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VIKINGS-PACKERS CONNECTIONS – Packers’ head coach Mike Sherman was the offensive line
coach at Texas A&M during the 1995 season when Vikings’ TE Hunter Goodwin played for the
Aggies…Vikings’ DT Billy Lyon played five seasons in Green Bay (1998-02)…Vikings’ LB Henri Crockett and
Packers’ CB Al Harris were teammates in high school at Pompano Beach (FL) High…Crockett was also a
teammate of Packers’ DT Larry Smith at Florida State…Vikings’ WR coach Charlie Baggett and defensive
backs coach Chuck Knox Jr. coached for Green Bay during the 2000 season…Vikings’ DE Kenny Mixon and
RB John Avery played for Miami when Packers’ offensive line coach Larry Beightol was on the Dolphins’
staff…Vikings’ DT Chris Hovan played at Boston College when Packers’ TE coach Jeff Jagodzinski was on
the Eagles’ staff…Vikings’ offensive coordinator Scott Linehan played at Idaho when Packers’ defensive
coordinator Ed Donatell was on the Vandals’ staff and the two also coached together at Idaho in
1988…Vikings’ TE Byron Chamberlain played in Denver when Donatell was on the Broncos’ staff…Packers’
RB Tony Fisher was a teammate of Vikings’ T Mike Rosenthal at Notre Dame…Vikings’ WR D’Wayne Bates
played for the Chicago Bears when Packers’ assistant head coach/defensive backs coach Bob Slowik was
the Bears’ defensive coordinator…Packers’ DT Gilbert Brown was selected by the Vikings in the third round
of the 1993 NFL Draft…Vikings’ T Bryant McKinnie and Packers’ RB Najeh Davenport were teammates at
the University of Miami…Vikings’ S Brian Russell played with Packers’ DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila at San
Diego State…Vikings’ DE Chuck Wiley played one season in Carolina with Packers’ LB Hannibal Navies and
TE Wesley Walls…Navies was also a teammate of Vikings’ LS Brody Liddiard at Colorado…Vikings’ CB
Rushen Jones and Packers’ LB Hunter Hillenmeyer played at Vanderbilt together…Vikings’ DT Colin Cole
and Packers’ DE Aaron Kampman played on the line together at Iowa…Packers’ WR coach Ray Sherman
was the offensive coordinator for Minnesota in 1999 and the quarterbacks coach from 1995-97…Vikings’
linebackers coach Brian Baker and Packers’ running backs coach Sylvester Croom coached together in San
Diego (1996) and with the Detroit Lions (1997-2000). Croom also coached in San Diego for two seasons
(1992-1993) with Vikings’ defensive coordinator /defensive line coach George O’Leary…Vikings’ LB Chris
Claiborne played in Detroit when Croom was on the Lions’ staff…Mike Eayrs, the Packers’ Director of
Research and Development, served in the same capacity for the Vikings for 16 seasons before joining Green
Bay’s staff…Vikings’ offensive line coach Steve Loney and Packers’ QB coach Darrell Bevell served on the
Iowa State staff together in ’97…Vikings’ defensive assistant/quality control coach Jim Panagos played for
Packers’ LB coach Mark Duffner at Maryland…Packers’ CB Chris Johnson played at Louisville when
Vikings’ offensive coordinator Scott Linehan ran the Cardinals’ offense…Vikings’ special teams coach Rusty
Tillman was on the Seahawks’ staff in 1989 when Packers’ defensive line coach Jethro Franklin played for
Seattle…Packers’ assistant offensive line coach Joe Philbin coached the line at Harvard when Vikings’ C
Matt Birk played for the Crimson…Vikings’ WR coach Charlie Baggett and Packers’ special teams consultant
Frank Novak coached with the Houston Oilers together.