Former Patriots coach headed to Hall of Fame
Sunday, February 03, 2013
It seems that all Bill Parcells did was win. It wasn't really that way, of course, but coaching some of the teams he did...it sure seemed like it.
The former Patriots head coach, perhaps best known for his time spent coaching the New York Giants, as well as the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets over 19 seasons, was elected Saturday to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. The induction ceremony will take place August 3rd.
"Bill Parcells has been thought of as one of the all-time greats for a long time, so it is with great pride that we can officially refer to him as a Hall of Famer," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Saturday night. Belichick coached with Parcells as an assistant on his Giants and Jets staffs. "He deserves all the recognition he is getting and for his career to be celebrated in Canton forever."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTParcells led the Giants to two Super Bowl titles before arriving to revive a moribund New England franchise in the early 1990's, and the argument can certainly be made that his arrival as coach helped to keep the franchise here...rather than move off to St. Louis. The brand-new Patriots owner at the time, Robert Kraft, certainly knows what Parcells' arrival meant.
"Congratulations to Coach Parcells on his election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame," Kraft said. "It is well deserved. As a Patriots fan, I will always appreciate the credibility he brought to our franchise as a two-time Super Bowl champion. We had never had a head coach with those credentials.
"I am very happy for Bill and look forward to his enshrinement ceremonies."
Giants President and CEO John Mara echoed those sentiments. "He's one of the best coaches in NFL history," Mara said. "He turned our franchise around. We went through a long period in the 1960's and 70's when we were a laughingstock. When Bill took over in 1983, he survived a very difficult first year, but then turned us into a perennial playoff contender and won two Super Bowls for us.
"He coached three other teams and everywhere he went, he had great success."
Getting in on his fourth try, Parcells led an induction class that also included mouthy defensive lineman Warren Sapp, wide receiver Cris Carter and two standouts from the trenches, offensive linemen Jonathan Ogden and Larry Allen.
The class of 2013 also included a pair of senior selections, Curley Culp and Dave Robinson. The announcement was made in New Orleans, site of Sunday's Super Bowl XLVII.
