Bill Parcells has long been one of the towering figures in Giants history, and CBS Sports just gave him another piece of recognition to match that reputation. In a recent ranking of the 20 greatest head coaches in NFL history, the former Giants leader landed at No. 13.
Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports asked six NFL reporters to build the list, which covered the league’s 107-year history. As expected, it included a heavy dose of Hall of Fame names, along with one surprising choice at No.
1: Bill Belichick. The list also featured Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, George Halas, John Madden and active Chiefs coach Andy Reid.
For Giants fans, one of the more jarring omissions was Tom Coughlin. He didn’t make the cut, even though three of the six voters included him on their ballots, with two placing him at No. 19 and another at No. 20.
Parcells, though, was firmly in the mix. He received votes from all six panelists, with half of them ranking him 13th and the other half slotting him at No.
- That kind of consistency says plenty about how he’s viewed across the league.
And it’s not hard to see why. Parcells coached the Giants from 1983 to 1990 and helped pull the franchise out of a decade of struggles. He guided New York to its first two Super Bowl wins, beating the Denver Broncos in 1987 and the Buffalo Bills in 1991.
“The Big Tuna” was known for more than the trophies, too. His physical, defense-first style became part of his identity and helped him build contenders quickly. That approach is a big reason he remains a Pro Football Hall of Famer and one of the most respected coaches the game has ever seen.
His résumé stretches well beyond the Giants. Parcells led four franchises - the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys - to the playoffs, and the common thread was the same each time: a fast turnaround.
The Giants had gone 1-15 the year before he arrived, while the Patriots and Cowboys had finished 2-14 and 1-15, respectively. In each case, Parcells turned a broken situation into a winner almost immediately.
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