Former Arizona Cardinals head coach dead at 74

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.”

Head coach Dave McGinnis of the Arizona Cardinals yells out to the field against the St. Louis Rams during the NFL game at the Edward Jones Dome on Dec. 15, 2002, in St. Louis, Missouri.

Dave McGinnis died in Nashville on April, 13, 2026. He was 74.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) runs with the ball against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 30, 2022.

Moore died in Indiana on Feb. 21 at age 25.

Phoenix Mercury forward Kara Braxton (45) reacts on the court against the Seattle Storm in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals in 2010.

Braxton died in Atlanta on Feb. 21.

A portrait of Mike Bates taken on March 2, 2021, at Bull Shooter in Phoenix.

The former Apollo High School baseball player died of leukemia on Jan. 27.

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Remembering Arizona sports figures who died in 2026

Head coach Dave McGinnis of the Arizona Cardinals yells out to the field against the St. Louis Rams during the NFL game at the Edward Jones Dome on Dec. 15, 2002, in St. Louis, Missouri.

Dave McGinnis died in Nashville on April, 13, 2026. He was 74.

1 / 4

Remembering Arizona sports figures who died in 2026

Head coach Dave McGinnis of the Arizona Cardinals yells out to the field against the St. Louis Rams during the NFL game at the Edward Jones Dome on Dec. 15, 2002, in St. Louis, Missouri.

Dave McGinnis died in Nashville on April, 13, 2026. He was 74.

2 / 4

Remembering Arizona sports figures who died in 2026

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) runs with the ball against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 30, 2022.

Moore died in Indiana on Feb. 21 at age 25.

3 / 4

Remembering Arizona sports figures who died in 2026

Phoenix Mercury forward Kara Braxton (45) reacts on the court against the Seattle Storm in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals in 2010.

Braxton died in Atlanta on Feb. 21.

4 / 4

Remembering Arizona sports figures who died in 2026

A portrait of Mike Bates taken on March 2, 2021, at Bull Shooter in Phoenix.

The former Apollo High School baseball player died of leukemia on Jan. 27.

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. Army following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Tillman died in Afghanistan from friendly fire in 2004 at the age of 27.

"I've coached eight Hall of Famers, and no player I've ever coached had more of an impact on my life than Pat Tillman did," McGinnis once said. "It was an immense loss, and it will always be there. But we are all better for having known him. His legacy will live forever."

McGinnis was born in Independence, Kansas, but raised in Texas. He was the linebackers coach for the Tennessee Titans from 2004-11 and has been the team’s radio color analyst since 2017.

“My heart aches with the loss of Coach Mac, who was so much more than a coach and a broadcaster — he was family,” Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement. “Coach gave so much of himself to the organization over the years and with passion, loyalty and his love for the Titans never wavered.

“He cared deeply about the people around him and that kindness and authenticity left a lasting impact on everyone who knew him. … We will miss him dearly, and we will always be grateful for the legacy he leaves behind.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Dave McGinnis dies after being hospitalized in Nashville