Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has established himself as among the best in the NFL at what he does. Now he has the hardware to prove it.

After leading the Vikings to a surprise 14-3 record, O’Connell has officially been named NFL Coach of the Year.

Fittingly, the presenter of the award on Thursday night at “NFL Honors” in New Orleans was legendary Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who, once upon a time, selected O’Connell in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

“He’s been a pretty integral part of my coaching journey being willing to be a mentor,” O’Connell said. “So, for him to be up there tonight, the smile on his face and my face probably said it all. It was a pretty surreal moment. It was something I’ll never forget.”

After accepting the award on stage, O’Connell thanked his wife Leah and their children Kaden, Kolten, Quinn, and Callie for the sacrifice they make on a daily basis so he can pursue his passion.

“There’s not a day that goes by that my family doesn’t really propel me to try to live out my dream and be a head coach in the NFL and try to push this organization to where we want to go,” O’Connell said. “They’re a huge part of that because their love and support fuels me to feel like I can go do that every day.”

The other finalists that O’Connell beat out included Lions head coach Dan Campbell, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, Broncos head coach Sean Payton, and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. None of them exceeded expectations quite the way O’Connell did.

Though some prognosticators picked the Vikings to be among the worst teams in the NFL based on the pieces in place, O’Connell had them in contention for the NFC North title until the final week of the regular season.

Though the Vikings ultimately bowed out of the playoffs with a disappointing loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the first round, the resume that O’Connell has put together speaks for itself.

He has a 34-17 record in the regular season since being hired in 2022 , and while he currently has an 0-2 record in the playoffs, the future appears to be very bright in Minnesota with him leading the charge.

That explains why the Vikings agreed to terms on a multi-year contract extension with O’Connell last month.

“There was nothing that I wanted more than to solidify our future here and make sure we continue on a job that’s not done,” O’Connell said. “I meant it when I said we have the greatest fans in the world and every single day we go to work to try to bring that Lombardi Trophy to the Twin Cities. That’s what we’re going to continue to try to do. Whatever it takes every single day from here on out.”