Vikings officially name Kevin O'Connell head coach

He'll be introduced at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Vikings officially name Kevin O'Connell head coach
Vikings officially name Kevin O'Connell head coach /

It's official. Kevin O'Connell has said yes to the mess in Minnesota. 

The 36-year-old now-former offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams will be formally introduced as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings at a press conference Thursday, the team announced. 

In a brief statement, O'Connell said he is "committed to working tirelessly" to bring Minnesota a Super Bowl, like the one he and the Rams just won over the Bengals. 

O'Connell will be the 10th head coach in Vikings history and the first to work alongside first-year GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. 

“As I spent time with Kevin during the interview process, it became immediately clear he will be a great partner in building this football team for long-term success,” said Adofo-Mensah. “He understands what is critical to leading a team that wins at the highest level, and he has an ability to simplify the complex, which will help us in problem-solving in all football areas. He is a genuinely positive person who will help create a high-energy internal environment.”

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Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf said O'Connell's history playing football "gives him a unique connection to players," while Owner/Chairman Zygi Wilf complimented O'Connell's "tremendous football IQ" and passion for "preparing, developing and communicating with his players." 

O'Connell played QB at San Diego State in college, then was a third-string QB behind Tom Brady in New England.

The Vikings will hold the introductory press conference with O'Connell at 4 p.m. Thursday. 


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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen.  His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011.  Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play.  Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers.  Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.