MINNEAPOLIS — By now, Vikings fans know that Minnesota's football team has a new head coach in Kevin O'Connell. A former quarterback, O'Connell most recently served as offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Los Angeles Rams.
KARE 11 sports director Reggie Wilson sat down with Coach O'Connell to get to know the man behind the Vikings and find answers to your burning questions, from favorite movies to dream on-field matchups.
1. Favorite food?
I'm a steak and potatoes guy, a nice filet mignon.
2. Favorite hobby? Outside of football.
I do like playing pickup basketball as some exercise, and maybe I'll get out there and you'll bump into me in the community... just go easy on me if you're guarding me, cause I don't move like I used to! I do like playing a little basketball, but I'm probably more of the, I'm the role player now you know, I'm setting screens, playing defense. I'm talking probably more than I'm moving to be honest with you. But that doesn't mean I can't put it in the basket.
3. Favorite spot in the Twin Cities?
You know, I've enjoyed both going with Timberwolves game and a Minnesota Wild game. I'd go back to those anytime. I can find the time to go to great atmospheres to great places to go see, but still nothing like U.S. Bank Stadium.
4. Favorite movie?
You bet I'm gonna go with Shawshank Redemption. Love that movie. My wife watches The Bachelorette... I say I hate watching it, I'll say that I'm going to do a little work while it's on, but I can probably tell you more about it than I would care to admit.
5. Favorite moment from childhood?
I got an opportunity on a very young basketball team to actually win what they call the "National Championship." I don't know really what that entailed, but we were 9 years old and I was living in New Jersey at the time, but we collectively won a National Championship. It felt like the Super Bowl to us at the time.
6. Beachfront or lakefront?
I will say lakefront. Because you can do some ice fishing on a lakefront, and all the ice hockey. We do a lot of stuff on the ice around here. So I think that's embracing the seasons. That's all that there is to be looking forward to here in Minnesota.
7. Dream matchup on the field?
Seeing Sean McVay on the other sideline will be really really cool, and try to use all all the tricks and tools that he taught me. Try to use those against him to go beat those guys.
8. Who's your football hero?
I think Joe Montana. You know, the way I've now learned the position and learned the game. You go back and watch him play the position. I got a lot of respect for how he played, maybe without the elite level skill sets of arm strength and athleticism and all the things that we now look at as traits. This guy just played the position, was incredibly successful for a long period of time. So you got to go with a quarterback, and if it's not going to be a friend Tarkington who was way more athletic than I was as a player, Randall Cunningham to throw the ball obviously, a heck of a lot further than I could.
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