Vikings hire Brad Childress as coach

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- The Minnesota Vikings Friday named Brad Childress as the team's new coach.

He will succeed Mike Tice, who was fired on Sunday shortly after the Vikings' season-ending 34-10 win over Chicago. Childress, 49, had been an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Eagles since 1999.

"The Wilf family and our ownership group feel extremely proud and fortunate to have landed someone we feel is the premier head coaching candidate on the market, Brad Childress," said team owner Zygi Wilf at a news conference. "Coach Childress was the elite NFL head coaching candidate. Bottom line, Brad Childress is a winner."

Childress was a major factor in Philadelphia's run to four straight NFC Championship games and Super Bowl XXXIX. Under his guidance, Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb became a premier signal caller.

Before joining the Eagles, Childress was an assistant under Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin. Under Tice, Minnesota was just 3-13 in 2005.