Former New York Giants Coach Jim Fassel Dies at 71

Coach Jim Fassel played a vital part in the New York Giants during his seven seasons as head coach. He led the team to a Super Bowl and was a mentor to many of the players.

Jim Fassel, a former coach of the New York Giants, passed away at the age of 71. Fassel's son confirmed that he passed away on Monday, citing a heart attack as the cause of death.

Fassel was an important part of the team's success as he led them to the 2001 Super Bowl. He was also chosen as the coach of the year in 1997.

PAYING TRIBUTE

Fassel had more than three decades of football coaching on his resumé as he worked at a collegiate and professional level. Before making his way to the New York Giants, he was the head coach at the University of Utah.

In the wake of the former coach's death, Giants president and chief executive officer John Mara paid tribute to Fassel, saying he was a wonderful man and coach. Mara shared:

"Jim was a good man and his record as our coach speaks for itself. Jim distinguished himself by the way he managed our team...The players respected Jim."

ALSO A PLAYER

Fassel's passion for the game of football was ignited when he was a player who ran out onto the field. He played college football before making his debut in the NFL and moving on to Canadian football.

Schottenheimer was known for forming very close relationships with the players in his team.

Fassel found that he made more of a contribution on the sidelines and started establishing himself as a respectable coach. He worked on the coaching staff at Denver, Oakland, Arizona, and Baltimore.

SOLIDARITY IN GRIEF

The New York Giants were not the only ones from the football community to speak out in honor of Fassel after the sad news of his passing. The current Ravens coach John Harbaugh shared the following:

"[I] always respected and appreciated his approach to coaching and the way he treated his players."

The Broncos also released a statement in the wake of Fassel's death as he was a part of their offensive coordination team from 1993 to 1994. They expressed their condolences to the Fassel family.

ANOTHER COACH

Fassel's death comes as another knock to the football community because they suffered the loss of the legendary NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer in February.

Schottenheimer was the head coach at a long string of teams, including Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington, and San Diego. He was part of the NFL for 21 seasons but unfortunately never made it to the Super Bowl.

The football coach passed away in hospice care in Charlotte, North Carolina, and his family asked the former Kansas City Chiefs publicist, Bob Moore, to share the news of his passing.

Schottenheimer was known for forming close relationships with the players in his team and always delivering the best motivational speeches throughout the games and season.