Parcells, Bill (1941-…), ranks among the most successful coaches in professional football history. Parcells is the only coach to take teams from four different franchises to the National Football League (NFL) play-offs. He coached the New York Giants to victories in the 1987 and 1991 Super Bowls. Parcells coached the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl in 1997, where the team lost to the Green Bay Packers. In 1998, Parcells coached the New York Jets into the NFL play-offs. He coached the Dallas Cowboys to the NFL play-offs in 2003 and 2006. In spite of his success, Parcells’s demanding coaching style and often abrasive manner have made him a controversial figure.
Duane Charles Parcells was born on Aug. 22, 1941, in Englewood, New Jersey. He acquired the nickname “Bill” as a boy. Parcells graduated from Wichita State University in 1964 and held seven different college football coaching jobs from 1964 to 1978. He entered the NFL in 1980 as an assistant coach with the New England Patriots. He was head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 to 1991. He was a football analyst on television in 1991 and then spent 1992 recovering from heart surgery. Parcells returned to football as head coach of the Patriots from 1993 to 1997, when he became head coach of the New York Jets. He resigned as the Jets’ coach following the 1999-2000 season and served as the director of football operations for the Jets during the 2000-2001 season. Parcells coached the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 through 2007 and then announced he was retiring from coaching. He was a football analyst on television in 2007 and then served as an executive vice president for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL until 2010. In 2013, Parcells was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
