Ben McAdoo – the current head coach for the New York Giants – hails from Pennsylvania, where he attended college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He received a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education and earned a master’s degree in kinesiology from Michigan State University.
McAdoo’s first football coaching job was at the high school level. He continued to coach at Michigan State University, where he worked as a special teams coach and offensive assistant in 2001. He then worked his way into a position as the offensive line and tight ends coach at Fairfield University, eventually making the leap to the NFL in 2004 after a yearlong stint at the University of Pittsburgh as an offensive assistant.
Ben McAdoo Coaching Influences
Ben McAdoo has an impressive list of coaching credentials on his resume, but his current acumen may be due in part to the vast experience and expertise of the head coaches he coached under before his current position.
His first coaching experience was with the Saints under Jim Haslett, who worked his coaching magic and got the team to the playoffs his first year manning the helm.
McAdoo also coached under Mike Nolan in 2005 when he was the head coach for the 49ers, but his longest stint with a single head coach was with Green Bay, where he worked under Mike McCarthy for eight seasons. McAdoo’s mentor, Mike McCarthy, finished up his 11th regular season as head honcho of the Packers and led the team to a Super Bowl championship in the 2010 season.
The last coach McAdoo worked under was the venerable Tom Coughlin, who was a longtime coach in the NFL and earned three Super Bowl rings during his tenure with the Giants (one as the wide receivers coach in 1990 and two as the head coach in 2007 and 2011).
Ben McAdoo Coaching Career
In 2004, McAdoo entered the NFL as an offensive assistant and quality control coach for the Saints. But after only one season, he left to work for San Francisco as an assistant offensive line and quality control coach.
McAdoo then left the West Coast after one season and headed to Lambeau Field, where he spent eight seasons with the Packers: six as the tight ends coach and two as the quarterbacks coach.
He joined the Giants staff in 2014 and called the plays as the team’s offensive coordinator. When the legendary Tom Coughlin stepped down as the head coach after 12 seasons and two Super Bowl titles, McAdoo was named the man in charge prior to the 2016 season.
Ben McAdoo Coaching Connections
There are numerous coaching positions on any given NFL team. In addition to the head coach, the main coordinators (offensive and defensive), and the special teams coach, each respective team unit also tends to have a coach (such as quarterbacks, tight ends, receivers, running backs, offensive line, defensive line, linebackers, and secondary). There are also strength and conditioning coaches, and teams may have coaching positions uniquely suited to their needs.
It’s no wonder then that many coaches cross paths professionally as they weave their way through 32 teams. This is certainly the case with McAdoo, who worked closely with his mentor Mike McCarthy as he made his way to his first head coaching job in the 2016 season.
McAdoo first met up with McCarthy during his NFL gig with the Saints. McAdoo was hired as an offensive quality control coach and worked with McCarthy, who was the offensive coordinator. He eventually followed McCarthy to the 49ers – McCarthy reprised his role as offensive coordinator and McAdoo worked as the assistant offensive line and quality control coach.
When McCarthy grabbed the head coaching job for Green Bay, he called on McAdoo yet again, installing him as the tight ends coach. McAdoo remained on staff with the Packers for eight seasons. His work was not overlooked when he left the organization for the New York Giants.
It’s not unusual for coaches to cross paths. It’s also not unusual for them to coach against one another, as the 2016 Wild Card Weekend sees McAdoo leading his New York Giants against his mentor, Mike McCarthy and the Green Bay Packers.
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Sources
- http://www.giants.com/team/coaches/Ben-McAdoo/45c275be-50ec-4bc3-8fc1-52c2e05ed811
- http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/HaslJi0.htm
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- http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/14502429/tom-coughlin-steps-new-york-giants-coach-12-seasons
- http://www.dummies.com/sports/football/the-coaching-staff-in-american-football/
- http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-daily-news-story/article-1/Ben-McAdoo-rose-through-coaching-ranks-the-right-way/408e4ec1-a96f-429a-8368-e0dbc4ec3dbf
- http://www.nfl.com/playoffs/playoff-picture
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