Michael Peter Tice (born February 2, 1959) is a former American football tight end and coach. He played college football at the University of Maryland, College Park and spent 11 seasons playing in the National Football League (NFL) before spending 22 seasons as a coach, including four seasons as the Minnesota Vikings head coach. Playing career Tice attended the University of Maryland, College Park where he played quarterback. He played tight end in the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1995 with the Seattle Seahawks, Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings. Tice was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Long Island in the Coaches and Football Categories with the Class of 2013. Coaching career Minnesota Vikings Immediately after his retirement, Tice joined the Vikings' coaching staff, serving first as tight ends coach (1996) and offensive line coach (1997–2001). Tice took over head coaching duties on an interim basis for the final game of the 2001 season, replacing Dennis Green. On January 10, 2002, Tice was named the 6th head coach in franchise history, Bud Grant having been both 2nd and 4th. He was the first former Viking player to assume the role. In 2002, the Vikings led the NFL in rushing for the first time in team history, and in 2003, they led the league in total offense for the first time. A season later, the Vikings broke team records with 6,339 total yards and 4,754 passing yards and scored 50 touchdowns. In March 2005, the NFL began to investigate Tice for organizing and profiting from a Super Bowl ticket scalping operation within the Vikings organization. He later admitted that these charges were true and the NFL fined him $100,000 on June 30, 2005. At the time, it was the largest fine ever handed down to a head coach in NFL history, and is still the largest for a head coach who does not also have the title or powers of general manager. Tice was also the head coach during the Minnesota Vikings boat party scandal which occurred in October 2005. Some commentators believe that this incident led to his demise in Minnesota. Tice's contract with the Minnesota Vikings was allowed to expire after the last game of the 2005 season on January 1, 2006. The Vikings had just defeated the Chicago Bears, but a loss to the Baltimore Ravens eliminated the Vikings from playoff contention and