
Show Notes
Tom Coughlin’s first Super Bowl was one of the most famous games in NFL history. It pitted the New York Giants, considered massive underdogs at the time, against the New England Patriots, who hadn’t lost a game all season. To many people, the Giants seemed doomed from the start.
But Coughlin and his team showed that with discipline and determination, anything was possible. Tom Coughlin is a three-time Super Bowl Champion, NFL Coach of the Year, and, more recently, a 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist. But perhaps the most important title he’s had is that of caregiver to his wife Judy, who passed away in November 2022 after a long battle with a rare brain disorder.
In this episode, Coach Coughlin talks us through that first Super Bowl with the Giants. We learn about his meticulous old-school style of coaching and how staying by his wife’s side in her final days changed his perspective on success. Show Notes
Super Bowl XLII Helmet Catch | NFL
(Patriots vs. Giants 2007, Week 17) | NFL Throwback
Nothing Could Prepare Me for Watching My Wife Slip Away | Tom Coughlin for NYT
Tom Coughlin, You Had Me At Hello… | Bleacher Report
Tom Coughlin Jay Fund
Show Credits Host: David Greene Executive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom Grahsler Senior Producer: Michael Olcott Producer: Michaela Winberg Associate Producer: Bibiana Correa Talent Booker: Britt Kahn Engineer: Mike Villers Tile Art: Bea Walling
Sports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.
More from Sports In America with David Greene
We're in Week Four of the college football season, so we’re sitting down tailgate-style with Jessica Smetana and Lucy Rohden, hosts of the College Football Happy Hour podcast. They’re filling us in on all the Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss drama, recapping that vicious hit in the USC-Oregon game, and breaking down what it means when we crave violence in a football game. And then we’ll hear from former NFL tight end Vernon Davis to learn how a moment of tough love became the catalyst that changed his career. You might recall when 49ers coach Mike Singletary publicly called him out in an infamous post-game speech, but you might not realize just how much being taken to task changed Davis’ trajectory in the league and beyond. He’d go on to be a two-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl champion, and Hollywood actor. We’ll gain insight into his childhood, learn how his passion for the arts off the field fueled the creation of his foundation, and understand how some of his success can be traced back to that one moment of clarity. Show Notes
With an explosive offense and a star quarterback, the Chicago Bears have high hopes for a deep playoff run this year. But will Caleb Williams’ hamstring injury put a damper on the team’s promising season? We’re sitting down with Kevin Fishbain, a senior writer at The Athletic who covers the Bears, to check on one of the highest-ceiling teams in the league. Then, we’re going to talk about something that most elite athletes never even allow themselves to consider: quitting. Lael Wilcox is an ultra-distance cyclist who became the fastest woman to ride her bike around the world in 2024. This summer she wanted to try for the men’s record too, and become the fastest person to cycle around the world. But early on in her effort, a historic heatwave in Europe made it unsafe for her to keep going. How did Lael make the tough decision to stop, and what good came out of it? Show Notes
The MLB season is almost ending, but a new investigation will keep us talking way into the offseason. We’ll hear from Gus Garcia-Roberts, a national reporter from ProPublica who’s been investigating the business surrounding baseball academies in the Dominican Republic. He’ll tell us how MLB teams circumvent recruiting rules, how money is taken from young players and families, and how some of our favorite baseball stars are connected to the system. Then, we’ll dive into the strangely wonderful world of fantasy football, with expert Matthew Berry. Matthew started his career as a writer, working on shows like Married…with Children. But he traded a ticket to Hollywood for a chance to chase his real dream: fantasy football. We’ll see all the places this leap of faith took him, and how his obsession with fantasy became a career, community, and now, his own company. Show Notes
The NFL is finally back, so we’re talking to friends of the pod Madeline Hill and Charlotte Wilder from “The Sports Gossip Show” about the storylines they’re watching as the new season gets underway, the teams and players they’re most curious about, and how we as fans should deal with off-field drama. Then, as we observe the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, we’ll talk with Craig Woodall about the loss of his older brother Brent, an accomplished athlete who died in the South Tower that day. We dive deep into the role sports, teammates and resilience have played in Craig’s life in the years since and the many gifts his grief has given him. Show Notes
Elle Duncan is back on the show, and this week, we’re prepping for her upcoming trip to Melbourne, Australia, for Week 1 of the NFL season. Elle will be leading Netflix’s broadcast of the matchup between the LA Rams and San Francisco 49ers, which is the first regular-season NFL game ever to be played in Australia. Then, we’re sitting down with Mary Cain. In her prime, she was one of the fastest girls in the country. She signed to run professionally with Nike before she even graduated high school. Mary’s future in the sport looked bright — that is, until 2016, when she suddenly quit. But Mary didn’t just lose interest in running. She says she experienced abuse by her coaching staff at Nike, and that they ignored her pleas for help when her mental health declined. She went on to sue Nike and came out with a memoir about her experience called “This is Not About Running.” Content warning: This episode discusses emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, as well as extreme weight loss practices, self-harm, and thoughts of suicide. Please listen with care. Show Notes