Michael Strahan Touts Tom Coughlin For Inclusion in Pro Football Hall Of Fame

Strahan said Coach Coughlin made him a better man.

Former New York Giant Michael Strahan, left, hugs former head coach Tom Coughlin during the ceremony. The Giants defeated the Eagles, 13-7, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, in East Rutherford. / Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin has a big fan in former defensive lineman Michael Strahan.

Strahan, a former Giants great and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, penned an article for People that was published this week. In it, he pushed for his former coach to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

"When players hear the name Tom Coughlin, there are lots of words that come to mind: disciplinarian, old-school, tough, resilient, committed," Strahan said. 

"While he embodies all those individual qualities, the total of their sum elevates him to a status that few will ever achieve: NFL Legend. Coach Coughlin is that, and so much more to millions of New York Giants fans and players he has coached during his storied career.”

Strahan recalled some of the head coach’s quirky rules which might not have made sense ot the players when they were younger, but which now make sense.

One such rule involved requiring the players to be at least five minutes early for anything they did, be it practice, meetings, etc.

Strahan, who initially clashed with Coughlin over the rules and who made little secret of his disdain for playing for Coughlin at first, revealed that he was constantly being fined $500 for being three minutes early.  He was also fined for wearing his socks incorrectly. 

As annoying as the rules might have been at the time, Strahan went on to say that the rules and discipline Coughlin demanded from his players made him a better person, teaching him to pay attention to details.

"All the little things that he asked of me made me a better player and ultimately a better man, because, guess what: The details matter, whether you're setting up a blitz, or setting up an interview, or setting up a cancer treatment plan for your daughter."

Strahan added that Coughlin instilled a culture of responsibility inside the Giants building. The players were responsible for themselves and each other. Whether you were the starting quarterback or the fourth-string cornerback, everyone was responsible for one another to do their jobs.

Strahan noted that Coughlin loved every one of his players, and the feeling was reciprocated. In fact, that was the message Coughlin gave to the players before their  Super Bowl wins during Coughlin’s tenure as head coach.

"The only thing he did that was greater than beating a football dynasty known as the New England Patriots — not once, but twice — and denying them perfection in that famous Super Bowl following the 2007 season was what he did off the field. He made us all better human beings."

As far as Strahan is concerned, Coughlin, who is one of 12 coaching semi-finalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, belongs in Canton.  

"There is no doubt in my mind that you belong in the Hall of Fame, but until you get that gold jacket and that bust to talk to the other busts late at night in Canton, please know you are already a Hall of Famer to so many you’ve touched on and off the field.” 

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