Mike Singletary joining Vikings' staff

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MINNEAPOLIS -- Former San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary is joining former teammate Leslie Frazier on his staff in Minnesota.

Singletary's agent, Bob LaMonte, confirmed in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Tuesday that Singletary will be the linebackers coach and assistant head coach under Frazier with the Vikings. Singletary told ESPN 1000 in Chicago during a radio interview earlier in the day he's coming to Minnesota.

"I will be in Minnesota with Les," Singletary told "The Waddle & Silvy Show." "I will be a linebackers coach/assistant head coach."

Singletary was fired as the San Francisco 49ers head coach with one game left in the just-completed regular season.

The Hall of Fame linebacker was fired by San Francisco after two disappointing seasons, including a 5-10 showing this season for a franchise that expected to win the NFC West. Singletary was 18-22 in two-plus seasons.

Singletary and Frazier were teammates on the Bears' 1985 Super Bowl championship team. They've remained close friends since, and last season during the week leading up to the 49ers-Vikings game both men spoke highly of each other.

"He is a guy that any organization would be proud to have," Singletary said then of Frazier, who was elevated from defensive coordinator to interim head coach when the Vikings fired Brad Childress on Nov. 22. Frazier was formally given the job on Jan. 3.

Frazier and the Vikings are not commenting about their coaching staff assembly process until it's finalized. Frazier, who is expected to promote linebackers coach Fred Pagac to replace him as defensive coordinator, has several spots to fill on the offensive side. Also, special teams coordinator Brian Murphy left this week for the same job with Carolina.

To start, though, Singletary will give Frazier an assistant with plenty of experience plus the profile of a former NFL star even though his time with the 49ers was marked by internal conflict and unmet expectations. They started this season 0-5 and never recovered.

"You know what, I'll put it this way: a personal failure. I'm the head coach of this team and obviously wanted us to do better, felt that we could do better," Singletary said after his last game with the 49ers.

Singletary had 1,488 career tackles, recovered 13 fumbles and had seven interceptions in his 12-year career. He went to 10 Pro Bowls and was the top player on the dominant 1985 Chicago defense that allowed fewer than 11 points a game.

He was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

After two years as linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens, he joined the 49ers as an assistant head coach in 2005 and was elevated to the 49ers' interim role, and then full time as head coach, in 2008.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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