Another honor is being bestowed upon Waterloo native Tom Coughlin.
The Jacksonville Jaguars announced Thursday they will induct Coughlin into the franchise’s Ring of Honor next season. Coughlin was the Jaguars’ first General Manager and head coach and is their all-time winningest coach.
Several years after being fired by the Jags, Coughlin landed with the New York Giants where he coached for 12 seasons and won two Super Bowls. He was inducted into their Ring of Honor in 2016.
Back in August, Coughlin learned he is one of 12 semifinalists under consideration for the Class of 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame. The full release from the Jaguars is below:
The Jacksonville Jaguars announced Thursday that Tom Coughlin – the franchise’s first head coach – has been selected as the seventh member of the PRIDE OF THE JAGUARS.
The Jaguars’ all-time winningest coach, Coughlin will be inducted into the PRIDE on a date to be determined in 2024, as the Jaguars celebrate their 30th National Football League season.
Coughlin will join Tony Boselli (inducted 2006), Wayne and Delores Weaver (2012), Fred Taylor (2012), Mark Brunell (2013) and Jimmy Smith (2016) in the PRIDE, which honors the key figures and legends that shaped the Jaguars franchise.
Named the first head coach of the Jaguars on February 21, 1994, Coughlin constructed the team from scratch, unabashedly implementing a football operation predicated on hard work and discipline.
His players reacted in kind, posting 68 victories in eight seasons (72 including the playoffs), three of which were double-digit win campaigns (1997-99). Along the way, two division titles (1998, ’99) and four postseason berths (1996-99) were secured, including a pair of AFC Championship Games appearances (1996, ’99).
Along the way, Coughlin drafted/developed, coached and showcased the talents of franchise greats like Boselli (tapped by Coughlin as the first draft selection in franchise history), Taylor, Brunell and Smith, along with defensive mainstays like Tony Brackens, Kevin Hardy and Donovin Darius.
“The story of the Jaguars’ cannot be told without Tom Coughlin and the influence he had on our expansion team and new fan base here in North Florida,” said Boselli, who anchored Coughlin’s offensive line for seven seasons and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022. “He is our foundational figure and the initial architect. He built our football operation and set it up for sustained success. Beyond all the remarkable on-field achievements, he also showed everyone how an NFL team could win off the field by positively impacting the communities surrounding us. Speaking for the PRIDE and the entire Jaguars organization, we are collectively excited to celebrate Coach and thank him for the positive impact his NFL legacy will forever have on the Jaguars and throughout Jacksonville.”
Coughlin later coached the New York Giants for 12 years, winning Super Bowls XLII and XLVI, with both victories coming at the expense of the New England Patriots.
In 2017, Coughlin returned to the Jaguars for a three-season stint as Executive Vice President of Football Operations and his first team reached the AFC Championship Game.
