When fate called for Eric Kiesau, it was Chris Petersen on the other end.
Four years after he completed his college football career as a quarterback at Portland State, Kiesau was working in the private business sector, dabbling as a part-time coach at Glendale (Calif.) Community College.
Soon after the 1999 season, Kiesau’s quarterbacks coach for two of his three years when he played for the Vikings called the Glendale offices. Petersen, then the receivers coach at Oregon, was calling about a recruit.
“The head coach always said, ‘If I’m not around, answer the phone,’ ” Kiesau said.