Eden Prairie, MN (January 14, 2016) – The Minnesota Vikings have namedTony Sparano **Offensive Line Coach. Sparano, a former NFL head coach, enters his 18th season in the league and 32nd season in coaching at the collegiate and pro ranks.

Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer and Sparano coached together in Dallas from 2003-06 under Bill Parcells.

Sparano joins the Vikings having previously served as tight ends coach for the San Francisco 49ers in 2015, following a stint as the assistant head coach/offensive line coach for the Oakland Raiders prior to being named the Raiders interim head coach early in the 2014 season.

In 2013, Sparano served as Oakland's assistant head coach/offensive line coach and tutored a shuffling unit that paved the way for four different players to rush for 100 yards in a game, becoming the first team to achieve the feat since 1978 (Kansas City Chiefs - five players). Sparano elevated the run game to new heights in his first season, raising the rushing yards per game average from 88.8 (2012) to 125.0 (2013).  

Prior to joining the Raiders, Sparano served as offensive coordinator for the New York Jets in 2012, following a four-year stint as head coach of the Miami Dolphins (2008-11).

From 2008-10, Miami posted a 15-9 record on the road, which was tied for the third-best road record over that span. Sparano guided the Dolphins to an 11-5 record and the AFC East title, following a dismal 1-15 season in 2007. His 10-game improvement earned him 2008 NFL Coach of the Year honors by the NFL Alumni and the Pro Football Weekly/Professional Football Writers of America and is tied for the largest single-season improvement in wins in NFL history (Indianapolis Colts - 1998-99).  

Sparano was a four-year letter winner at NCAA Division II New Haven as a center, where he earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Sparano and his wife, Jeanette, have three children: sons Anthony Michael (currently a tight ends coach with the Buffalo Bills) and Andrew (an offensive line coach at Chabot College) both played college football at Albany, while daughter Ryan Leigh is a classically trained French pastry chef.

Sparano's Coaching Background
1984-87    New Haven (Offensive Line)
1988    Boston University (Offensive Line)
1989-93    Boston University (Offensive Coordinator)
1994-98    New Haven (Head Coach)
1999    Cleveland Browns (Offensive Quality Control)
2000    Cleveland Browns (Offensive Line)
2001    Washington Redskins (Tight Ends)
2002    Jacksonville Jaguars (Tight Ends)
2003-04    Dallas Cowboys (Tight Ends)
2005-06    Dallas Cowboys (Offensive Line/Running Game)
2007    Dallas Cowboys (Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line)
2008-11    Miami Dolphins (Head Coach)
2012    New York Jets (Offensive Coordinator)
2013-14    Oakland Raiders (Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line)
2014    Oakland Raiders (Interim Head Coach)
2015    San Francisco 49ers (Tight Ends)