Eagen Hughes Funeral Home

Members of the team and front office/ownership, including head coach Mike Zimmer, general manager Rick Spielman and current and former players of both the Vikings and Sparano, were bussed to the event, and some other notable figures from across the league made their way into the area as well to say their final goodbyes.New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, Miami Dolphins Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum, former Vikings linemen Jake Long and Joe Berger were among those to arrive at the services on Friday. Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press also tweeted that the office of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban sent flowers, as well.ESPN's Chris Mortensen first reported on Sunday through Adam Schefter that Sparano, 56, complained to his family about chest pains and was hospitalized on Thursday, tests were run and he was discharged on Friday. He and his wife, Jeannette, were preparing to go to church on Sunday morning when she found him unconscious in the kitchen and he was unable to be revived. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office released the official cause of death report on Monday, stating that Sparano died at his home of natural causes stemming from arteriosclerotic heart disease at 8:54 a.m. CT Sunday after medical attention was called for at 8:07 a.m. CT.According to the Mayo Clinic, "Arteriosclerosis occurs when the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from your heart to the rest of your body (arteries) become thick and stiff — sometimes restricting blood flow to your organs and tissues. Healthy arteries are flexible and elastic, but over time, the walls in your arteries can harden, a condition commonly called hardening of the arteries."Sparano coached a group in 2016 that was considered one of the worst offensive lines in the league, but the unit took huge steps forward in 2017 under his mentorship and helped lead the team to a berth in the NFC Championship game.He had held his post with the team since the 2016 season and had been in the league as an assistant since the 1999 season...