Once upon a time, New York Giants legend Michael Strahan considered retirement because the alternative was playing another season under hard-nosed head coach Tom Coughlin.
Strahan ultimately returned to find that Coughlin was a new man. On the advice of his late wife, Judy, the disciplinarian showed a softer side and his players responded in kind.
Coughlin was still very much an old-school head coach who demanded greatness and accountability from the men he led, but there was a personal bond that formed and a respect that was shared.
What occurred after that is a matter of history. The Giants went on to win two Super Bowl championships — both over the dynasty New England Patriots — and Coughlin now finds himself just a few short steps away from a well-deserved destination: the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Strahan, who is a member of that illustrious group, believes deep in his soul that Coughlin is worthy of joining him, which he expressed in an emotional letter penned for People magazine late last week.
“He quickly went from the coach I didn’t want to play for to the only coach I would ever play for. All the little things that he asked of me made me a better player and ultimately a better man, because guess what: The details matter. Whether you’re setting up a blitz, or setting up an interview, or setting up a cancer treatment plan for your daughter,” Strahan wrote.
“Coughlin didn’t just build teams, he built a culture. He made us responsible to and for each other. He made us completely dedicated to a single goal and that was to play for each other. It sounds so easy, but when you take a bunch of guys with a lot of big egos and ask them to win, it is anything but.”
Despite all of his on-field accomplishments, awards, recognitions, and titles, it’s what Coughlin has done away from the field that means the most to him. It’s also what means the most to those who played for him.
“Coach always says that God isn’t going to ask him about the Super Bowl rings on his fingers, but rather the impact he has had on the lives of others,” Strahan added. “Watching him and his late wife Judy work so tirelessly for families tackling pediatric cancer in New York, New Jersey, and Jacksonville, Fla., has not been lost on me or any of my teammates. He has inspired many of us to pursue similar paths in how we give back and that’s because he is a leader, a role model, and has our respect.
“Coach, I am so grateful to call you a mentor and a friend. You have made me a better person. There is no doubt in my mind that you belong in the Hall of Fame, but until you get that gold jacket and that bust to talk to the other busts late at night in Canton, please know you are already a Hall of Famer to so many you’ve touched on and off the field.”
Perhaps no one deserves the Hall of Fame more than Tom Coughlin and that has a lot more to do with his shaping of lives, both on the field and through the Jay Fund Foundation, than anything else he’s ever accomplished. He’s not just a champion head coach but a champion human being.
