John Hufnagel

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John Hufnagel
Date of birth	September 13, 1951 (age 55)
Place of birth	Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
Position(s)	quarterback
College	Penn State
NFL Draft	1973 / Round 14
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1973-1975 1976-1979 1980-1983 1984-1986 1987	Denver Broncos Calgary Stampeders Saskatchewan Roughriders Winnipeg Blue Bombers Saskatchewan Roughriders

John Coleman Hufnagel (born September 13, 1951, in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania) is an American football coach and former pro quarterback. He was most recently the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants of the National Football League from 2004 until December 26, 2006.

1 Coach
2 Quarterback
3 Personal
4 External links

[edit] Coach

Hufnagel began his coaching career as a player-coach for the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1988. From 1990-96 Hufnagel was the offensive coordinator for the Calgary Stampeders, where he helped future Pro Bowlers Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia earn All-CFL honors. In 1997, Hufnagel became head coach and general manager of the Arena Football League’s New Jersey Red Dogs. In two seasons there, he posted a 17-11 record.

After two seasons (1999, 2000) as the quarterbacks coach for the Cleveland Browns, Hufnagel was named the quarterbacks coach of the Indianapolis Colts, where he coached Peyton Manning to a 62.7 percent completion percentage and for 4,131 yards passing. He spent the 2002 season as the quarterbacks coach on Tom Coughlin’s staff in Jacksonville. That year, quarterback Mark Brunell threw only seven interceptions in 416 pass attempts, and an 85.7 quarterback rating. He spent the 2003 season with the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Under Hufnagel’s tutelage, Tom Brady earned a second Super Bowl MVP award, completing 60.2 percent of his passes for 3,620 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Hufnagel became the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants in 2004, and molded them into NFL’s most potent offenses. Tiki Barber set a franchise rushing record two years in a row, and the Giants became only the fifth team in NFL history to have five different players score at least seven touchdowns. (Tiki Barber, Jeremy Shockey, Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and Brandon Jacobs). While Hufnagel is credited with the rapid development of quarterback Eli Manning, he is sometimes criticized for his often predictable playcalling and an inabiltiy to utilize his offensive playmakers effectively. In the 2006 NFL season, after the Giants offense underachieved, he was stripped of his playcalling duties and later resigned.

[edit] Quarterback

Hufnagel was the 14th-round draft choice of the Denver Broncos in the 1973 NFL Draft. There he would play for three seasons before beginning a 12-year career in the Canadian Football League with Calgary Stampeders (1976-79), the Saskatchewan Roughriders (1980-83 and 1987), and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1984-86).

Hufnagel was named an All-American at Penn State University in 1972, where he was the starting quarterback for three seasons (1970-1972), earning a 26-3 record. As a junior, he was instrumental in the Nittany Lions' 30-6 Cotton Bowl victory over the University of Texas and played in a 14-0 loss to the University of Oklahoma in the 1973 Sugar Bowl as a senior. In 1972, Hufnagel set Penn State’s single-season record for passing yards (since broken) and he remains among the top 10 in most major career passing categories. He finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting that year.

He attended Montour High School in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.

[edit] Personal

Hufnagel earned a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Penn State University in 1973. He and his wife, Penny, have two daughters and a son and live in New Jersey.