Who is Leslie Frazier?
Leslie Antonio Frazier is a famous American professional football coach and former cornerback. He is currently the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Previously from 2010 to 2013, he served as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, and as an assistant coach for the Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis, Cincinnati Bengals, and Philadelphia Eagles.
Leslie Frazier Career
College career
Frazier played college football at Alcorn State University, lining up in the defensive secondary alongside Roynell Young. In his freshman season, he recorded six interceptions and 62 tackles. Whereas his sophomore season was better as he set a school record with 9 interceptions while also breaking up 26 passes, recovering 2 fumbles, and making 44 tackles while his team finished with an 8-2 record. However, his junior season was cut short by a torn hamstring injury but he still put up 5 interceptions and 49 tackles. At the end of the year, he skipped his senior season and went on to declare for the NFL draft.
Professional career
He went undrafted in 1981 but was signed by the Bears just days later. For most of his rookie season, he spent on special teams, returning six kickoffs for 78 yards. In the 9-game strike-shortened season of 1982, he made the starting lineup intercepting 2 passes and recovering 1 fumble in six starts. Over the next three seasons, he intercepted 18 more passes.
Leslie was part of the 1985 Chicago Bears team that won Super Bowl XX. In the 1985 championship season, he led the team with six interceptions. His playing profession was halted because of a knee injury he sustained returning a punt in the second quarter of the Super Bowl. He was injured and carried off the field. Surgery was conducted by Dr. Bill Clancy of the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the damage revealed to the knee consisting of the posterior cruciate, anterior cruciate, and medial collateral ligaments and a fractured bone under the kneecap.
Initially, it was anticipated that he would be able to return during the latter half of the 1986 NFL season. By October it was definite that he would not be able to play for the rest of 1986. Frazier’s knee also did not heal completely to the point of making a comeback and was cut by the Bears on August 3, 1987. Also, he was a member of the ”G Crew” in ”The Super Bowl Shuffle”.
How old is Leslie Frazier?
Leslie Antonio Frazier is 64 years old as of 2023, having been born on April 3, 1969, in Columbus, Missippis, U.S. He shares his birthday with famous people including; Emily Dobson, Brennen Taylor, Christopher Romero, Eddie Murphy, Kristopher London, and many more.
Leslie Frazier Family
Who are Leslie Frazier’s parents?
Leslie Antonio Frazier was born in Columbus, Mississippi as the oldest son in the family. He grew up with little support from his parents and did not know much about his father while his mother was battling substance abuse.
Does Leslie Frazier have siblings?
Frazier was born into the family as the eldest son. He has two younger siblings, who are all brothers. Frazier together with his siblings was brought up by his grandmother.
Leslie Frazier Education
Frazier studied at Stephen D. Lee High School now in the Columbus Municipal School District where he graduated and was a basketball, baseball, and football player. After high school, he attended Alcorn State University, where he took part in football playing and lined up in the defensive secondary alongside Roynell Young.
Leslie Frazier Interest
Frazier was very interested in sports and engaged himself in various games in high school, he played basketball, baseball, and even football. He continued to play football in college ending up as a coach in the sports.
Leslie Frazier Wife
Frazier is presently married to his beautiful and loving wife Gale Frazier. They married in a ceremony and are blessed with three children.
Leslie Frazier Kids
Frazier and his wife, Gale have three children together, two daughters Kieran and Chantel Frazier, and a son Corey Frazier. Corey is a pro scout in the Baltimore Ravens front office.
Leslie Frazier Height
Frazier has a well-built, muscular, and athletic body structure with an outstanding height of 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) and a moderate weight of 86 kg (189 lbs).
Leslie Frazier Coaching career
1988-2004
Leslie began his coaching profession as the first head coach of Trinity College in Illinois, presently known as Trinity International University in 1988. He served the role for nine seasons, building the NAIA program from the ground up, and won a pair of Northern Illinois Intercollegiate Conference titles. Later he moved on to the University of Illinois as the Illinois defensive backs coach in 1997.
Leslie joined first-time head coach Andy Reid as defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999. Here he served as a fellow assistant with the Vikings’ future head coach, Brad Childress. In the four years Frazier was there, the Eagles’ defense improved steadily.
From 2003 to 2004, Frazier was the defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, assisting turn the unit into a group that raised takeaways from 24 in 2003 to 36 in 2004. Their 36 takeaways ranked third in the NFL in 2004, and the 2004 team notched 20 interceptions, the most since 1996. The Bengals’ defense improved from 28th in the league in total yards allowed in 2003. To 19th in 2004 and declined in the two years after his dismissal.
2005-2010
Leslie was hired by Tony Dungy as a defensive assistant for the Indianapolis Colts in 2005, receiving the title of special assistant to the head coach and the defensive backs coach. He was hired to assist the Colts’ young corps of defensive backs, and the passing defense improved from 15th in 2005 to 2nd in 2006. In Super Bowl XLI, on February 4, 2007, the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears. After four days, he became the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings on February 8, 2007. This was after the Vikings’ defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin was hired by Pittsburgh Steelers as their head coach.
The Vikings then fired head coach Brad Childress on November 22, 2010, after the team began 3-7 and named Frazier the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2010 season. He ended the 2010 season with a loss to the Detroit Lions. Thus putting the Vikings in last place in the NFC North, and recorded a 3-3 record.
2011-present
The Vikings and Frazier came to an agreement on January 3, 2011, making him the permanent head coach. In his first season as the head coach, the rebuilding team went 3-13, being their worst season since 1984. The Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said on December 5, 2011, that Frazier would come back in 2012.
His second full year as the coach saw the team improve to 10-6, making the playoffs. The biggest single-season turnaround in its history saw Frazier finishing 4th in voting for the NFL Coach of the Year Award. The Vikings also exercised their fourth-year team option to keep Frazier under contract until 2014. He was fired on December 30, 2013, as the Vikings head coach after a 5-10-1 season.
Leslie was hired to be the defensive coordinator at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 3, 2014. However, they announced that they would not pick up Frazier’s 2016 option on January 7, 2016. He was then hired on January 15, 2016, by the Baltimore Ravens as their secondary coach. Leslie was hired on January 12, 2017, by the Buffalo Bills. To be their defensive coordinator, and was promoted to assistant head coach on March 4, 2020.
A Potential return to head coaching
Since 2018, several teams around the NFL have considered hiring Frazier as their next head coach. In 2018, he was interviewed by his former team, the Indianapolis Colts for their vacant head coaching spot. In 2021, he was nearly hired by the Houston Texans as their new head coach. This is a spot that eventually went to Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach David Culley on January 27, 2021. In 2022, he was interviewed for multiple head coaching vacancies. For teams such as the New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, and the Chicago Bears. That same year, he was nearly hired by the Giants before the job was eventually handed to Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator Brian Daboll on January 28, 2022. Since 2013, he has not held a coaching position, which was his 3rd and final year as the coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
Leslie Frazier’s Net Worth
American football celebrity coach and former player, Frazier has been a coach for many teams and has coached numerous players. He earns an annual salary of $4,000,000 and has an accumulative net worth of approximately $5 million.
