Bill Parcells ends his career as one of the most successful coaches in NFL history. He won two Super Bowls with the Giants, led the New England Patriots to one Super Bowl and brought the Jets to within one game of the Super Bowl, leading them to the AFC Championship game last season. Here’s a look back at Tuna’s career:
1959: Parcells is in the first graduating class from River Dell High School in Oradell, N.
J. and goes on to play college football at Colgate and Wichita State.
1978: Parcells lands his first head coaching job at the Air Force Academy.
1979: After one year at Air Force, Parcells jumps to the pros as an assistant to Giants coach Ray Perkins.
1981: After one season in New England, Parcells returns to Giants as defensive coordinator.
Dec. 15, 1982: Parcells is named head coach of the Giants.
Sept. 4, 1983: In his first game as a pro head coach, Parcells and the Giants lose, 16-6, to the L.
A. Rams.
Sept. 11, 1983: With a 16-13 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons, Parcells has his first professional victory.
Dec. 2, 1984: The Giants’ 20-10 win over the Jets gives Parcells his first winning season (9-7).
Dec. 14, 1986: Giants beat St. Louis, 27-7, to clinch his first NFC East title.
Jan. 25, 1987: Giants top the Denver Broncos, 39-20, in Super Bowl XXI,
giving Parcells his first of two rings.
Jan. 27, 1991: The Giants edge the Buffalo Bills, 20-19, as Scott Norwood’s possible game-winning field goal sails wide right to give Tuna his second Super Bowl title.
May, 1991: Parcells abruptly resigns as coach of the Giants. Ray Handley takes over the team for two disappointing seasons.
Jan. 21, 1993: Parcells takes the head coaching position with the New England Patriots. He says it will be the last team he coaches.
Sept. 5, 1993: Parcells returns to the sidelines in a 38-14 loss vs. Buffalo. He earns his first win with New England Oct. 10 at Phoenix.
May 1996: At Parcells’ request, the Pats lop off 1997 from his five-year deal. There is still the option of extending it by mutual consent, the Pats say, but rumors begin swirling over which team will land the Tuna.
Jan. 26, 1997: The Pats lose Super Bowl XXXI, 35-21, to Green Bay. Reporters ask, “What’s next, Bill?
” during postgame interviews.
Jan. 30, 1997: The Jets contact New England regarding Parcells. Patriots owner Robert Kraft insists Jets’ No. 1 overall pick be part of any compensation package. Jets owner Leon Hess refuses.
Jan. 31, 1997: Parcells resigns as Patriots coach.
Feb. 1, 1997: Jets prez Steve Gutman phones New England assistant Bill Belichick, a long-time Parcells assistant and the former coach of the Cleveland Browns.
Feb. 4, 1997: Jets announce that Belichick will be the head coach until Parcells is free to take the job. Parcells will act as a consultant. Belichick is Jets’ fourth head coach in five seasons.
Feb. 5, 1997: NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue puts a freeze on the hirings, saying he wants to study contracts of both Belichick and Parcells before approving their deals with the Jets.
Feb. 7, 1997: Parcells signs a six-year deal that calls for him to take over as coach and GM following the 1997 season. He’s supposed to coach at least four of those years.
Feb. 11, 1997: Tagliabue brokers a deal, allowing Parcells to become Jets coach while granting New England compensation.
Aug. 31, 1997: Parcells makes his debut as the Jets’ head coach in a 41-3 win at Seattle.
Dec. 14, 1997: With a 31-0 pounding of Tampa Bay, the Jets’ give Parcells his first winning season (9-7) with the club.
March 20, 1998: Parcells adds insult to Patriots’ injury-stealing away running back Curtis Martin in a deal that was arbitrated by Tagliabue.
Dec. 13, 1998: By beating the Dolphins, 21-16, the Jets earn their first AFC playoff berth in seven seasons.
Dec. 19, 1998: Parcells leads Jets to first division title since 1969 with a 17-10 victory over Buffalo. It is Parcells’ fifth career divisional crown.
January, 1999: Parcells gets his first playoff win as Jets coach, 34-24, over Jacksonville. The team moves on to the AFC Championship game, only to fall to the Denver Broncos, 23-10.
Jan. 3, 2000: Tuna resigns as head coach of the Jets and announces he will stay on as team’s chief operating officer. Belichick is named head coach of the Jets.
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