FARGO — Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell visited the Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament on Thursday at Rose Creek Golf Course in Fargo.
The man Vikings fans call “K.O.C” was joined by Fanduel Sports broadcaster Marney Gellner, former Bison and Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Phil Hansen, and former Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway as the celebrity guests.
O’Connell has great admiration for the Roger Maris Cancer Center and the work they do.
“What we’re all really here for is to bring attention to fighting this disease and Roger Maris Cancer Center is one of one in my opinion, definitely in the region of the work that they do fighting cancer and for the people that are in need,” he said.
Since 1990, the Roger Maris Cancer Center has helped more than 2,000 people each year, including children who suffer from pediatric cancers, according to the Sanford Health Foundation.
O’Connell talked about how the golf tournament helps the cancer center and Sanford Health. “This event brings such great attention to it, but also the support that they need, both physically and financially, to do the great work that they do,” he said.
All proceeds from the 41st annual Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament go to the Roger Maris Cancer Center.
O’Connell was also excited to visit Fargo to see what kind of fan base the Vikings have in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
“Wildly impressed with how many Vikings fans,” he said. “This is Vikings country, which is awesome for me as a representative of the organization to come up and get to greet so many folks and feel the passion for our team here in Fargo.”
Vikings fans should have a lot to be excited about after the offseason. Minnesota was busy in the free agency period, beefing up on the defensive line by signing defensive tackles Jonathan Allen from Washington and Javon Hargrave from San Francisco. Allen is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and Hargrave has also made two Pro Bowls in his career, appearing in two Super Bowls with Philadelphia and San Francisco, respectively.
The defense added cornerback Isaiah Rodgers from the Eagles, but also maintained pieces to their secondary as the team re-signed slot corner Byron Murphy Jr. and veteran safety Harrison Smith.
The Vikings have been defined by O’Connell’s offense during his tenure, as Minnesota averaged 25.4 points per game, which was good for ninth in the NFL last year. The offense-minded coach has quite the offensive arsenal with the likes of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones and Jalen Nailor.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah added to the war chest of weapons by improving the offensive line and adding a bruising running back. Vikings radio voice Paul Allen calls the o-line the “Minnesota Moving Company,” and they did some services in Indianapolis, as former Colts center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries signed with the Vikings in free agency.
Minnesota continued bolstering the offensive line in the draft as they used pick No. 24 on guard Donovan Jackson out of Ohio State to complete the overhaul of the middle of the offensive line. The Vikings bring back their bookend tackles in the steady Brian O’Neill and rising left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered against the Rams back in week 7.
Adofo-Mensah was busy in the trade market as well. The Vikings acquired running back Jordan Mason from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick. The fourth-year pro from Georgia Tech started six games last year while Christian McCaffrey missed time due to injuries.
Mason ran for 100 yards and a touchdown against Minnesota back in week two of the 2024 season.
The elephant in the room for the Vikings and O’Connell is second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Suffering a torn meniscus during the first preseason game last season, the former Michigan standout sat and learned behind Sam Darnold. Although he will essentially be a rookie playing his first snaps of his career, he has a team behind him that has had nothing but great things to say about him. He will be backed up by veterans Sam Howell and Brett Rypien.
Minnesota won 14 games last season behind Darnold.
Grant Hubbard is a newsroom intern for The Forum reporting on local news and sports. Readers can reach Grant at 701-715-6875 or ghubbard@forumcomm.com. Follow him on X @ghubbard_pxp.