Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells has gotten plenty of accolades over his lifetime, and deservedly so. But there is one honor that he hasn’t been able to garner, and it may be some time before he gets it.
That would be induction into the New England Patriots’ Hall of Fame, an honor that should be bestowed on him as he is largely responsible for the framework that has guided Bob Kraft’s franchise to nine Super Bowl appearances and six Lombardi Trophies.
Mike Rosenstein of NJ Advance Media wrote that the snub by Kraft is personal, not business, and likely stems from Parcells’ sudden departure from the club in 1996 over personnel decisions. (As he famously said, “If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries.”)
Last month, Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy wrote that Parcells has been “frozen out of the Patriots hall” because of his ugly divorce in New England which saw him land with the New York Jets. Shaughnessy also wrote that “a Patriots Hall of Fame without Bill Parcells is a farce.”
Despite what the Krafts would have you believe, Parcells is the one who turned the Patriots into a legitimate franchise. His arrival — one year before Kraft bought the team — triggered the surge on season tickets. It was Parcells who brought in the foundation (Ty Law, Willie McGinest, Ted Johnson, Tedy Bruschi, Lawyer Milloy, Troy Brown, Adam Vinatieri) for your first Super Bowl-winning team. He also brought Bill Belichick to New England. Need I go on?
Parcells would go on coach the Jets and Dallas Cowboys, and then end his career as an executive for the Miami Dolphins.
Parcells was inducted into the New York Giants Ring of Honor in 2010 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame three years later.
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