Jim Fassel: Difference between revisions

* [[Fullerton JuniorHornets Collegefootball|Fullerton]] (1974)<br/>Assistant coach<!-- http://content.lib.utah.edu/utils/getfile/collection/uuath2/id/1705/filename/1706.pdf -->

Born and raised in [[Anaheim]], Fassel graduated from [[Anaheim High School]] where as a senior quarterback, he helped to lead his team to a 12-112–1 record and a runner-up finish in the [[CIF Southern Section]] 4-A Division. During his senior season, he was a teammate of future [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] offensive guard [[Gerry Mullins]]. In college, Fassel played quarterback at [[Fullerton College]], [[University of Southern California|USC]], and [[California State University, Long Beach|Long Beach State]].<ref>{{cite news | url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/2010archives/la-xpm-2010-oct/-25/sports/-la-sp-1026-simers-20101026-story.html | title=Odds are Jim Fassel is never coaching in the NFL again | first=T.J. | last=Simers | date=October 25, 2010 | work=Los Angeles Times | access-date=January 20, 2019}}</ref> He was drafted as a [[quarterback]] in the 7th round by [[Chicago Bears|Chicago]]<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Fisher|first=Mike|date=June 8, 2021|title=Former Giants Coach Jim Fassel is Dead at 71|magazine=Sports Illustrated|url=https://www.si.com/nfl/washingtonfootball/news/giants-coach-jim-fassel-long-washington-rival-is-dead-nfl|access-date=June 9, 2021}}</ref> in the [[1972 NFL Draftdraft]] and had a short playing career with the Bears, [[History of the San Diego Chargers|San Diego Chargers]], and [[History of the Houston Oilers|Houston Oilers]] in 1972.

The departure of [[Dan Reeves]] as coach after the 1996 season led to close consideration between bringing back Parcells or promoting Fassel. Young hired Fassel, narrowly avoiding a call to bring back Parcells.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Giants were seconds away from bringing Bill Parcells back in 1997 |url=https://www.giants.com/news/giants-were-seconds-away-from-bringing-bill-parcells-back-in-1997-14787303 |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=www.giants.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Fassel was hired as the head coach of the New York Giants, starting with the 1997 season, and remained in that position for seven years. He finished his Giants - and NFL - head coaching career with a won-loss record of 58-53-158–53–1.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2021-06-08 |title=Jim Fassel, former Giants head coach, dies at 71 |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/31587569/former-new-york-giants-head-coach-jim-fassel-dies-71 |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Exploring the legacy of former coach Jim Fassel |url=https://www.giants.com/news/exploring-the-legacy-of-former-coach-jim-fassel-14929627 |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=www.giants.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

During Fassel's tenure as head coach of the Giants, his teams were known for numerous strong runs in December and for winning big games, such as handing the Denver Broncos their first loss of the 1998 season after a 13-013–0 start.

In his first year, 1997, Fassel turned around a team which had finished a cumulative 11-2111–21 the prior two seasons, finishing 10-5-110–5–1 and being named NFL coach of the year. While with the team, he resurrected the career of quarterback [[Kerry Collins]]. In his fourth year as head coach, the 2000 season, he received acclaim for his "playoff guarantee" during which he led the Giants to an improbable NFC Championship. With the team having lost consecutive games and falling to 7-47–4, Fassel made a public guarantee that they would make the playoffs. The team then won their next five games to finish off the regular season, and cruised through the playoffs, defeating the heavily favored [[Minnesota Vikings]] by a blowout score of 41-041–0 in the NFC Championship game, before losing to the Ray Lewis-led Baltimore Ravens in [[Super Bowl XXXV]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

Fassel's legacy as head coach for the Giants is mixed, as his Giants teams were also known for their disappointments against inferior teams in the regular season, as well as in the playoffs. The most notable loss was a 39–38 loss to the [[San Francisco 49ers]] in the 2002 postseason, in which they lost a 38–14 third quarter lead. Fassel's last season with the team was the 2003 season, a year in which injuries decimated the Giants. With two games left in the season, and knowing that the team was nearly certain to let him go at its conclusion, Fassel announced his resignation as head coach, effective at season's end. The team finished that year with a 4-124–12 record.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Richard |date=2021-06-08 |title=Jim Fassel, Who Coached the Giants to the Super Bowl, Dies at 71 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/08/sports/football/jim-fassel-dead.html |access-date=2024-02-01 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In 2003, after years of searching, the Fassels found the child whom they had placed for adoption. They had a family reunion, which included the Fassels and their other four adult children, together with their now-34 34-year -old adopted son, John Mathieson, who brought along his own wife and their four young daughters.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Times |first=BILL PENNINGTON The New York |title=N.Y. Giants Coach Jim Fassel and His Wife, Kitty, Reunite With Son They Gave Up 34 Years Ago |url=https://www.theledger.com/story/news/2003/05/26/ny-giants-coach-jim-fassel-and-his-wife-kitty-reunite-with-son-they-gave-up-34-years-ago/26052833007/ |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=The Ledger |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2" />

Three years later, in 2006, Jim and Kitty Fassel divorced after years of counseling.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/sports/football/jim-fassel-still-waiting-for-second-chance-as-an-nfl-coach.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all | title=Years Later, Still Waiting for a Second Chance | first=Sam | last=Borden | date=December 15, 2011 | work=The New York Times | access-date=January 20, 2019}}</ref> They later reconciled and remarried.<ref>{{cite web |urlname=http"://www.giants.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Exploring-the-legacy-of-former-coach-Jim-Fassel/a71346ea-7986-4688-b569-542a24f7d565 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221081104/http://www.giants.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Exploring-the-legacy-of-former-coach-Jim-Fassel/a71346ea-7986-4688-b569-542a24f7d565 |archive-date=2015-02-21 |title=Exploring the legacy of former coach Jim" Fassel}}</ref> Besides the son they had as teens, the Fassels had four more children after marrying, three sons and a daughter. One son is football coach [[John Fassel]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/16/sports/pro-football-34-years-later-one-coach-s-sweetest-victory.html | title=PRO FOOTBALL: 34 Years Later, One Coach's Sweetest Victory | first=Bill | last=Pennington | date=May 16, 2003 | work=The New York Times | access-date=January 20, 2019}}</ref>

===ProfessionalNFL===

! colspan="2"|NYG Total||58||53||1||.522||||2||3||.400||

! colspan="2"|LVL Total||16||6||0||.727||||2||1||.667|| <small>2 William Hambrecht Championships</small>

[[Category:UnitedPortland States Football LeagueBreakers coaches]]