The Minnesota Vikings may be losing a coach in the near future, but not the one a lot of people might think it is.
While the Vikings' promotion of Leslie Frazier to head coach in the wake of Brad Childress' firing has taken him off of the list of potential candidates for many jobs, running back coach Eric Bieniemy is another matter all together. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the Denver Post are both reporting that Bieniemy will interview on Saturday for the head coaching job at his alma mater, the University of Colorado.
Bieniemy was a star running back at Colorado from 1987 to 1990, and to this day is the Buffaloes' all-time leader in rushing yards (3,940), all-purpose yards (4,351), and touchdowns (42). As a senior in 1990, he was second in the nation in rushing with 1,628 yards, and scored 17 touchdowns as well in leading Colorado to a national championship. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting that year behind Brigham Young quarterback Ty Detmer and Notre Dame wide receiver Raghib "Rocket" Ismail.
Bieniemy has been Minnesota's running backs coach since 2006, when Brad Childress came on staff, and has overseen the development of superstar running back Adrian Peterson, who was among the quickest in league history to reach the 5,000 yard rushing plateau under Bieniemy's tutelage. This past off-season, he was named an assistant head coach for the offense after it was rumored that Lane Kiffin was interested in making him the offensive coordinator at the University of Southern California.