By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Former Minnesota Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano was laid to rest on Friday. He was 56 years old when he died last Sunday.
Sparano had been the Vikings offensive line coach for the past two seasons. His wife found him unresponsive as the couple was preparing to leave for a church service.

He died from heart disease, according to reports.
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The Vikings canceled practice on Friday to attend his funeral service. According to Pro Football Talk, there were 250 people in attendance.
“He was a great coach [and] just a hell of a person,” former NFL head coach Rex Ryan said to the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson. “He was my kind of guy. He was a tough ass, but he was just special. He had a great rapport with his players. You knew what you were going to get from him. He was an honest man. Just a great coach.”
His service took place at the St. Bartholomew Catholic Faith Community Church in Wayzata, Minnesota. Riley Reiff, Nick Easton, Pat Elflein, Mike Remmers, and Rashod Hill — his Vikings offensive lineman — were his pallbearers, as they carried his casket to the hearse.
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“He took me to places I couldn’t go as a player and as a man,” Elflein said. “It wasn’t just football with him. He really cared about his players, and the well-being of his players. It hurts.”
At press time, it is not clear how many people from the NFL were in attendance. Sparano had been in the league since 1999.
Thus, he has met and touched many lives as a coach. He also was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders.
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