Tom Coughlin is back on the Hall of Fame radar, and he’s not alone.
The former Giants coach is one of five names on the Coaches Subcommittee’s ballot for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2027 class, joining Bill Belichick, Dan Reeves, Mike Shanahan and Mike Holmgren. Only one head coach will be inducted each year, which makes this a crowded race from the start.
For Giants fans, Coughlin will always carry a special place in the conversation. He led New York from 2004 to 2015 and brought home two Super Bowl titles during that stretch.
Before that, he was the first head coach in Jacksonville Jaguars history, guiding the team from 1995 to 2002. Coughlin took Jacksonville to the AFC Championship Game in 1996, the franchise’s second season, and again in 1999 after a 14-2 run.
He was named Coach Of The Year after the 1996 season, and he has the rare distinction of being one of only two coaches to beat Belichick in the Super Bowl - and he did it twice.
Belichick’s path to the ballot runs through his years with the Giants as much as his later success in New England. He worked on special teams and with linebackers from 1979 to 1990 before Bill Parcells elevated him to defensive coordinator in 1985.
Belichick built his reputation as one of the league’s sharpest defensive minds, and his Super Bowl 25 game plan against the Buffalo Bills is already in the Hall of Fame. He later coached the Browns and Jets before taking over the Patriots, where he won six championships, tied for the most in NFL history, though his tenure was also marked by scandal.
Reeves also spent time on the Giants sideline, coaching the team from 1993 to 1996. He earned AP Coach Of The Year honors after New York went 11-5, even if the seasons that followed didn’t match that peak.
Still, Reeves’ résumé is hard to ignore. Across stops with the Denver Broncos from 1981 to 1992, the Giants from 1993 to 1996 and the Atlanta Falcons from 1997 to 2003, he became one of only 13 head coaches to win at least 200 games.
Reeves died on January 1, 2022.
The ballot also includes Holmgren and Shanahan, giving the committee a deep group of accomplished coaches to sort through before one name gets the call.
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