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Fred Pagac, Sr. (Super Bowl Champion)

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Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Pagac moves to Vikings

By Bruce Wald
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, March 19, 2006

Former Beth-Center High School star football player Fred Pagac continues to enjoy a distinguished coaching career at the collegiate and professional levels.
Recently, Pagac was hired as the linebackers' coach of the Minnesota Vikings by first-year head coach Brad Childress.
A graduate of Ohio State University, where he was the Buckeyes' leading receiver in 1973, Pagac brings 24 years of coaching experience to the Vikings. For each of the past two seasons, he coached the Kansas City Chiefs' linebackers under head coach Dick Vermeil, who retired at the conclusion of this past season.
In 2005, the Chiefs' defense ranked seventh in the 30-team National Football League against the run, tied for sixth with 31 takeaways and were tied for fourth in recovered fumbles with 15.

Pagac began his NFL coaching career in Oakland from 2001-03 where he coached the Raiders' linebackers. The 2002 Oakland defense ranked 11th in the NFL in total defense and was third against the run as the team won the American Football Championship Conference championship before losing to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVII.
After his collegiate playing career where he was a three-year starting tight end, Pagac played in the NFL for Chicago (1974-75) and Tamps Bay in 1976. He began his coaching career in 1978 at his collegiate alma mater, initially working under legendary Buckeyes head coach Woody Hayes.
Pagac coached Ohio State's linebackers from 1982 through 1995 before taking over as defensive coordinator from 1996 through 1999. During his coaching tenure at Ohio State, Pagac coached 10 players that earned All-America honors, including current Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield, who earned the Jim Thorpe Award as the top collegiate defensive back. "I've had an opportunity to coach against Fred Pagac's linebackers for a lot of years in the Big Ten from when I was with the University of Illinois on," Childress said. "He has coached many, many professional athletes. He coached Napoleon Harris on this team when he was in Oakland. Fred broke in with Oakland and Jon Gruden (now Tampa Bay head coach) gives him awful high marks. I've had a professional relationship with him for probably 20 years now and I've always admired the toughness and tenacity of his linebackers."
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/fayette/s_433737.html
 
Bears looking at Pug for D Coordinator...

One interesting candidate might be Minnesota Vikings linebackers coach Fred Pagac, who is a well-respected assistant on a unit that ranked sixth in the NFL this season. Pagac, a Bears tight end in 1974, has a reputation for developing young players, and he also knows Smith: They coached together in 1995 at Ohio State.
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Bears take the offensive :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bears
 
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Coach Pagac

Coach Pagac and his wife Bernie are great people. He is a heck of a coach and in many ways a tremendous loss for Ohio State when he left. (Taking nothing away from the current OSU defensive coaches.)

Fred Jr also played football was a Buckeye too, I think.
 
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Will the Bears talk to any Viking assistants?
By Sean Jensenon January 25, 2010

But there are two other candidates I think the Bears may at least think about, if only for a moment.

The first is Fred Pagac, the Vikings linebackers coach. As I mentioned before, Pagac is very well respected in Minnesota. He was key, several sources have told me, in the transition from Mike Tomllin to Frazier. In addition, Pagac coached with Smith at Ohio State in 1995. Pagac hasn't been a coordinator in the NFL, but he was at Ohio State from 1996 to 1999. In 1998, his unit led the nation in rushing defense, was second in pass defense and fourth overall.

Pagac also entered the NFL as a tight end with the Bears in 1974 and was the winner of the Brian Piccolo award
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Will the Bears talk to any Viking assistants? - Inside the Bears
 
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Pagac will serve as defensive coordinator
Posted by Judd Zulgad
Last update: November 22, 2010

Leslie Frazier's promotion to interim coach of the Vikings means the team needs someone to serve as the defensive coordinator.

That person will be Fred Pagac.

Pagac has been the Vikings linebackers coach since joining then first-year coach Brad Childress' staff in 2006. Pagac is in his 33rd season as a coach and 10th in the NFL. He played college football at Ohio State from 1970 to '73 and was an assistant with the Buckeyes from 1978 to 2000. He was defensive coordinator at Ohio State from 1996 to 1999 and was the assistant head coach to John Cooper in 2000.

Pagac coached linebackers from the Oakland Raiders from 2001-03 and then serve in the same role for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004-05.
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http://www.startribune.com/sports/v...EyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUgOy9cP3DieyckcUsI
 
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Fred Pagac brings old-school intensity to his job as the Vikings' acting defensive coordinator
Linebackers coach Fred Pagac brings a wealth of experience, and plenty of fire, to his job as acting defensive coordinator
By Jeremy Fowler
[email protected]
Updated: 12/03/2010

As Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" blared from the speakers during practice warm-ups, Fred Pagac bumped his head from side to side like a middle-aged man in a young man's world.

