4. Mike Tice
After a disappointing 5-11 season in 2001, the Vikings decided to make a big change and fired longtime head coach Dennis Green. Despite having just one losing season in his 10 years with the team, Minnesota felt it was best to move on from Green.
As his replacement, the Vikings selected Mike Tice for the job. Tice was Minnesota’s offensive line coach during the five seasons prior to him being named the team’s head coach in 2002.
His time as the Vikings head coach is not one that is full of fond memories. Instead, most people will only remember Tice for some of the head-scratching decisions he made.
Like in 2005, when he was fined $100,000 by the NFL for scalping his Super Bowl tickets. Or a few months later when the Minnesota’s “Love Boat” scandal went down under his watch.
We haven’t even mentioned when Tice and the Vikings were the embarrassment of the 2003 Draft when they didn’t make their first-round selection in time or when he decided to reveal to the rest of the NFL in 2002 that Minnesota’s offense was going to throw the ball to Randy Moss at least 10 times per game.
Oh, and the Vikings only made the playoffs during one of Tice’s four seasons as the team’s head coach. Under Green, Minnesota made the postseason eight times from 1992 to 2001.
Tice and his trademark pencil behind his ear were let go after the 2005 season and just about everyone was happy to see him walk out the door.