The Storied Giants Career of Tom Coughlin Has Ended

12 years of service, two Super Bowl victories, and more great football memories than some fans have had the pleasure of making in their entire lives. That’s what Tom Coughlin has delivered during his Giants career.

And now it’s over.

Coughlin resigned as Giants head coach on Monday, closing the book on a career that leaves him among all-time great Giants coaches, and should propel him to a spot in Canton.

The past few years haven’t been kind to Coughlin’s Giants with this year standing out as a particular disappointment. Still, there’s no denying Coughlin will be remembered as one of the greatest Giants coaches of all time.

Coughlin finishes his Giants career with a 102-90 regular season record, making him the second-winningest coach in Giants’ regular season history. His 8-3 postseason record ties him with Bill Parcells as the Giants’ winningest postseason coach.

Throughout his 12 years leading the Giants into battle, Coughlin established himself as the ideal head coach.

He is accomplished. In addition to his success with the Giants, he also turned around the Jacksonville Jaguars and enjoyed a three-year stint as the head coach at Boston College.

He is a strict football general. You won’t see many men in their 60s as animated and passionate as Coughlin was on the sidelines of just about every Giants game. While some teams see their players constantly battle to stay out of trouble off the field, that was rarely the case with Coughlin’s Giants. And who could forget his famous policy that if you’re not five minutes early, you’re late?

But what some fail to realize is that Coughlin is also a great man, beloved by his players.

When asked about Coughlin after Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, Rashad Jennings had this to say.

“That is a guy that has so much command in the room, so much respect amongst his peers and us. We will fight for him, continue to follow him. And there is no doubt in my mind that he is the man for the job.”

Coughlin’s Giants drafted Hakeem Nicks in 2009 and won a Super Bowl with him in 2012. The returning receiver also had nice things to say about Coughlin on Sunday.

“He still has the same command when he walks in the room. He is still coach Coughlin to me. He is going to get on you when he needs to get on you and he is going to let you know when you do things right. I love him as a coach and I love the way he motivates his teams.”

Tom Coughlin’s career as Giants head coach has come to an end.

On Monday, as players packed up their lockers and prepare for the long offseason, the vibe in the room was that this year’s letdown was on the players – not Coughlin.

“At the end of the day it’s all about players and we didn’t do a great job this year,” said Jason Pierre-Paul.

But it was the franchise player, the man who won two Super Bowls under Coughlin, Eli Manning who felt the strongest.

“He definitely has not failed. I feel we as players failed him by not playing to the level we could.”

Several reporters said Manning was visibly emotional and holding back to tears as he uttered those words.

It says a lot that a coach as hard-nosed and tough as Coughlin is as respected and beloved as he is. It doesn’t happen by accident.

That kind of respect and admiration is built over a long, successful career. It is built through working hard, being dedicated, and forging relationships.

And winning. Something Tom Coughlin did a lot of.