EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings are mourning the loss of our colleague, friend and longtime college scout Kevin McCabe, who passed away on Saturday, Sept. 3, following a courageous battle with leukemia.

McCabe spent the past 20 seasons with the Vikings, primarily scouting the West Coast.

Prior to joining Minnesota in 2002, McCabe spent eight seasons with the St. Louis Rams (1994-2001), helping the club win Super Bowl XXXIV and advance to XXXVI in the span of three seasons.

A native of Pasadena, California, McCabe earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Princeton University. He lettered in two seasons with the Tigers football team.

"Kevin exuded a passion for life, family and the game of football," Vikings first-year General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. "Even in the short amount of time I was able to spend with Kevin, I knew he was a proud father, devoted husband, fiercely loyal friend, jolly spirit, empathetic listener and an all-around great guy. Throughout his battle with cancer, Kevin's positivity was unwavering, which I found to be extremely admirable."

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell opened his Wednesday press conference by describing McCabe.

"I know a lot of people are hurting inside our building today," O'Connell said. "Just wanted to offer our support to his family, the internal staff here that knew him and just everyone obviously mourning the loss of a really great person. [He was] obviously important to a lot of us here at our organization."