Everybody already seems to know everything about the man the Minnesota Vikings are reportedly hiring as their next head coach, Kevin O’Connell, but did you know all of these interesting facts and tidbits?
The cliff notes version of the list can be summed up by saying he’s super smart, loves the word “inventory” and he’ll probably make a great broadcaster when his coaching days are over.
1. He was roommates as a rookie and remains close friends with former Patriots perennial Pro Bowl special teams ace Matt Slater.
2. When he arrived in Los Angeles, he watched every snap of Jared Goff’s first three years in the league “just to kind of get kind of get a feel” and become comfortable “with the the years of inventory” that Goff had at that point. Based on his press conferences, he likes to refer to game film and past experiences as “inventory.”
3. While playing as a third-string QB behind Tom Brady in New England, he learned that head coach Bill Belichick values leaders who “do everything the right way,” including preparation, working hard and leading teammates.
4. If he brings any of L.A.’s offensive identity to Minnesota, it’ll mean a lot of work for wide receivers, especially young players. “We could be in the huddle one minute and then not huddle again for ten plays, so they’ve gotta know much more than those specific plays,” O’Connell said in November. “They’ve also gotta be able to fit into a lot of the different things we do from a tempo standpoint, no-huddle standpoint, so it puts a lot on their plate.”
5. He played QB at San Diego State and ran a 4.6-second 40-yard dash before the Patriots drafted him in the third round in 2008.
6. He’s been called “old school” for the way he takes meticulous notes and has notebooks upon notebooks of information built up through his years in football. Maybe his note-taking is a genetic trait handed to him by his father, who was an FBI agent.
7. He had the highest Wonderlic score at the NFL Combine in 2008.
8. He was born in Knoxville, Tennessee before his family moved to New Jersey. When he was 10 they moved to Carlsbad, California, where he became a football and basketball standout.
9. He was high school basketball teammates with former Arizona star Chase Budinger, who wound up playing for the Timberwolves from 2012-15.
10. In 2012 he switched gears and began a broadcasting career, working as a sideline reporter for San Diego State radio, later doing some TV hits for a local NBC affiliate. According to AztecsForLife.com, O’Connell was hoping to establish himself as a sports broadcaster “if football doesn’t work out.” Looks like football worked out just fine for him.
