Bill Parcells

Lore & Background

As the head coach of the Giants, Parcells took over a franchise that had qualified for the playoffs only once in the past decade and had only one winning record in their last 10 seasons. Within four years, he guided them to their first Super Bowl title and won a second championship in Super Bowl XXV four years later. Parcells retired following the second Super Bowl, but came out of retirement in 1993 to become the head coach of the Patriots, another struggling franchise at the time.

By his fourth season, New England reached Super Bowl XXXI, although the game ended in defeat. He left the Patriots after their Super Bowl loss and became the head coach and general manager of the Jets, who went from a one-win season to appearing in the AFC Championship Game by his second year. Parcells retired for a second time in 1999, but returned again in 2003 as the head coach of the Cowboys. The Cowboys made two playoff appearances under Parcells, although both ended in first-round defeats, leading to his third and final retirement in 2007.

Reader's Guide

Parcells was born in Englewood, New Jersey on August 22, 1941. He grew up in the nearby town of Hasbrouck Heights. His mother, Ida Parcells (born Naclerio), was a housewife while his father, Charles (Chubby) Parcells, played quarterback at Georgetown University and worked for the FBI before becoming a lawyer for Uniroyal Tires. Prior to his sophomore year in high school, the Parcells family moved to Oradell, where he attended River Dell Regional High School.

While at River Dell, he was routinely mistaken for another boy named Bill; he adopted Bill as his nickname. Parcells was an athlete as a youth, playing football, baseball, and basketball. His football coach was Tom Cahill; his basketball coach was Mickey Corcoran, whom Parcells considers a major influence. He attended Colgate University, then transferred to the University of Wichita, where he played linebacker and earned a physical education degree.

He was drafted in the seventh round by the Detroit Lions but was released before playing an NFL game. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Hastings (1964), Wichita State (1965), Army (1966–69), Florida State (1970–72), Vanderbilt (1973–74), and Texas Tech (1975–77). In 1978, he became head coach at the Air Force Academy for one season. He served as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants in 1979 but resigned; he returned to coaching in 1980 as linebackers coach of the New England Patriots, where he adopted the "Big Tuna" nickname.

He rejoined the Giants as an assistant in 1981 and became head coach in 1983. After his coaching career, he served as vice president of football operations for the Miami Dolphins from 2008 to 2010. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.