Sat Mar 8 11:09:56 2008

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Giants make it official with Coughlin

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East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - The Super Bowl champion New York Giants made it official on Saturday and announced the signing of head coach Tom Coughlin to a new four-year contract through the 2011 season.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the New York Daily News had previously reported it to be worth about $21 million.

"Tom Coughlin has done a great job for us and we think this contract recognizes his outstanding achievements here," said Giants president and CEO John Mara on the team's website Saturday. "This is a message to him and to our fans that we want him to be our coach for many years to come."

Coughlin, an assistant with the Giants for three years from 1988-90, has spent four seasons as the club's head coach and has posted a regular-season record of 35-29 with an NFC East title in 2005. He has guided the team to three straight playoff appearances, but hadn't won a playoff game with the franchise until this year's surprising run to the Super Bowl championship.

"It would be difficult for me to capture the emotions for the opportunity I was given back in 1988 to be an assistant coach with the Giants. And then to have the opportunity to be the head coach was the fulfillment of a dream of a lifetime. And now to be able to continue in that capacity -- with this organization, with this leadership, with this football team and with my coaching staff in place -- is something my family and I are extremely excited about," Coughlin stated.

Coughlin had signed a one-year extension through 2008 after a rocky 2006 season that saw the Giants finish 8-8 and lose in the first round of the playoffs. He did not see his job security improve when New York opened the 2007 season with two straight blowout losses to Dallas and Green Bay.

The Giants, however, rebounded to finish 10-6, then won three straight playoff games on the road before besting the previously unbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. After stumbling in Dallas to open the season, the Giants didn't lose away from home for the rest of the season, finishing 10-1 on the road including the postseason.

"He took a group of football players and molded them into the best team in the world," added Giants chairman and executive vice president Steve Tisch. "We are honored he will lead the New York Giants for many more years and know that the team and its fans are better for his amazing contributions."

Coughlin previously spent eight years (1995-2002) as coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he led the club to a regular-season record of 68-60 and notched the most victories of any NFL expansion team in its first seven seasons. He also guided Jacksonville to the AFC Championship Game after the 1996 and 1999 seasons.