On Sunday, the football community and the Minnesota Vikings received some heartbreaking news.

Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano unexpectedly passed away at the age of 56.

According to ESPN, Sparano complained of heart pains on Thursday and went into the hospital for tests and was released on Friday.

His wife found him unresponsive on Sunday morning as they were getting ready for church and the medics were unable to revive him.

Over his 19 year career in the NFL, Sparano served as an assistant for 8 teams while being the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2008-2011 while also filing in as a interim head coach for the Raiders in 2014.

During that career, Sparano clearly touched the lives of so many as was evident with the outpouring of support for his family and him personally via social media.


 

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