Dave McGinnis, who served as assistant head coach of the Rams from 2012-16, died Monday at the age of 74.
"The Rams are saddened by the passing of former assistant head coach Dave McGinnis," the team said in a statement. "Our sincere condolences are with his family and friends during this difficult time."
"Nobody epitomized the good of the NFL like Coach Mac," Rams president Kevin Demoff posted on X. "His humor and kindness brought together people from every facet of the organization, always with a smile and a story to tell. He saw the good in everybody and was masterful out of getting the best out of the people around him."
McGinnis' 44-year coaching career began right after his college career ended, joining his alma mater Texas Christian as a graduate assistant in 1973. After 13 years at the collegiate level with stops at Missouri, Indiana State, a return to TCU, and Kansas State, McGinnis joined the Bears as linebackers coach, serving in that role from 1986-1995. The Cardinals hired him as their defensive coordinator in 1996, and he would spend eight seasons in Arizona overall, serving as head coach from 2000-2003. He served as defensive coordinator until midway through the 2000 season, when he was elevated to interim head coach after Arizona parted ways with Vince Tobin.
It was after his time in Arizona when he linked up with Jeff Fisher on the Titans' coaching staff as assistant head coach/linebackers coach, holding that role from 2004-2011 – seven of Fisher's eight seasons as Tennessee's head coach – before following Fisher to St. Louis and later Los Angeles when the Rams hired Fisher as head coach in 2012. After the 2016 season, McGinnis retired from coaching and joined the Tennessee Titans' radio broadcast team as their new gameday color analyst, holding that role through the 2025 season.
"The lives he touched, and the number of people that cared about him, it's amazing really," Fisher told Titans Senior Writer/Editor Jim Wyatt. "Mac treated people so well, and made everyone feel like they were important. Even in the hospital, people would stop by to see him, and he would ask about their families, their grandkids, even when he could barely speak. He made a big impact on so many people. Everyone loved Mac."
Rams senior vice president of sports medicine and performance Reggie Scott, who has been with the franchise for 17 seasons, remembered McGinnis for the connector – and the storyteller – he was.
"The first word that comes to mind is connector," Scott said. "He was the glue of this building. His consistency in who he was every day was rare, and that was positive, upbeat and just an unbelievable connector. Like, there's not a person in the building that he didn't connect with and love on and appreciate and really take time (with). So connection, obviously consistent, and then present. When you were with him, you felt like you meant the world. I mean, he was very present with you, and he made you feel great. He'd just walk around the building, truly a glue guy, and really kept this building together in a lot of ways, in his own little way. The other thing I would say about him, he was funny as hell now. He was the best storyteller, he was a top five storyteller of all time. I mean, his stories, and how he could deliver a story, and what he would say, he would have us on the floor. His one liners, his wittiness, because he was always like, 'zero to 10! That was good sh--!' He had the best one liners of all time."
Rams executive vice president of community impact and engagement Molly Higgins, who has been with the franchise for 25 seasons, said she was blessed to call Coach Mac "a friend and mentor." At the center of the many amazing memories she has reflected on over past week, she said, were his love for people and his "incredible" sense of humor.
"So often people toss out the phrase 'one of one' but ask any player or staff member from 2012-2016, and they would say Mac Daddy was that one," Higgins said. "His personality was larger than life. He lit up every room he walked in and when he walked out, everyone felt like they were his best friend. That was one of his superpowers – his ability to uplift everyone around him and make them feel seen and loved."
Like Scott, Higgins remembered Coach Mac for the "connector" he was across the organization, as well as the enduring influence he has had on her career.
"As our assistant head coach, he was the glue guy for our organization - the connector between the football side and the business side," Higgins said. "He liked to keep his finger on the pulse of everything happening, so he could be as helpful as possible. There weren't many days that he didn't come to my office for a 'Coach Mac/Coach Molly meetin' (in his West Texas drawl) as he would call it. Subjects ranged from football to family to life, but they were always full of nuggets of wisdom and a lot of laughs. He's been one of the more influential figures in my career and his passion for life and love of people will always inspire me. The world was a better place because of Coach Mac and I am beyond grateful for all the laughs and memories that I will cherish forever."
