If you’re looking for a model Catholic leader today, you might want to consider Tom Coughlin, who retired last week as head coach of the New York Giants.
He wasn’t perfect.
If he was -- even by the narrow standard of wins and losses -- he would probably still be their coach.
His 12-year tenure included two Super Bowl wins. But it had its ups and downs and it ended with three straight losing seasons. Consensus has it that if he hadn’t resigned, he would have been fired.
But Coughlin was a man who had two things going for him: he stayed grounded in faith and family, and he changed.
When he came to the Giants, he made headlines when he fined some players for being two minutes early – yup, early – for a team meeting. He said they ought to show up five minutes early.
I subscribe to the Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say School of Human Relations. I thought Coughlin was a jerk. So did a lot of his players.
But Coughlin changed.
In the wake of his resignation several of his former players talked about what he – and his changes – have meant to them.
It’s worth a read ... and it might even bring a tear to your eye. Click here and be patient. The page sometimes loads slowly.