Tom Coughlin has a lot to thank Bill Parcells for. Parcells led NY out of its ‘70s and early-‘80s football funk and made the Giants the respected multi-championship NFL franchise it is today, by winning Super Bowls in ‘86 and ‘90. He set a standard of excellence and a no-nonsense, smash-mouthed defensive tone that was continued by Coughlin during his HC title-runs with NY (‘07, '11).
It remains the philosophical fabric of Giants football.
Parcells will take his rings and resume to Canton, Ohio when he is inducted into the seven-man, ‘13 Hall of Fame class this weekend, and Coughlin will be front and center, attending his first induction ceremony as part of the Maras’ (Giant’s owners) contingent on Saturday.
Coughlin relishes his Giants history and respects the Big Blue coaching tree as much as anyone. Beyond winning and working together, both coaches have also had success elsewhere. In 19 seasons as a head coach, Parcells also led the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl in ‘96. Then he took the New York Jets to the AFC title game in ‘98.
After honing his skills as an assistant under Parcells, Coughlin took expansion-franchise Jacksonville to NFC Championship Games in ‘96 and ‘99.
The Giants have had an eventful offseason, while preparing to get back to the top of the NFL heap. Still, Coughlin—a stickler for detail and total focus once football kicks in—found time to support a guy in Parcells, who has contributed largely to Coughlin’s current success.
Coughlin’s not alone in his deviance. Bill Belichick and Sean Payton, the two other former assistants to Parcells who have gone on to win the Super Bowl, are all planning to honor their former boss by leaving their teams for a few hours Saturday and arriving in time for his induction.
“I’ll leave after practice,” Coughlin told nydailynews.com . “Coaches will take over the evening meetings, and then we’re going to go for the ceremony to honor Bill and be there for him, as Giant to Giant, and then we’ll travel back.”
That’s the least Coughlin can do for Parcells, whose HOF induction only enhances Coughlin’s chances of capturing a beautiful bust when his coaching days are up.
