New York Giants Official Website

The Grand Marshall
Coach Mike Waufle is honored in his hometown of Hornell, N.Y.
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com

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March 18, 2007

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -Mike Waufle is getting used to being cheered at parades.

Like all members of the Giants' football staff, Waufle, the team's defensive line coach, enjoyed one of the greatest thrills of his life when he rode up Manhattan's famed Canyon of Heroes when the Super Bowl champions were lauded at a ticker tape parade last month.

On Saturday, Waufle was in a much smaller pageant, but one that gave him almost as much pleasure. Waufle was the Grand Marshall in the 21st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in his hometown of Hornell, N.Y. What made Saturday's parade particularly special for Waufle was that he rode on a float - actually a 48-foot flatbed truck - with his wife, Kathy, and students from Laurie Smith's third-grade class at the Hornell Intermediate School. The youngsters had sent Waufle cards for the Giants players during their run to the championship in January.

"It was an honor being the Grand Marshall," Waufle said. "I saw an awful lot of family and friends. I saw some friends I hadn't seen in 30 some years. That part of it was great."

Hornell, a community of approximately 9,000 people in southwest New York, boasts that it has "the largest St. Patrick's Day parade and celebration in the area."

"It is the shortest but longest parade in the state of New York," Waufle said. "It is about nine blocks and it took awhile to get through those nine blocks. We were behind the mayor, who came out first, then it was the high school band and we were the third float. We had the third graders on there and when the parade was over with I was able to watch the rest of the parade and it kept going on and on and on. Everyone had a lot of fun."

No one more than Waufle. His mother and sister still live in the area and attended the parade. Kathy grew up 10 miles away and has two brothers in the region. Both have aunts, uncles and cousins nearby.

"But the most important one is my 98-year-old grandmother (Rose Marino)," Waufle said. "She was at the parade. She lives by herself and does great."

The chain of events that led to Waufle's participation in the parade began when Smith, another Hornell native, sent Waufle a Christmas card that included the signatures of her sons, Matt, 12, and Luke, 8. Smith didn't know Waufle but is a lifelong Giants fan, a fact anyone who spends five minutes with her is well aware of.

"I really didn't even know if he would get the card," Smith said. "I just sent it. Of course, I knew he was from Hornell. Everybody I knew me kept saying, 'Laurie, you have to get a hold of Mike Waufle. He is just a wonderful, down to earth guy, loves Hornell, loves to support anything with Hornell.' So I sent him my Christmas card about the time they had won to go to the playoffs. I wrote on the card, 'Go Giants.' I thought he would probably enjoy it. I just sent it out to Giants Stadium and I thought, 'What do I have to lose, 41 cents?'"

Although he's lived away from Hornell for most of the last 30-plus years, Waufle is strongly attached to his hometown. He visits Hornell five or six times a year. So after receiving the card, Waufle didn't just stick it in his desk drawer or write Smith a short note. Instead, he picked up the phone and called her home.

"I didn't believe it was him," Smith said. "I thought it was one of my friends picking on me. He said, 'Laurie, this is Mike Waufle from the New York Giants,' and I was like, 'Yeah, right.' He said he had a letter in front of him and he started reading it. Then, of course, I was so embarrassed. I said that I never thought he would really call me."

Waufle invited Smith and her family to attend a 2008 Giants home game. Soon after their conversation, the Giants embarked on their inspirational postseason surge. Smith's students, who know how much she adores the Giants, decided they wanted to hop on the bandwagon. So they made cards for the players, which Smith stuffed into a large envelope and sent to Waufle - who distributed some in the locker room and hung others in the defensive line meeting room.

"I gave them to Plaxico (Burress) and I gave them to Eli (Manning)," Waufle said. "It was kind of fun, because they sat there and opened them up and I looked back and watched them and they actually looked at them. In the defensive line room we passed them out and (Michael) Strahan got more than Osi (Umenyiora) - so Osi knocked them off Michael's desk before he got in there, because he was upset and jealous that Michael got more than him. Then there was actually a picture of the third grade class that they signed and I put it on the bulletin board and a lot of our players took time to stop and look at that picture. On that picture they actually wrote a lot of nice little notes for the Giants to win the Super Bowl."

"My kids were so excited for every playoff win," Smith said. "It was a blast. We made congratulation cards when they went to the Super Bowl and then we wrote more when they won the Super Bowl."

As the Giants advanced through the playoffs and eventually won the Super Bowl, Waufle's star burned brighter in Hornell. Mrs. Smith's third graders weren't the only citizens captivated by the Giants. Pretty soon, the Giants were the talk of the town (except among those who root for the Buffalo Bills). When it came time to select the Grand Marshall for one of Hornell's biggest annual events, the obvious choice was the native son who would soon be fitted for a Super Bowl ring.

Waufle was thrilled to receive the invitation. But he would accept only on one condition. "He said only if Laurie's third grade class can be on the float with me," Smith said.

So there he was on Saturday, riding down Main Street in Hornell with two dozen of the giddiest youngsters you'll ever see. Many of the children wore Giants jerseys, jackets and hats - as did Waufle, under his white ash with "Grand Marshall" in green letters. Many spectators lining the sidewalks wore Giants gear and held pro-Giants banners.

Hornell Mayor Shawn Hogan - at 23 years, the longest-serving mayor in New York State - occupied one float. Waufle and the students were just in back of him.

"They had bands, they had politicians, and they had a lot of fire and police activity," Waufle said. "They actually had some of the Marine Corps marching in it. One of the greatest floats was a big guy named Skinny. He was throwing potatoes and beer off of his."

It wasn't exactly riding up Broadway, but it was a great time nonetheless.

"Nothing is going to replace the Canyon of Heroes, but this was definitely the second best (parade)," Waufle said. "It was great for the third graders because it's an experience that they will never forget. There were no railings on the flatbed truck, so I asked them to please to make sure you remain seated the whole time. I personally helped them off the float, each individual one. They had a great time throwing candy to the crowd and waving to everybody."

But for the children, nothing beat the chance to hang out with Mike Waufle.

"He was great to the kids and the kids loved him," Smith said. "They think he is better than the players at this point, I think. We had a really good time with it and Mike is just a well-rounded guy, very polite, very down to earth, and he would do anything for our local Hornell. He is just a nice guy and we are all very proud of him."