The Vikings don’t open training camp until July 26 (rookies and quarterbacks) but head coach Kevin O’Connell is making news.
O’Connell will be filming TV commercials this week for Blaze Credit Union as part of his new endorsement partnership with the Minnesota-based, member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative. The ads will be seen around the time the Vikings regular season begins in September.
The coach will also make radio commercials and be seen on billboards. A Blaze spokesperson wrote that there is also a “charity component” to the partnership but no community events are scheduled yet.
“We chose to partner with O’Connell, because of his character and reputation,” Dan Stoltz, Blaze CEO and president, said in an announcement statement. “He is a genuine person who knows what it takes to lead both on and off the field. He treats every individual with sincerity and respect which aligns with Blaze to the core.”
Blaze (a Sports Headliners advertiser) is known for working with prominent and high character local sports figures including Brock Faber, Tony Oliva and Lindsay Whalen. Before leaving the Vikings, quarterback Kirk Cousins was a celebrity endorser for Blaze.
O’Connell was a guest last week on the “Dan Patrick Show” seen and heard nationally on TV and radio. He reiterated he’s not ready to commit to a starting quarterback in the competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy. He again stressed the goal of the competition for the job elevating the quality of quarterback performance on his team.
O’Connell is entering his fifth season as the team’s head coach. He pointed out on the show that in the two years his starting quarterback was able to play full seasons the team has won 13 and 14 games respectively in 2022 and 2024.
O’Connell is a high-level amateur golfer and is back in town from participating in the American Century Champion Celebrity Golf Tournament at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort golf course in Nevada. He finished No. 81 among 90 entrants in the annual tournament that includes athletes and entertainers and ended Sunday, according to results from Nbcsports.com.
The Wild’s Matt Boldy was ninth in the field. Former Viking Adam Thielen tied for 16th,, while another former Viking, Patrick Peterson, was 20th. Minneapolis native and NFL great Larry Fitzgerald Jr. tied for 22nd. Twins Hall of Famer Joe Mauer tied for 51st.
Edina-born and former pro tennis player Mardy Fish won the tournament for a third time having previous triumphs in 2020 and 2024. He won $150,000 in the $750,000 tournament.
Worth Noting
Minnesota natives and pitchers Louie Varland and Max Meyer were chosen for the 2026 American and National League All-Star rosters respectively. They are first-time all-stars representing the AL Blue Jays and NL Marlins.
The most memorable year for native Minnesota All-Stars was probably 1985. St. Paul’s Paul Molitor, Jack Morris and Dave Winfield were chosen for the All-Star Game representing the Brewers, Tigers and Yankees respectively. Fittingly, the game was played at the Metrodome with the National League winning 6-1.
Derek Shelton, a coach for the American League in tonight’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia, is among the wagering favorites to win American League Manager of the Year. To do so the Twins, 48-49, will have to make the playoffs. No manager in either league has won the award since 2006 without skippering a postseason club.
Other betting favorites for the award include two Central Division rivals, Will Venable from the White Sox and Stephen Vogt (2025 winner) from the Guardians. Dan Wilson, the former All-American catcher for the Golden Gophers, is also a favorite for his work with the Mariners.
Wilson played for John Anderson, the now retired Gopher coach who will receive the prestigious Lefty Gomez Award next January from the American Baseball Coaches Association. The annual award is presented to an individual who has contributed significantly to baseball locally, nationally, and internationally.
Referred to affectionately as “14” by admirers (his unform number), Anderson was known for his success in not only winning games, but also the classy way he impacted the Gopher program including his players. He became Minnesota’s coach in 1981 and retired after the 2024 season as the winningest baseball coach in Big Ten history.
Anderson texted the following regarding the award: “Humbling honor that is an achievement by an army of people that contributed to the program’s success during my leadership of the Gopher baseball program. Nothing is accomplished by one individual. I am grateful for all those special relationships that I shared over the years.”
Minnesota football coach P.J. Fleck speaks to the Capital Club on July 21 at Mendakota Country Club. Going into his 10th season leading the Gophers, the personable Fleck is now the second longest tenured Big Ten coach at his school after Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (28th season leading the Hawkeyes). For more information on the breakfast program, contact Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketing.com