Columbus native and longtime NFL coach Leslie Frazier has a chance to add another Super Bowl ring to his collection next week.
The Lee High School alumnus and Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach is preparing for the big game for a third time in a playing and coaching career that spans more than three decades.
Though NFL success has taken Frazier to every corner of the country, the coach has continued to make time for his hometown and state. He has been inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, the Black College Football Hall of Fame and the Lowndes County Sports Hall of Fame.
When Frazier arrived at the Trotter Center last year for the inaugural Lowndes County Sports Hall of Fame ceremony, both as an inductee and the keynote speaker, he expressed his gratitude at being enshrined in his hometown.
Frazier was one of 10 inductees in the inaugural class, and returned to his hometown, just down the street from his old stomping grounds at Lee High School, to mark the occasion in person.
“The fact that there were over 200 names to choose from tells you how many great athletes and contributors there are from Lowndes County, which is astounding,” Frazier told The Dispatch. “To have my name mentioned with them, and then chosen, it’s just extremely humbling, and to be a part of the first class ever is very special.”
Frazier was not one of the most sought-after recruits by the big three state universities in Mississippi at that time. He visited Ole Miss, but did not receive any interest from Mississippi State, despite having a productive high-school career. He would choose to play for Alcorn State and would eventually sign for the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 1981.
He broke into the starting lineup in 1982 after a year on special teams. He would become an important member of the most successful Bears teams in franchise history under Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, culminating in a Super Bowl win in 1985.
Frazier was a member of the famous “G Crew” in the hit single “The Super Bowl Shuffle” alongside other Bears teammates.
Unfortunately, the victory in Super Bowl XX against the New England Patriots came with a career-ending knee injury for Frazier, but it also set him on a different path, one that changed the course of his life – coaching.
Starting at Trinity International in 1988 as a head coach at the NAIA level, Frazier eventually became a defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999, then defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003, and assistant head coach for the Indianapolis Colts, where he earned his second Super Bowl ring in 2006.
Frazier then joined the Minnesota Vikings, where he was named head coach in 2010 and led the team to a 21-32-1 record and a playoff appearance in 2012. He was fired in 2013, but has remained a constant figure in the league. He was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under Sean McDermott with the Buffalo Bills from 2017-22, and in 2024 he joined the Seahawks staff under rookie head coach Mike MacDonald. The team has developed one of the most fearsome defensive units in the league over the past two years, and next weekend will have the chance to lift the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in franchise history.
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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 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
