It took a series of phone calls, digging into past articles and sheer luck to unearth something few believed possible.
It’s true — on one occasion, Kevin O’Connell did something wrong.
“He wasn’t real late for a practice,’’ said Dave Cassaw, La Costa Canyon’s boys basketball coach. “But he was late enough that I lit into him and made him run lines.’’
The line on O’Connell, or KOC as the Minnesota Vikings’ head coach is known, is that he seldom missteps.
“He’s always been such a good guy and so well-spoken,’’ said Darrin Brown, his former LCC football coach. “He was everybody’s best friend.”
O’Connell has the Vikings (14-3) putting their best foot forward as they visit the Los Angeles Rams (10-7) on Monday night in an NFC wild-card playoff game.
The winner advances, and the loser goes home, although O’Connell is in no rush to visit his Carlsbad roots.
Back to where he was a standout LCC football and basketball player, San Diego State quarterback and a third-round pick of the New England Patriots before climbing the coaching ladder to where he turned Minnesota into a powerhouse.
The land of 10,000 lakes added a coach who distributes a similar number of smiles and chutes of positive vibes daily.
“He always has time for everybody,’’ Brown said.
Brown attended a Vikings game this season, where the former coach watched his ex-player work the sidelines like a seasoned pro. He delivered back-slaps and attaboys at a stunning rate, constantly pushing his charges to greater successes by showing a belief in them and putting wind under their wings.
“I’d like to say I had something to do with it, but he was always that way,’’ Brown said. “He makes everyone feel like he is their best friend. I was just blessed to have this kid, and you knew he was going to do something great.’’
Breaking news: O’Connell was once spotted in LCC principal Don Rizzi’s office. Maybe O’Connell has more transgressions than imagined?
“He wasn’t in there too much, but some of his friends were,’’ Rizzi said. “But I got to know him. He was a fun guy, real level-headed and good to people.’’
Even when riding shotgun with Rizzi around campus in his cart.
O’Connell’s mother, Suzanne, a former deputy superintendent at Carlsbad Unified School District and friendly with Rizzi, supplied him with a co-worker.
She won an auction that made her son LCC’s principal for the day.
“He even got to carry the walkie-talkie,” Rizzi said with a laugh. “That was the sign of power.”
Courtesy photo
Rizzi required a jolt of luck when seeing the Vikings play. O’Connell slid him a field pass, but mistakenly, he was restricted to the Chicago Bears sideline.
Rizzi didn’t growl — he just called the head coach’s mom. Soon, Rizzi’s party was being escorted for an up-close look at O’Connell.
“He gave us a big, sincere smile,’’ Rizzi said. “I told him I love his leadership style, which is inside-out. You built the trust from the inside, and everything goes out from there.’’
Cassaw was at Diegueno Middle School when O’Connell, then a skinny eighth-grader, plopped into a desk for his U.S. History class.
The inexperienced Cassaw was seeking a full-time job, and little did both know where their paths would take them.
Cassaw also attended a Minnesota game this season, where a security guard approached him.
“How do you know Kevin?’’ he asked.
Cassaw grinned.
“I’m the only guy in the stadium,’’ he said, “that made your head coach run for being late to practice.”
O’Connell’s fans will sprint toward Leucadia’s Regal Seagull for Monday’s postseason showdown. While not The Loon Cafe in Minneapolis, it’s become the go-to Vikings spot to cheer one of Carlsbad’s favorite sons.
“There are only 32 NFL head coaches,’’ Brown said, “and, amazingly, he is one of them.’’
Contact Jay Paris at [email protected] and follow him on X @jparis_sports
