.
"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 had been the Bears linebackers coach for a decade before he was brought in as the Cardinals defensive coordinator in 1996 when Vince Tobin was hired as head coach. When Tobin was fired seven games into the 2000 season, McGinnis took over on an interim basis and was officially given the job prior to the last game of the year.
He lasted through the end of the 2003 season, his final game famously ending with a miracle touchdown pass from Josh McCown to Nate Poole that knocked the Minnesota Vikings out of the playoffs and leading to an unforgettable locker room speech from a coach who knew he was about to be fired.
McGinnis then went on to coach linebackers for the Titans from 2004-11 and then was assistant head coach of the Rams from 2012-2016 before retiring from coaching and getting into broadcasting with the Titans.
His tenure with the Cardinals didn't produce many wins, but it was memorable nonetheless. Besides the dramatic final game, he was the architect of a Cardinals' defense that helped the team to their first playoff appearance in Arizona when the team did so in 1998. He was part of the door-to-door effort in 2000 to get out the vote for Prop 302, the mechanism that got State Farm Stadium built and allowed the Cardinals to leave Sun Devil Stadium in 2006.
He famously had been on track to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears after the 1998 playoff run. But while the team and McGinnis were still working out final details, the Bears were already putting it out there – even changing the voice mail recording in the coach's office to "coach Dave McGinnis" – and a miffed McGinnis chose to stay in Arizona.
McGinnis also coached Pat Tillman for the entirety of Tillman's career and ended up the spokesman that revealed to reporters Tillman's plan to join the Army.
