Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin, who has led the
Jaguars since their inception and has taken them to the NFL
playoffs in each of the last three seasons, has agreed to an
extension of his contract through the 2003 NFL season. In
accordance with Jaguars policy, no details of the terms of the
agreement were announced.
"Tom Coughlin has done an outstanding job of building the Jaguars
into a strong contender in the NFL," said team owner Wayne
Weaver. "The Jaguars have been very fortunate to have a leader of
his skill and character. Tom and I are excited about the opportunity
to continue to work together toward the ultimate goal, a Super Bowl
championship."
"I am grateful to Wayne for his continued commitment," Coughlin
said. "Following our first season on paper and four on the field, we
are entering a new cycle with our football team. This is a time for
vision; to evaluate, re-tool and refocus ourselves to where we are
and where we are headed. While the 1998 season was significant in
winning our first division title, we are continuously researching new
ways to accomplish our ultimate goal. Wayne and I have always
shared the same vision: constant improvement in the never-ending
pursuit of a Super Bowl Championship."
Coughlin, 52, joined the Jaguars on February 21, 1994 and spent that
year scouting and preparing for the Jaguars' inaugural season in
- After a 4-12 first season, Coughlin has led the Jaguars to
three straight playoff appearances, including the AFC Championship
game in 1996. In the just-completed 1998 season, the Jaguars won
the AFC Central Division Championship for the first time and
advanced to the second round of the playoffs following a home
playoff win against New England. The Jaguars are the first NFL
expansion team to go to the playoffs three times in its first four
seasons, and they are one of only six teams to have been in the
playoffs each of the past three years.
A veteran of 30 years in the coaching profession, Coughlin had 25
years of coaching experience before he took over the Jaguars,
including seven years as a college head coach and seven seasons as
an NFL assistant coach. He began his coaching career as a
graduate assistant at his alma mater, Syracuse University, and a
year later he was named head coach at Rochester Institute of
Technology. He went back to Syracuse for seven years, then on to
Boston College for three seasons before making the jump to the
NFL. He spent two years each with the Philadelphia Eagles and
Green Bay Packers before joining Bill Parcells' New York Giants
staff in 1988. He stayed with the Giants for three seasons, including
the team's Super Bowl XXV championship, and then was named
head coach at Boston College in 1991. There he turned a struggling
football program into a top 20 team, posting a 21-13-1 record in
three seasons, including a stunning upset of No. 1-ranked Notre
Dame.
Coughlin and his wife, Judy, have two daughters, Keli and Katie,
and two sons, Tim and Brian.
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