Wearing glasses and a purple fitted Vikings cap, Pagac, 58, calmly alternated a football from each hand while studying his group of seven linebackers. Players know they are about to get a little bit of both sides of Pagac in the hours to come.

"He's going to tell you how he feels, whether he's happy or pissed off," linebacker Heath Farwell said. "You know what you're going to get with coach Pug."

The man in charge of the Vikings' defense for the rest of the season is a throwback in the truest sense, and he's got the Buckeyes letterman jacket to prove it.

Pagac, elevated from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator by interim coach Leslie Frazier last week, was once considered a Ohio State lifer who started in 1978 as Woody Hayes' graduate assistant and hoped to be the Buckeyes' head coach until he left after the 2000 season.

Jim Tressel has been the Buckeyes' leader for the past decade, but since then Pagac has raised havoc in the NFL with no hesitancy.

"I was hoping to be the next guy there," said Pagac, who served as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at OSU. "When it happened, when they hired Jimmy, I ended up being underneath it. I realized I really enjoy coaching professional football. You can coach all year instead of recruiting and coaching. And I love coaching."

Cont...
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http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_16763947
 
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New coordinator Pagac believes in the blitz
Tim Yotter
June 12, 2011

When it seemed the Minnesota Vikings were reaching the pit of their 2010 performance, it was a man they call ?Pug? who reached into the bag of coordinator tricks and offered new life for a depressed team.

Just when it looked as though the Vikings would trip, stumble and bumble their way to the finish line of a season filled with unimaginable obstacles (a fired coach, an sexting scandal involving their future Hall of Fame quarterback and a collapsed stadium roof), then-interim defensive coordinator Fred Pagac created an impressive game plan against a playoff team. He took a zone-based defense that had gained the reputation of bend-don?t-break and turned it into a temporary jailbreak against arguably the most feared running quarterback to ever play the game, the Philadelphia Eagles? Michael Vick.

Casual fans tend to point to that game as a breakout moment for quarterback Joe Webb, but more than that, the Vikings? 24-14 win over Philadelphia on Dec. 28 (a snowstorm delayed that game two nights) proved that a Tampa 2-based defense doesn?t have to rely solely on its defensive linemen to harass the quarterback.

Pagac offered a glimpse of his personality on a national stage. He run-blitzed. He pass-blitzed. He took the Vikings? most reliable and accomplished cornerback, Antoine Winfield, and fired him into the Philadelphia backfield relentlessly ? damn the consequences of what Vick might be able to do if he had gotten free. Pagac faced one of the favorites for league MVP at the time and drew up the blueprint on how to neutralize him.

?My philosophy of blitz is blitz for a reason. What?s your reason for blitzing?? Pagac said. ?Obviously, there?s run blitzes and there?s pass blitzes. We like to play the run. We like to stop the run. That?s going to be our motto. It?s been our motto since we?ve been here. We want to stop the run, put people in passing situations and let them dictate what we do.?

Cont...
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http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/06/12...ing_mnvikings.html?blockID=532166&feedID=3697
 
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Vikings defensive coordinator Fred Pagac talks: Bob Sansevere listens
Pioneer Press
Updated: 08/14/2011

20110814__110815PagacLaugh.jpg

Defensive Coordinator Fred Pagac encouraging his troops During drills at Vikings Training Camp at Minnesota State Univ in Mankato Wednesday morning August 3, 2011. (Pioneer Press: John Doman) (JOHN DOMAN)

20110814__110815Pagac_300.jpg

Defensive Coordinator Fred Pagac congratulates LB Mark Washington During drills at Vikings Training Camp at Minnesota State Univ in Mankato Wednesday morning August 3, 2011. (Pioneer Press: John Doman) (JOHN DOMAN)

Everybody hates to lose. Nobody wants to lose. Obviously, I'm irritated when we lose. Why did we lose? What was the cause of it? Was it a bad play? Was it bad calls defensively? Bad plays by the players? Then you've got to put it in back of you. Our motto is, "The next play is the most important."

I was a coordinator in college at Ohio State. I thought I was going to be a head coach at that point. Things didn't work out. I had the opportunity to go to pro ball. Ever since I've been in pro ball, I've wanted to be a coordinator. That's what I want to be. At this age now - I'm 59 years old - that's all I want to be. I'm not thinking about being a head coach or anything else. I love what I'm doing right now.

