Who

Coughlin is the foul-mouthed, high-strung coach of the New York Giants.

Backstory

After a successful career as a wide receiver at Syracuse, Coughlin began coaching in the college ranks—he was Doug Flutie's offensive coordinator at Boston College—before becoming a wide receivers coach in the pros, most notably for Bill Parcells' championship Giants teams. He became head coach at Boston College in 1990, leaving after three seasons to take his first NFL coaching gig with the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars. His early years in Jacksonville were successful—the Jaguars won 49 regular season games in his first five years—but a string of disappointing seasons (including a 6-10 finish in 2002) led the team to drop him. He was hired by Giants general manager Jerry Reese as team's head coach in January 2004.

Of note

Coughlin has a reputation as a strict disciplinarian with an often-vicious temper. Critics concluded early on that his abrasive style was alienating his players more than motivating them, and his first years in New York proved underwhelming as the Giants failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs and highly touted young quarterback Eli Manning failed to develop into the star the team was hoping for.

Of course, everything changed with the 2007-8 season: Coughlin went from being seen as a less-than-competent, overbearing drill sergeant to a genius who works in mysterious ways as he barked, blustered, and otherwise shouted the Giants to a 17-14 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Thanks to the history-making victory, the Giants' front office—which only a season earlier was reportedly weighing Coughlin's dismissal—signed him to a $21 million, four-year contract to keep him and his special brand of iron-handed authoritarianism at Giants Stadium through 2011.

Personal

Tom, his wife Judy, and their four children, Keli, Katie, Brian and Tim, live in Park Ridge, NJ. They also have a home in Atlantic Beach, Florida. Coughlin's son-in-law, Chris Snee, plays guard for the Giants.

No joke

Coughlin has a rule that team meetings start five minutes early. He's been known to fine players for being only three minutes early.