This weekend, I saw that former Syracuse football player and NFL head coach Tom Coughlin is among the 29 semifinalists in the “coach/contributor” category for a chance to be in the Hall. of Pro Football Fame.
As noted in the cuse.com article I foundthis is separate from the list of players the former Syracuse football player defensive end Dwight Freeney was in.
And while I’ll admit I’m a Syracuse homer 99 percent of the time, both men earned this honor and deserve to be there. The nominations are an honor, but I truly believe both men deserve to be in Canton, Ohio in 2024.
Both have tremendous name recognition, honorable NFL achievements, and a testament to vote-worthy talent.
Former Syracuse football players Tom Coughlin and Dwight Freeney deserve the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Dwight Freeney’s accomplishments for Syracuse football aside, as this is the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but ask any offensive lineman who lined up against him if he and that spin of his are worthy of the HOF, and I bet they will. I’ll agree Freeney unfortunately was not selected in 2023 but hopefully, this oversight is fixed by 2024.
In 16 seasons, Dwight earned multiple All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, a Super Bowl ring with the Indianapolis Colts and retired with 125.5 sacks. Along with his teammate Robert Mathis, the two were dominant in their day and deserve due recognition for their work.
And as for Tom Coughlin, the guy coached and won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants and was the first coach in Jacksonville Jaguars history to lead them to two AFC Championship games. He not only coached for 20 seasons, but was also a team executive for the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that also reached the AFC Championship Game in 2018.
And although the end of his tenure as an executive in Jacksonville may not have ended ideallythere is no denying their successes which are worthy of a golden jacket in my opinion.
Both men were winners and competitors at the highest level and did so for over a decade. A guy (Coughlin) he even beat Tom Brady and Bill Belichick TWICE during his dynasty-worthy career, his only Super Bowl losses during that run. The other guy (Freeney) once had 16 sacks in a season and has the best spin move for a defensive end/linebacker.
I hope that in 2024, both men get the honor they deserve and earned in their professions. Yes, I’d love to see two more Syracuse players come in, but even if I look at it objectively, what they both brought to the game is something to be reckoned with. Good luck to both men and off you go. Orange!
- Posted on 07/17/2023 at 11:00 p.m.
- Last update on 07/17/2023 at 23:00 pm
