Parcells led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl wins (1986, 1990) and became known for quickly turning teams into contenders. There may not have been a better example of that than when he inherited the helm of the New York Jets in 1997.
In just his first season, Parcells transformed the Jets, who had finished 1-15 for their eighth straight losing season, from the pits of the NFL (1-15) to a 9-7 record. The Jets followed the transformation with a 12-4 division-winning season in ’98 and an AFC Championship Game appearance, capping the greatest two-year turnaround of any franchise in the history of the league.
When he took over the Giants in 1983, the franchise had just one winning season in the previous 10 years. Parcells also brought the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl (1996) and had winning seasons as the Dallas Cowboys head coach and the Miami Dolphins Executive VP of Football Operations.
Parcells left a lasting legacy and an imprint on the game. Three present-day NFL head coaches (Bill Belichick, Sean Payton and Tom Coughlin) learned their fair share from coaching under Parcells in their early careers. At least two of those three are expected Hall of Famers in Belichick and Coughlin. Head coach of the University of Kansas, Charlie Weis, and University of Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre, were also once Parcells’ assistants.
“The Big Tuna” was named NFL Coach of the year in ’86 and ’94. In his 19 seasons as a head coach, 14 of which his teams had winning seasons, he posted a career 172-130-1 regular season record and an 11-8 postseason record. He’s 10th all-time with 303 games coached and 11th in victories.
During his induction speech, Parcells repeated a quote from Hall of Fame safety Emlen Tunnell.
“Losers assemble in little groups and complain about the coaches and the players in other little groups,” Parcells said. “But winners assemble as a team, and tonight I get to do just that.”
In addition to Parcells, Larry Allen(G/T), Cris Carter (WR), Curley Culp (DT), Jonathan Ogden (T), Dave Robinson (LB) and Warren Sap (DT) were also inducted.
At the end of his speech, Parcells finished by saying, “I’m honored, I’m grateful, and I’m thankful to every single one of you out there that had something to do with this.”
Parcells is the owner of 4-year-old horse Saratoga Snacks, who finished third in a field of four at the August 1 John Morrissey Stakes. “Snackster” went in as the 7-5 favorite, looking for a third straight win at the time.
