New York Giants Official Website

Pat Flaherty

Pat Flaherty, who has more than 30 years of coaching experience, is in his sixth season as the Giants' offensive line coach. He was hired by Tom Coughlin on Jan. 26, 2004.

The Giants have consistently had one of the NFL's best and most dependable offensive lines since Flaherty began coaching the unit. The same five linemen - center Shaun O'Hara, guards Chris Snee and Rich Seubert and tackles David Diehl and Kareem McKenzie - started all 32 regular season games the previous two seasons, the only line in the NFL that can make that claim. In 2008, Snee and O'Hara were selected to the NFC Pro Bowl team Snee, who was a starter, was the first Giants guard to play in the Pro Bowl since Ron Stone in 2001 and O'Hara the first Giants center to go to the game since Bart Oates in 1993. In addition, Diehl was selected as a third alternate.

With the line leading the way, the Giants rushed for NFL-leading and franchise record numbers of 2,518 yards and 5.0 yards per carry. The previous records were 2,451 yards in 1985 and 4.7 yards an attempt in 2005 and 2006. It was the first time since 1993 that the Giants led the NFL in rushing. Since the arrival of Coughlin and Flaherty in 2004, the Giants have finished no worse than 11th in the NFL in rushing and in each of the last four seasons were ranked seventh or better.

In 2007, the Giants were fourth in the NFL in rushing yardage with 134.3 yards a game. The Giants were also fourth in the league with a 4.6-yards-per-carry average. In 2006, the Giants were seventh in the NFL with an average of 134.8 rushing yards a game and sixth with an average of 4.7 yards per carry, tying a franchise record set the previous year. The Giants' 138.1-yard rushing average in 2005 placed them sixth in the league. In 2004, the Giants averaged 119.0 yards a game and 4.5 yards a carry, which were far superior to the 97.4 and 4.0 averages the Giants posted in 2003, the year before Coughlin and Flaherty arrived.

The line also did an outstanding job protecting Giants quarterbacks, who dropped back to pass 548 times and absorbed only 28 sacks in 17 games (including the NFC Divisional Playoff Game).

The Giants have had a 1,000-yard rusher in each season Flaherty has coached the line.  In fact, last year they had two in Brandon Jacobs (1,089) and Derrick Ward (1,025), just the fourth set of running back teammates in NFL history with more than 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. In 2007, Jacobs rushed for 1,009 yards, despite missing five games and most of a sixth with injuries. Tiki Barber made the only three Pro Bowls of his career while rushing for 1,518, 1,860 and 1,662 yards in the three years he ran behind a Flaherty-coached line.

Prior to joining the Giants, Flaherty was the Chicago Bears' tight ends coach for three seasons. Under Flaherty, the group was instrumental in helping Anthony Thomas twice rush for more than 1,000 yards, including 1,024 yards in 2003. In addition, Chicago's tight ends played a bigger role in the team's passing attack under Flaherty. In 2003, Desmond Clark caught 44 passes, the third-highest total on the Bears.

In 2000, Flaherty coached the Washington Redskins' tight ends and helped Stephen Alexander earn an invitation to the Pro Bowl. Alexander was third on the Redskins that season with 47 catches.

Flaherty began his coaching career at his alma mater, DeLone Catholic High School in McSherrytown, Penn., from 1978-80.

Flaherty coached in the collegiate ranks from 1980-99. He began with a two-year stint coaching the offensive line at East Stroudsburg University, his alma mater. Flaherty joined the staff at Penn State in 1982, a season in which the Nittany Lions defeated Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to win the national championship. After two seasons at Penn State, Flaherty moved to Rutgers, where he coached the offensive line for eight years.

Flaherty spent the 1992 season coaching the defensive line at East Carolina. From 1993-98 he was on the staff at Wake Forest, where he coached the offensive line, tight ends and special teams. In 1999, he coached tight ends and special teams and was in charge of recruiting at the University of Iowa.

Flaherty was an All-America center at East Stroudsburg. He was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in October 2004. He and his wife, Lynne, have two children, Shawn and Colleen.

                                    FLAHERTY AT A GLANCE

1980-81.........................East Stroudsburg University............offensive line coach
1982-83..........................Penn State University...............asst. offensive line coach
1984-91.........................Rutgers University........................offensive line coach
1992..............................East Carolina University.................defensive line coach
1993-98.........................Wake Forest University..................offensive line coach
                                                                                   special teams, recruiting coordinator
1999..............................University of Iowa...............................tight ends coach,
                                                                                   special teams, recruiting coordinator
2000..............................Washington Redskins..........................tight ends coach
2001-03..........................Chicago Bears...................................tight ends coach
2004-09...........................New York Giants..........................offensive line coach