Columbus native Leslie Frazier, who has served as interim coach of the Minnesota Vikings the past six games, is the team”s first choice to take over as head coach, a Minnesota newspaper reported.
The Star Tribune reported Frazier, a Lee High and Alcorn State graduate, should be introduced as head coach early this week, barring a breakdown in talks.
No one from the Vikings would comment on the record. “Nothing has been solidified, but we”re going to talk further,” Frazier told the Tribune.
Frazier was a cornerback for the NFL”s Chicago Bears, and was a member of the Bears” 1985 Super Bowl-winning team. He served as an assistant coach with the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals before moving to Minnesota, where he was an assistant before being tapped as interim head coach, replacing Brad Childress.
The Vikings, which had been predicted to be Super Bowl contenders, finished 6-10, last in its division. The team lost its final game to Detroit on Sunday, 20-13.
Frazier went 3-3 as interim coach, but presided over tough times for the Vikings, including injuries that sidelined quarterback Brett Favre. A blizzard that damaged the Vikings” stadium also caused Frazier to play home games on the road. The team posted its worst season since 1990.
However, the Star Tribune reported Frazier had strong endorsements from the Vikings” locker room.
“It would mean the world to these guys in here,” linebacker Ben Leber told the Tribune. “Everybody respects him and just to have some solidarity and cohesiveness going into the offseason.”
Frazier was a 1977 graduate of Lee High School. He served as defensive coordinator in Indianapolis — where he won another Super Bowl as a coach — and Cincinnati. He was a defensive backs coach in Philadelphia and coached Trinity College in Illinois to two National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics titles.
At Alcorn State, Frazier also played baseball. He played football, basketball and baseball at Lee, but excelled at football. He was selected to the Southwest Athletic Conference all-star game while at Alcorn.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.