Just before the start of Training Camp this year, the Minnesota Vikings’ organization was rocked by the death of offensive line coach Tony Sparano. Sparano, a long-time coach that was entering his second year with the Vikings after numerous other stops, died of heart failure at his home the week before camp was supposed to get underway.
Sunday would have been Coach Sparano’s 57th birthday, and the team was well aware of it. According to this story by Lindsey Young on the Vikings’ main website, the team wanted to go out on the field in Philadelphia and get a win for their late coach.