Wiggin roomed that season with former Vikings defensive backs coach Pete Carroll, who was head coach of the Seahawks from 2010-23 and returned to the sidelines this season with the Raiders, and “we were Bud Grant fans.”
Todd Fultz, President of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation, explained why Grant is the namesake and why Wiggin was such a fitting recipient for the highest award presented annually by the organization.
“Bud is such an NFL statesman, and Paul is such an NFL statesman, they’re cut from the same cloth,” Fultz said in 2023. “They share so many similarities, and those similarities have had a critical, positive impact on Minnesota football.
“Both of them are willing to be under the radar, not looking for all of the attention,” Fultz added. “I think that’s a great part about football, that they’re willing to do their job, they’re willing to be part of an organization and understand it’s a complete team game and is not about me.”
Fultz described Wiggin as having a “a powerful but calming presence, that you know he’s important and has information or experiences that far exceed most of the people in the room, but you don’t hear him flaunting them or raving about them.”
