Tom Coughlin Hired By NFL Front Office
Tom Coughlin will not be roaming an NFL sideline for the first time in 12 years, but he will continue to contribute to the game he’s dedicated his life to.
Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk is reporting that Coughlin will be moving into a position in the NFL’s front office in New York City.
He will be working in the NFL’s football operations department, which works on officiating, rules, and communicating with coaches and players on how the game should be played. The football operations department is overseen by Troy Vincent, executive vice president of football operations.
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Coughlin, 70, brings nearly five decades of experience to his new job. He attended Syracuse, where he played halfback and was teammates with Hall of Famers Larry Csonka and Floyd Little.
He began his coaching career as head coach of the Rochester Institute of Technology from 1970-73, compiling a record of 16-15-2. Then, he returned to his alma mater as a quarterback coach, before being promoted to offensive coordinator.
Coughlin then moved on to Boston College as a quarterback coach where he helped groom Doug Flutie into a Heisman Trophy winner. His NFL career began as a wide receiver coach for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1984. He served in the same capacity for the Green Bay Packers before coming to the Giants in 1988 to work under his mentor, Bill Parcells. He helped the Giants win Super Bowl XXV.
Coughlin returned to Boston College as head coach in 1991. The Eagles went 21-13-1 during Coughlin’s three seasons, highlighted by a 41-39 victory over No. 1 ranked Notre Dame. It was Boston College’s first ever victory over the Fighting Irish.
He returned to the NFL in 1995 as head coach of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars. Coughlin’s 68-60 record in eight seasons as Jaguars head coach is the most successful run by a head coach of an expansion team in NFL history. The Jaguars made four consecutive playoff appearances from 1996-99. They lost twice in the AFC Championship Game: to the New England Patriots in 1996 and to the Tennessee Titans in 1999.
Coughlin became head coach of the Giants in 2004. The Giants went 102-90 in his twelve seasons, clinching the NFC East title three times (2005, 2008, 2011), making five playoff appearances, and winning Super Bowls XLII and XLVI. Coughlin’s 8-3 playoff record is tied with Parcells for most in franchise history. Seven of Coughlin’s playoff victories were on the road.
In the four seasons after Super Bowl XLVI, the Giants have no playoff appearances and three consecutive losing seasons. Coughlin resigned as head coach on Jan. 4, although it felt as if Coughlin was being shown the door to pave the way for Ben McAdoo.
Coughlin, who had maintained that he still wanted to coach, interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles for their head coaching position after the release of Chip Kelly. Gary Myers of the New York Daily News reported that Coughlin’s interview with the Eagles came across as less of an interview and more of an attempt to “initiate a rebound relationship with the ex’s biggest rival”.
“NFL sources say his hard feelings for the Giants came through loud and clear in the interview with the Eagles brain trust, which included Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, and he obsessed with how he felt wronged by the Giants. He was not forthcoming with his plans for the staff. He came off more concerned with making the Giants look bad than being consumed with coaching the Eagles,” Myers wrote.
What transpired between the Giants and Coughlin is the exact opposite of what happened with Coughlin’s mentor, Bill Parcells. Parcells left of his own volition and later returned to coach the Giants’ rival. Coughlin was essentially fired, even though it’s officially a resignation.
On one hand, Coughlin did win two Super Bowls (the first of which is classified as one of the biggest upsets in the history of sports). On the other hand, the NFL is in the business of What Have You Done For Me Lately. The situation was handled poorly by both parties.
Coughlin will be inducted into the Giants Ring of Honor along with former general manager Ernie Accorsi and former defensive end Justin Tuck on Nov. 14. He has certainly put together a resume that is worthy of enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.
He will probably never be an NFL head coach again but perhaps this new position can help Tom Coughlin get accustomed to life without the grind of an NFL season. Perhaps it can help heal some of the wounds inflicted by his inauspicious departure from the Meadowlands.
Only time will tell.
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