The Giants of New York He rose to popularity as the head coach of the New York Giants, whom he guided to two Super Bowl championships. Parcells then coached the New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Dallas Cowboys. He is considered one of the best NFL coaches of all time.
He was born on January 1st, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York. He was raised by a single mother who worked several jobs to provide for him and his three siblings. She was an Italian American who came over from Italy when she was 18 years old. He had no interest in football until his senior year in high school when he began to play quarterback for John Adams High School in Brooklyn. After graduating, he went to Boston University where he played college football for the Boston College Eagles. In October of 1957, he married Jeanne Robertson; they had three children together before divorcing in 1987.
In 1960, Parcells graduated from Boston University with a bachelor's degree in physical education. That same year, he accepted a coaching position with the Boston Yanks of the AFL. After one season, he was offered a contract by the New York Giants to be their quarterbacks coach. Under head coach Allie Sherman, the Giants won the 1962 NFL Championship. During his five years with the team, Parcells learned the offensive system used by most NFL teams at that time.
Bill Parcells Parcells returned to football in 1993 as the head coach of the struggling New England Patriots, where he led the club to a Super Bowl victory in 1997. Parcells later coached the New York Jets (1997–2000) and the Dallas Cowboys (2003–7), transforming underperforming clubs into conference contenders. He was named the 2002 NFL Coach of the Year after leading the Cowboys to their first playoff appearance since 1999. He resigned from the Cowboys following the 2007 season.
Parcells's resume includes two National Football League championships (with the Giants in 1985 and with the Patriots in 2001), five Super Bowl victories (as a player or a coach), and a record of.500 or better during his tenure with six different teams. His career coaching record is 95-63-1 (.547).
He has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the New York State Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1995, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton.
Before becoming a head coach, Parcells served as an assistant coach for three years (1970–1972) under Chuck Fairbanks at Boston University before going out on his own as a trainer/adviser for the Miami Dolphins.
Bill Belichick, as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, assisted Bill Parcells in winning two Super Bowls. After being fired as head coach by the Cleveland Browns in 1995, Belichick rejoined Parcells in New England, where the two went to another Super Bowl in the same positions; they almost went back with a third club, the New York Jets. As of 2014, Belichick is still employed by the Patriots, while Parcells has been retired from football since 1999.
Belichick and Parcells first met when they were assistants on the Giants' defense in 1990. When New York head coach Ray Perkins was fired after one season, Parcells replaced him as head coach and hired Belichick as his defensive coordinator. In 1995, after posting a 9-7 record, the Browns fired head coach John Fox after one season and replaced him with Parcells. Fox had drafted Belichick in 1989, but he had only served as a defensive assistant during his first year with the team. With no position listed on the roster, Belichick was given an unassigned role with the team. When Parcells was hired, he offered Belichick the job as defensive coordinator, which he accepted.
In 1996, the Patriots made the NFL playoffs for the first time ever and advanced to the Divisional Round where they lost to their former coach, the Cleveland Browns. That same year, Parcells was fired by the Patriots after making them winners of only one game in each of his previous three seasons as head coach. He was replaced by Dennis Green.
Parcells stepped out of retirement in 1993 to become the head coach of the New England Patriots, another struggling organization at the time. During his fourth season as coach, Parcells turned the fortunes of the squad once more, leading them to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI, albeit the game ended in defeat for the Patriots.
He stayed with the team until 2001, when he resigned following a controversy over comments he had made about the injury history of quarterback Tom Brady. Parcells later admitted that he was wrong to criticize Brady publicly and promised him that he would have no part in any such debate in the future.
After leaving the Patriots, Parcells took over as coach of the Miami Dolphins, where he led them to a 10-6 record in 2003 before being fired. He then returned to New England in 2004 as head coach again. This time he led them to a 14-2 record and their first ever NFL title. He is currently ranked number two all-time by the Patriots behind only Bill Belichick. Parcells announced after the 2005 season that he would be retiring at the end of that year; however, he changed his mind and decided to continue coaching. He signed on with the Dolphins as a consultant in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, he returned to Foxboro to become the coach of the Patriots again. This time he has already won one game - which was also his debut game as a coach again.
In taking over as head coach of the Giants in 1983, Parcells took over a team that had only made the playoffs once in the previous decade (1981) and had only one winning season in the previous ten. Parcells guided the squad to its first Super Bowl triumph in four years. He has gone on to win or share the National Football League championship with the Miami Dolphins in 1985, 1990, 1993, and 1994.
He is also the owner of the first pick in the NFL draft. The Cleveland Browns chose him with the number one overall selection in 1973, but he refused to play for them because they were owned by an Ohio sports franchise. The New York Giants selected him with the first pick in the 1974 draft.
So, he is responsible for bringing football back to New York after the Giants had disappeared for a few years. He is also considered one of the best defensive minds in football history. During his tenure as coach of the Giants, their defense ranked first in the league three times. In addition, Parcells led the team to the playoffs every year he was there. After being fired by the Giants following the 1997 season, he went on to coach the Miami Dolphins from 1998 to 2000 and the Dallas Cowboys from 2001 to 2003.
After leaving the coaching profession for a year, he returned in 2004 as coach of the Patriots.
Before taking over as head coach of the New York Jets, Parcells led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his fourth year with the organization. He never won a Super Bowl in his three seasons as head coach of the New York Jets, nor in his four seasons as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. However, he did lead the Jets to the playoffs all four years he was there.
He resigned after the 1997 season, when the Jets finished 4-12. He said it was because he wanted to spend more time with his family but many believed it was due to internal politics within the team's ownership group. Former Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Rod Thorn had been hired as interim coach but was not expected to stay with the team once a permanent replacement was found.
Parcells' aggressive defensive style didn't always sit well with players or coaches, and he has been criticized for holding out hope of making the playoffs even after losing games by large margins. His response was that if everyone else gave up, he would too.
He returned to coaching in 1998 as the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills, where he helped turn around a 3-13 record into a 10-6 season. He left after one season to take over as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, where he failed to bring any success to the team. He was fired after just one season with the team.
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