Baldwinsville (WSYR-TV) - Kick-off for the Super Bowl is only a few days away and New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin knows his former Syracuse University football teammates – among many others – will be pulling for him on Sunday.
One of those former teammates is Pat Killorin, who played with Coughlin on the 1965 team.
Killorin not only blocked for Coughlin, he also played with SU legends Larry Csonka and Floyd Little, becoming a two-time All-American center himself. While he didn’t get many carries, Coughlin found other ways to help the team, blocking and catching passes out of the backfield.
“He was a student of the game – very intense,” Killorin said. “He was one of those athletes – first on the field and one of the last ones to come off the field of practice.”
Killorin said Coughlin was equally as dedicated to his studies in the classroom as he was to football.
“You just had the feeling about Tom he was going to be successful in his future because of the fact that he cared about not only how he developed himself, but the people around him, how they developed,” said Killorin.
Underneath the intense, focused football coach veneer, Killorin said Coughlin is a very compassionate and caring man. A Hospice Family caregiver, Killorin reached out to Coughlin for a signed picture to give to a longtime Giants fan.
“By gosh, about one week later, I got it and it made the day for this fellow…it was just a great thing for him,” Killorin said.
Killorin says it’s just one example of the type of guy Coughlin is – a side most don’t get to see.
