Vikings make it official, announce Zimmer hiring

Some 11 hours after the word broke that the Vikings hired Mike Zimmer as their head coach, the team made it official on Wednesday night.

There will be a news conference at 11 a.m. Friday at Winter Park for Zimmer to address the media. No word on why there's a one-day delay in that briefing.

The Vikings also had an in-house interview with Zimmer on their website.

Here is the Vikings' release:

The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms with Mike Zimmer, making him the 9th head coach in team history. In his 20 NFL seasons, Zimmer has made 11 playoff appearances, earned 7 division titles and won a Super Bowl (Super Bowl XXX-1995).

"We are excited to welcome Mike as the new leader of the Minnesota Vikings," said Vikings Owner/Chairman Zygi Wilf. "He has a proven track record of success at every stop in the NFL and we look forward to him maintaining that consistency here in Minnesota."

Zimmer joins the Vikings after spending the past 6 seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, where he helped lead teams to the playoffs the past 3 consecutive seasons and 4 of the last 5 years (2009, 2011-13). Under Zimmer's tutelage, the Bengals defense consistently ranked near the top of the NFL, including 4 top-10 rankings in both offensive points allowed and total yards allowed. Since 2011, the Bengals have notched the 2nd-most sacks (139) in the NFL, setting a team record with 51 sacks in 2012.

"Fans will appreciate Mike's intensity on the field and his down-to-earth attitude off the field," said Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf. "We strongly believe he will help us compete for division championships each year and lead us to our ultimate goal of bringing a Super Bowl championship to Minnesota."

Prior to joining Cincinnati, Zimmer was the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007 after spending the previous 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, including 7 as the Cowboys defensive coordinator. Zimmer led top-10 defenses for Dallas in both the 4-3 and 3-4 schemes, including a 2003 defense that led the NFL in fewest yards allowed (253.5 yards per game). Six times during Zimmer's tenure as secondary coach and later defensive coordinator, the Cowboys finished 5th or better in the NFL in scoring defense.

"Mike epitomizes the type of football coach with the vision and the values we were looking for to lead us into the future," said Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman. "His history of maximizing players' potential, along with his football knowledge and passion for the game, will be tremendous assets as we enter a new era of Vikings football."