Read about the numerous connections between players, coaches and staffers of the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings.
New Orleans S Darren Sharper played for the Vikings from 2005-08. During that period, Sharper appeared in all 62 games he appeared in and recorded 18 interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns. He represented the NFC as a Pro Bowl starter following the 2005 and 2007 seasons...Vikings QB Brett Favre prepped at Hancock North Central (Kiln, Miss) High School and subsequently starred at the University of Southern Mississippi from 1987-90...Sharper, Favre and Vikings K Ryan Longwell were teammates with the Green Bay Packers from 1997-2004. RB DeShawn Wynn later played with Favre and Vikings DE Montgomery in Green Bay...New Orleans head coach Sean Payton and Minnesota head Coach Brad Childress are both graduates and former signal callers at Eastern Illinois University...Saints special teams coordinator Greg McMahon served on the coaching staff at the University of Minnesota from 1983-84, where he served along with Vikings assistant offensive line coach Jim Hueber and wide receivers coach George Stewart. New Orleans secondary coach Dennis Allen, defensive line coach Bill Johnson and Stewart also served on the same staff with the Atlanta Falcons...Saints running backs coach Bret Ingalls served as the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach at the University of Northern Iowa from 1997-99...McMahon and Minnesota assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier served on the coaching staff at the University of Illinois. McMahon coached Vikings WR Greg Lewis at Illinois...Vikings running backs coach Eric Bieniemy is a New Orleans native...DE Alex Brown, Vikings WR Bernard Berrian and DT Jimmy Kennedy were teammates in Chicago...Vikings defensive line coach Karl Dunbar played at LSU from 1986-89 for the Saints from 1992-93 and has also coached at several high schools and colleges in Louisiana, including LSU and Nicholls State. Dunbar served as Brown's position coach in Chicago in 2004. Brown and Minnesota CB Lito Sheppard were teammates at Florida...Saints running game/offensive line coach Aaron Kromer and Minnesota linebackers coach Fred Pagac served on the same staff with the Oakland Raiders from 2002-03. Kromer and Minnesota defensive backs coach Joe Woods served on the same staff in Tampa Bay in 2005…New Orleans CB Jabari Greer, WR Robert Meachem, LB Marvin Mitchell and Vikings G Anthony Herrera were college teammates at Tennessee...New Orleans tight ends coach Terry Malone tutored Vikings G Steve Hutchinson at Michigan, where he was teammates on the same offensive line with C Jonathan Goodwin...Saints QB Drew Brees and Minnesota LB Ben Leber were teammates in San Diego from 2002-05...New Orleans TE Jeremy Shockey, LB Jonathan Vilma and Vikings T Bryant McKinnie were college teammates at the University of Miami (Fla.). Shockey and Vikings TE Visanthe Shiancoe were teammates with the New York Giants. Vilma, Goodwin and Vikings special teams assistant/player development coordinator Jason Glenn were teammates with the New York Jets...New Orleans FB Heath Evans, CB Randall Gay, TE David Thomas, Vikings LS Cullen Loeffler, CB Cedric Griffin and DE Brian Robison were teammates at the University of Texas and members of the 2005 NCAA National Championship squad. Evans and Minnesota QB Sage Rosenfels were teammates in Miami in 2005...Saints DT Remi Ayodele, K Garrett Hartley, LB Clint Ingram, Vikings C Jon Cooper, T Phil Loadholt and RB Adrian Peterson were college teammates at the University of Oklahoma...Allen and Minnesota DT Pat Williams were college teammates at Texas A&M. Williams, who prepped at Woosman (Monroe, La.) High School, was tutored with the Aggies as a college standout by Johnson. Greer played with Williams with the Buffalo Bills and previous to that New Orleans S Pierson Prioleau, Williams and Vikings CB Antoine Winfield were teammates with the Bills. Williams and Winfield were coached by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams when he served as head coach of the Bills from 2001-03...Vikings assistant to the head coach Dennis Polian served as director of football operations and assistant director of athletics at Tulane University from 2005-06...Saints coaching assistant Brian Young and Vikings Kennedy were teammates in St. Louis in 2003. New Orleans DL Anthony Hargrove and Kennedy were teammates in St. Louis from 2004-06...Saints assistant head coach/linebackers Joe Vitt was Kennedy's head coach with the Rams in 2005, when he served as interim head coach for the final six contests. Kennedy was tutored by Gregg Williams in Jacksonville in 2008, where he was also teammates with Ingram and Prioleau...Vikings DE Jayme Mitchell prepped at Forest Hill (Jackson, Ms.) HS and played at Mississippi...Minnesota WR Taye Biddle and S Jamarca Sanford played at the University of Mississippi. Biddle and LS Jason Kyle were teammates in Carolina in 2006. Sanford and T Jermey Parnell were teammates at Ole' Miss in 2008. Kyle and Minnesota K Rhys Lloyd were teammates with the Panthers in 2008...RB DeShawn Wynn and Vikings WR Percy Harvin were teammates at the University of Florida...OL Na'Shan Goddard, Minnesota LB Jasper Brinkley and WR Sidney Rice were teammates at South Carolina...LB Anthony Waters and Vikings G Thomas Austin were teammates at Clemson...LB Stanley Arnoux, S Chip Vaughn and Minnesota G Chris DeGeare were teammates at Wake Forest...Vikings T Chris Clark prepped at McDonough 35 HS and played at southen Mississippi...T Charles Brown, RB Reggie Bush, DT Sedrick Ellis and Vikings T Drew Radovich were teammates at Southern California. Brown and Ellis also played with Vikings DE Everson Griffen with the Trojans...DL Jimmy Wilkerson and Vikings DE Jared Allen were teammates in Kansas City from 2004-07...CB Patrick Robinson and Vikings DT Letroy Guion were teammates at Florida State...RB Chris Ivory, Vikings S Husain Abdullah and S Eric Frampton were teammates at Washington State.
