Bill Parcells occupies rarefied air among football’s coaching elite. Known as a transformative figure in the NFL, Parcells not only secured two Super Bowl victories but also mentored a generation of coaching legends, including Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, and Sean Payton – all of whom have Super Bowl rings of their own. Parcells: A Football Life, co-authored with veteran sports journalist Nunyo Demasio, gives readers an expansive, meticulously detailed look into the life of the man whose legacy stretches beyond the sidelines.
From his days as an ambitious young assistant at Wichita State University in 1965, Parcells demonstrated a drive to absorb every possible football lesson. He devoured strategies from college football legends such as Woody Hayes of Ohio State and Bud Wilkinson of Oklahoma, and even travelled to Liberty, Missouri, to watch Hank Stram’s training camp with the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.
Studying top coaches helped him shape his style of meticulous organisation, strategic depth, and fiery, hands-on coaching. The latter might be demonstrated by an intense reaction on the practice field or a sharp-tongued put down in a press conference.
Title: Parcells: A Football Life
Author: Nunyo Demasio & Bill Parcells
First published: Crown Archetype, 2014
Buy the Book: Amazon US | Amazon UK*
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Demasio’s narrative covers Parcells’ nomadic early years, spent coaching at institutions like Army, Florida State, Texas Tech, and the Air Force Academy each stop refining the blend of toughness and paternalism that would define his approach in the professional ranks. His NFL debut was a false start – he resigned as New York Giants defensive coordinator before coaching a game because his family did not want to move again. But life outside football made him miserable and he returned in 1980 as linebackers coach for the New England Patriots.
A year later, he was back at the Giants and by 1983 he was head coach. After two Super Bowl wins there he became head coach of the Patriots, taking them to the Super Bowl – which they lost. His subsequent stint with the Jets didn’t result in a Super Bowl appearance but he did deliver the best regular season record in their history. In 2003, as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys he became the first coach in NFL history to take four separate teams to the playoffs.
Parcells: A Football Life captures all of this through vivid locker room scenes, detailed game breakdowns, and glimpses into contract negotiations and organisational politics. Yet, it does not shy away from the personal costs of greatness. Parcells’ relentless dedication to football was often at odds with his family and personal relationships. His unwavering focus often distanced him from those closest to him, ultimately contributing to the end of his marriage in 2002.
Ultimately, this collaborative biography stands as a definitive exploration of Parcells’s profound influence on football culture, the strategic foundations he established, and the lasting impact he had on countless players and fellow coaches. For those fascinated by the inner workings of NFL greatness and the nuanced humanity beneath football’s gruff exterior, this book provides an unmatched, authoritative portrait.
THE AUTHORS
Nunyo Demasio is a sports journalist who has written for various titles, including the New York Times, Washington Post and Sports Illustrated. Parcells: A Football Life is his first book.
Bill Parcells is a Pro Football Hall of Fame member and Super Bowl-winning head coach. His books include The Final Season and Finding a Way to Win.
REVIEWS
“Nunyo Demasio, a longtime sports and features writer, is the co-author, and the book reveals his journalistic background in exhaustive interviews and details. Games are recounted, locker room moments relived and negotiations spelled out. For those who adore the former coach of the Giants, the Jets, the Cowboys and the Patriots, this is the tome for you.”
Jacqueline Cutler, New Jersey Star-Ledger
“There is an obvious love between Parcells and Belichick that may come across as surprising, given that the perception – as Belichick became a fixture of fixtures here and his old boss developed a reputation as a franchise fixer-upper – suggested an unspannable rift. You are also left with the distinct impression that Belichick seems to have learned a lot about how to think, rather than what to think, courtesy of Parcells.”
Colin Freeman, Boston Globe
“In this superb collaborative biography (a memoir told in the third person), Bill Parcells and Nunyo Demasio chronicle the football icon’s storied career as he doles out a no-nonsense, personal brand of tough love to players during his formative “gypsy” years coaching at seven academic institutions (including Army, Florida State, Texas Tech and the Air Force Academy) and nearly 20 years transforming the struggling New York Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys into winning franchises.”
Miriam Tuliao, Book Reporter
“That is what you usually see when you look into the life of a person who succeeded a great deal in their chosen path in their lives. Amazing accolades but at a cost to the people who loved them. You can’t do it alone as Parcells needed his wife to make him the man he became, but he only let her in when he needed that support. When he was at his strongest emotionally and intellectually, Parcells was working on football. He was there for countless players as a father-type as he helped them with their personal lives, but it really wasn’t done without his own agenda as the better players they were the more football games he could win.”
Matthew Toffolo
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