Jacksonville Jaguars inaugural head coach Tom Coughlin has been coaching the New York Giants, leading the team to two Super Bowl championships. In Jacksonville, he created the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund to assist children with leukemia and other forms of cancer and their families by providing emotional and financial support. The annual fundraiser was Friday.
How has developing the Jay Fund affected you?
It means everything to me. We started this right here in Jacksonville in 1996. The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation is the spirit of (Boston College football player) Jay McGillis because we had witnessed, firsthand, the tragedy of losing a child and how a family drops everything, runs to the bedside of this sick child. But life goes on. Bills accumulate, things build up and people start looking for help. How are we going to solve all these issues? It becomes a stressful situation. The child that is sick knows that the family has problems and it doesn’t help him feel any better about his particular situation. We saw this. We knew what we wanted to do. We wanted to give back to the community. Last year we spent some $640,000 in distribution of grants and we would like to do even more.
Which do you prefer? Building a team from scratch or molding the talent from an established franchise to your vision?
You always surround yourself with the best possible people. We tried to do that here in Jacksonville. We definitely have that type of situation in New York with Jerry Reese, our general manager, and the Mara and Tisch families. They have been in the football business for a very, very long time and we have all benefited from that type of a structure.
Your most memorable moment of the season?
When the ball goes incomplete and we win the Super Bowl. There is nothing like that feeling. That’s a rush that you can’t imagine.
You also had the opportunity to ride in two parades. What was that like?
It’s very difficult to explain the parade. The “Canyon of Heroes” parade, if you know anything about it historically, and you know who rode down Broadway, it’s very special.
Is there an offseason for you?
There really isn’t one. As soon as you get done touching the trophy, you are looking at the fact that you are behind.
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