Long before Bill Parcells arrived in the NFL in 1979 as the Giants’ defensive coordinator, his path had been similar to so many other coaches striving for a chance at the big time.
The first stop for Parcells was in 1964 at Hastings College in Nebraska, where a pretty good college football coach by the name of Tom Osborne once starred at quarterback.
Over the next 15 years, Parcells would travel the back roads of college football, taking jobs at Wichita State, Army, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech and Air Force. Saturday he will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Nothing was handed to Parcells, but he handed out knowledge to younger coaches like it was candy at Halloween.
“One of the great things I learned from Bill, when I went to Dallas, I was just a little peon he gave the duties of always doing all the practice schedules,’’ new Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre said.
“And at first, I was, ‘Uh, I really don’t want to do that.’ After I started doing it, it was great because I would spend time with Bill Parcells on how he wanted to handle practice, how he wanted to set up practice, the time organization. He is so organized.’’
It’s impossible to put a number on how many coaches Parcells has helped throughout his career.
Some were once peons, like MacIntyre, who faces one of the toughest reclamation projects in college football at Colorado. Others include current Giants coach Tom Coughlin.
They learned the Parcells way — organization, discipline, toughness. They learned success.
“He would always say, “Knowledge equals Confidence equals Playing Fast,’’ MacIntyre said.
But most of all, they learned they couldn’t be Bill Parcells.
There wasn’t a motivation trick in the book Parcells wouldn’t employ. He was combative, abrasive, manipulative, compassionate, insulting, fair — sometimes all with one player.
He would chastise Phil Simms mercilessly in practice until the quarterback wanted to wrap his hands around Parcells’ throat and squeeze. Parcells knew Simms could take it, and if players saw the head coach lighting up the star quarterback, no one would feel comfortable in his job.
When asked about the development of former No. 1 pick Terry Glenn, Parcells said, “She’s coming along.”
That style worked for Parcells.
“One of the great things Bill Parcells taught me personally is he’s a phenomenal coach and every coach has his own personality,’’ said MacIntyre. “He pulled me aside one day he said, ‘Mike, learn from me and see the things that I do, but be your own personality.’ The players you’re coaching read that.
“You want to implement the programs, implement the practice, the lessons, the fundamentals like I want you to do them but do them in your own way. You don’t have to act like me, be like me.’’
MacIntyre previously oversaw a great turnaround at San Jose State. He was 1-12 his first season in 2010. Last season, he led the Spartans to a 10-2 record.
The stakes are much higher. The Pac-12 has gotten significantly stronger. Oregon and Stanford have joined USC in the upper echelon of college football.
Colorado, a national power in the late ’80s and early ’90s, hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2007 and has not won one since 2004. The lessons he learned from Parcells will serve him well.
“He also said, ‘You’re going to take bits and pieces of all the coaches you worked with, but always infuse your own personality, your own beliefs, and then you’ll always be true,’ ” said MacIntrye. “ ‘People will follow you, they’ll trust you, that’s part of being a leader.’ ”