I don't consider it a job. That's why I've been doing it 34 years.

Pet peeves? Not working to your fullest. Not giving great effort.

I like pressure. I think kids have fun when they're having the chance to be aggressive and turn it loose as opposed to playing a read (defense) and playing zone coverage. Whatever we do is going to be as a game plan and what we think will stop that other team. The most important thing, obviously, is to win.

Cont...
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http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_18682203
 
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Vikings 2011: Defensive coordinator Fred Pagac
Updated: September 9, 2011

The Vikings have essentially the same defense they have had since 2006. But there's definitely a more aggressive boss man calling the shots.

And the blitzes.

"It will depend on the game plans, but, yeah, I probably do call more blitzes" than predecessors Mike Tomlin and current Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier, said defensive coordinator Fred Pagac. "That's a part of what I do."

Pagac's signature game came as interim defensive coordinator at Philadelphia last Dec. 28.

The Eagles were in the hunt for a first-round bye in the playoffs. Quarterback Michael Vick still was an NFL MVP candidate. And the Vikings were out of the playoffs and stuck in a hotel an extra two days because of the weather-delayed game.

The final score was stunning and went a long way toward removing the interim tags for Frazier and Pagac. With Pagac throwing every blitz he could think of at Vick, the 14-point underdog Vikings won 24-14, bouncing back from a 40-14 loss to the Bears the week before.

Vick had three turnovers while being sacked six times and knocked down eight more. Cornerback Antoine Winfield was a relentless rusher off the edge, finishing with two sacks, a strip and a fumble return for a touchdown.

"That," Winfield said, "was a lot of fun."

The Vikings won't abandon a core philosophy that relies on their front four to rush the passer while the back seven plays a disciplined zone coverage. But Pagac -- the man they call "Pug" -- will be looking for reasons to blitz more, whether it's blitzes to disrupt an elite passer or zone blitzes to break the rhythm of a strong running game.

"You don't want to just blitz to blitz," said Pagac, a 34-year coaching veteran entering his 11th season in the NFL. "There's a reason for it. That depends on the game plan."

And, sometimes, the personality of the coordinator.
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http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/129484398.html
 
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Allen in favor of Pagac keeping job
Article by: MARK CRAIG , Star Tribune
Updated: January 3, 2012

The defensive end likes playing for his coordinator.

Embattled Vikings defensive coordinator Fred Pagac received an unsolicited vote of confidence from the team's best defensive player, lone Pro Bowl selection and current record holder for sacks in a season.

"I love coach Pagac to death," defensive end Jared Allen said Monday as players were cleaning out their Winter Park lockers a day after a 3-13 season. "I'm going to fight for him. I want him to be my D-coordinator next year."

Coach Leslie Frazier will address the status of Pagac and his other assistants at a season-ending news conference today. But the defensive numbers were staggering. In a bad way.

The Vikings ranked 31st in points allowed with 449, only 35 short of the team record of 484 set during the 3-13 season of 1984. The team also had a league-low eight interceptions, tying the franchise record for fewest interceptions (2000, 2001).

Asked if he though Pagac was vulnerable considering the season the Vikings' defense had, Allen said, "I don't know. That's not my job. I can just state my opinions to coach Frazier, like I do every year."
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http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/136550463.html
 
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Looks like Pagac next out Vikings' door
Posted on: January 7, 2012

Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar is out in Minnesota, and defensive coordinator Fred Pagac can't be far behind.

The team hasn't announced the firing of Pagac, but all signs point in that direction. In fact, a league source I trust said that the Vikings have four candidates lined up to interview for the coordinator's job -- Raheem Morris, formerly head coach of Tampa Bay; Steve Spagnuolo, former head coach of St. Louis; Mel Tucker, interim head coach and defensive coordinator at Jacksonville; and Mike Singletary, the linebackers coach and assistant head coach with the Vikings.

His take? Spagnuolo could be the frontrunner. Of course, he could be the frontrunner in a lot of places, too, including Philadelphia, where the Eagles almost certainly shake up their defensive staff.

Under Pagac, the Vikings' defense plummeted to 21st overall, 26th against the pass and 31st in points allowed. The run defense ranked 11th, which doesn't sound bad except Minnesota hadn't finished out of the top five since 2005.

Things got so dreadful that Frazier took over the play-calling for a stretch last month from Pagac, whose approach didn't appear in synch with his head coach's. Apparently, it wasn't in synch with players, either. According to one report, defensive backs sometimes refused to execute the plays he was calling.

In any case, it appears he's out -- which, considering this year's results, would be no surprise.
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http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6384866/34234098
 
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