Giants Country

Former Giants Head Coach Dan Reeves Dies at Age 77

Dan Reeves, who was voted AP NFL Coach of the Year in his first season with the Giants, passed away after battling a long illness.

Patricia Traina

USA TODAY Sports

Dan Reeves, one of the winningest coaches in NFL history with a 190-165-2 regular-season record (10th best), passed away early this morning. He was 77.

Reeves' family released a statement to the NFL Network confirming the sad news:

Legendary NFL player and coach Dan Reeves passed away early this morning, peacefully and surrounded by his loving family at his home in Atlanta, GA. He passed away at age 77 due to complications from a long illness. His legacy will continue through his many friends, players, and fans, as well as the rest of the NFL community. Arrangements are still to be determined.

Reeves was a running back for the Dallas Cowboys during the 1965-1972 seasons, playing for the legendary Hall of Fame head coach (and former New York Giants defensive coordinator) Tom Landry.

As a player, Reeves recorded 1,990 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns. He also had 129 career receptions for 1,693 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns.

Reeves joined Landry's coaching staff as an assistant in 1972. After taking the 1973 season off, he returned in 1974 and was on Landry's staff through 1980 when he would go on to accept the Denver Broncos head coaching job in 1981, a position he held through 1992 and one in which he led the Broncos to three Super Bowl berths.

While with Denver, Reeves and the Broncos were on the losing end of Super Bowl XXI to the New York Giants at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, a game in which Giants won 39-20 thanks to a stellar Giants defensive effort and a record-setting 22-of-25 passing performance by quarterback Phil Simms.

In 1993, Reeves was hired to be the Giants head coach following a disastrous two-year span headed by Ray Handley. Reeves coached the Giants for four years, amassing a 31-33 record, and was voted the AP NFL Coach of the Year in 1993 after leading the Giants to an 11-5 record.

“He was a great coach, great man,” said former running back Rodney Hampton in a statement released by the  Giants.

 “He’s going to be truly missed. My prayers go out to Mrs. (Pam) Reeves and all his family. I’m sure he has a lot going his way because he touched a lot of people. He was a teacher, too. He taught us how to be men. When I first got there, we used to always stay at hotels (the night before home games). He told us, ‘You’re grown men, you should know what to do to take care of yourself.’ So when he got there, we stayed at our own place, our own house.”

Reeves also served as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons after being let go by the Giants. He again won the AP NFL Coach of the Year honors in 1998 after leading Atlanta to a 14-2 mark.

Reeves and Marry Schottenheimer are believed to be the only former NFL head coaches with over 200 wins who have not received Hall of Fame consideration.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for over 30 seasons for multiple media outlets, including Inside Football, Fan Sided, SB Nation, The Athletic, Forbes, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated).  In addition to being a credentialed member of the New York Giants press corps, Patricia has covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. Patricia’s late father was a long-time New York Giants season ticket holder who helped instill her love and appreciation of the game and the franchise at a very early age.  She was able to parlay that knowledge of Giants franchise history into her first published work, The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants (Triumph Books, September 2020). She has enhanced her knowledge of the game by completing two semesters with the Scouting Academy and taking a course in NFL salary cap management. In addition to her work with Giants Country, Patricia is the host of the very successful LockedOn Giants podcast (also available on YouTube), featuring analysis, interviews, and Giants fan interaction. Patricia is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America and has participated in the mentoring of aspiring journalists. Patricia holds a Bachelor’s degree in English literature (with a minor in creative writing) and a Master’s degree in Corporate Communication. She is a certified resume development specialist (corporate, military transition, and federal) and interview coach who enjoys music and creating fan art featuring her favorite bands. 

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