Brad Childress

Brad Childress

Brad Childress (born June 27, 1956 in Aurora, Illinois, U.S.) is the 7th and current head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, a professional American football team. He attended High School at Marmion Military Academy. Prior to being hired as the head coach of the Vikings beginning with the 2006 season, Childress worked as an assistant coach for various college organizations and NFL franchises, most recently with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Before Minnesota

Prior to his hiring by the Vikings, Childress had worked exclusively as an offensive coach, working his way up through the ranks in various college and NFL organizations, first as a position coach, culminating with his offensive coordinator position with the Eagles. Since 1978, Childress has worked for four college organizations and three NFL teams:

• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, running backs/wide receivers coach (1978–1984)
• Indianapolis Colts, quarterbacks coach (1985)
• Northern Arizona University, offensive coordinator (1986–1989)
• University of Utah, wide receivers coach (1990)
• University of Wisconsin–Madison, running backs coach, offensive coordinator (1991–1998)
• Philadelphia Eagles, quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator (1999–2005)

Hiring by the Minnesota Vikings

On January 6, 2006, Childress was hired to be the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. This choice was the result of a short-lived selection process. Former coach Mike Tice was informed that his contract would not be renewed shortly after the Vikings' last game of the 2005 season on December 31. Four candidates were interviewed by the Vikings: Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders, Indianapolis Colts assistant head coach Jim Caldwell, and former Vikings defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell.

The short length and small breadth of the selection process was questioned. Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, who is known as an intense football fan but not as an expert on the game, was criticized for not first hiring a top-shelf personnel manager who would then be tasked with hiring a new head coach.

The Vikings have improved after the first year under Childress's direction. The team was 9-7 when he took over for Mike Tice. After a 6-10 campaign in his first year, Childress took the Vikings to 8-8 in his second season, narrowly missing a playoff berth. In his third season in charge, Childress led the Vikings to a 10-6 record and the NFC North title while battling the fourth toughest schedule in the NFL. But despite the talent on the roster, the Vikings were defeated by the number 6 seed Philadelphia Eagles, 26-14 in the first round of the playoffs.

On November 19, 2009, the Vikings announced they would be extending Brad Childress's contract through the 2013 season. The owner Zygi Wilf was cited as saying, “Brad has done a tremendous job leading this football team and we value the positive environment he has created for the Minnesota Vikings on and off the field,He has continued to positively impact this team and create a strong foundation for future success.” [1]. Childress has continued to improve his team during each of his first 3 seasons with the vikings going 6-10 in 2006 to 8-8 in 2007 10-6 in 2008.

Head coaching record

Team	Year	Regular Season					Post Season
		Won	Lost	Ties	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
MIN	2006	6	10	0	.375	3rd in NFC North
MIN	2007	8	8	0	.500	2nd in NFC North
MIN	2008	10	6	0	.625	1st in NFC North	0	1	.000	Lost to Philadelphia Eagles in NFC Wild-Card Game.
MIN	2009	11	3	0	.846	1st in NFC North
Total		35	26	0	.573		0	1	.000

Coaching tree

NFL head coaches under whom Brad Childress has served:

• Rod Dowhower, Indianapolis Colts (1985)
• Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles (1999–2005)

Assistant coaches under Brad Childress who became NFL head coaches:

• Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers (2006–current)

Personal life

Childress is married and has four children. His wife's name is Dru-Ann, and his children's names are Cara, Kyle, Andrew, and Christopher. Childress is a practicing Catholic, along with his family. He recently joined Minnetonka Country Club in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

He is one of two Eastern Illinois University alums who are head coaches in the NFL, along with Sean Payton. Childress's career winning percentage in his 30 years of coaching is 56%. Recent Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan is also an alumni.

During games, Brad Childress wears a headset that resembles that of a fast food drive-thru worker. It is uncertain whether or not he does this in preparation for his next job after his inevitable firing.

External links

• Vikings set to pick Brad Childress, Minneapolis Star Tribune story