At 65, Coughlin not ready to retire
Head coach Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants is seen on the field during warm-ups before Super Bowl XLVI. (Feb. 5, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
Tom Coughlin has reached retirement age, but the Giants' 65-year-old coach has no immediate plans of collecting his Social Security check.
"I'm not mentally, not physically, ready [to retire]," said Coughlin, who hosted the 17th annual Jay Fund golf tournament Monday to benefit cancer-stricken families in the Jacksonville area. "I feel I have good energy. I'm excited every day. The competitiveness, the nature of the business, is something that I'm still excited about. I don't wander down that path. I don't think about retirement. I enjoy the situation I'm in. I appreciate the backing I've received from [Giants] ownership and the way the players have responded to our program.
"I really don't feel any pull or tug in another direction. I look at it on a yearly basis. In our business, no matter how many years they give you on the contract, it's a one-year deal anyway."
Coughlin is working on a contract extension after winning his second Super Bowl in the last five seasons. He came into the 2011 season with two years remaining on his deal, but his unlikely run to another title has earned him at least a few more years on the sidelines.
"The greatest part about that [Super Bowl win] is the feeling and sensation you get when your team is all on the same page," Coughlin said. "That's what I reveled in. People said, 'God, you're relaxed, you're kind of enjoying this.' Well, I was confident. I didn't know we were going to win, but I knew we'd play well because our practices in Indianapolis went like clockwork. I felt so good about our team. That's why I enjoyed the moment."
Eli Manning, a major reason for Coughlin's two Super Bowl titles, said the Giants' coach has mellowed since his early days with the team.
"He's toned it down, especially from that first year in 2004," Manning said. "He was a wild man on the sidelines. It was a shock for me to see, kind of out of control in a sense. But now he's a smooth operator, and I think a lot of it is because he has trust in his players."
