Robert Nunn is in his 24th season as a football coach, his 12th in the NFL and his second coaching the Giants’ defensive line.
Under Nunn’s direction, the defensive line played at a high level throughout the 2010 season and helped the Giants finish seven in the NFL in total defense and eighth against the run. The Giants were second in the NFC and fifth in the NFL with 46 sacks, their highest total since the 2007 Super Bowl champions led the league with 53. They also led the league with 39 takeaways and the line was responsible for 21 of the team’s 29 forced fumbles.
Robert Nunn is in his 24th season as a football coach, his 12th in the NFL and his second coaching the Giants’ defensive line.
Under Nunn’s direction, the defensive line played at a high level throughout the 2010 season and helped the Giants finish seven in the NFL in total defense and eighth against the run. The Giants were second in the NFC and fifth in the NFL with 46 sacks, their highest total since the 2007 Super Bowl champions led the league with 53. They also led the league with 39 takeaways and the line was responsible for 21 of the team’s 29 forced fumbles.
Defensive ends Osi Umenyiora and 2010 Pro Bowler Justin Tuck tied for fourth in the NFC and seventh in the NFL – and the team lead – with 11.5 sacks each, the first time the Giants had two players with at least that many sacks since 2005, when Umenyiora had 14.5 and Michael Strahan finished with 11.5.
Umenyiora and Tuck each had three sacks on Oct. 3, when the Giants totaled 10 in a 17-3 victory over Chicago. It was Umenyiora’s highest total in one game since he set a team record with six sacks against the Eagles when the team had 12 on Sept. 30, 2007. Tuck set a career high with his three sacks.
Umenyiora led the Giants and tied an NFL record with 10 forced fumbles, tying Jason Taylor's record set in 2006 with Miami. The stat has been kept since 1994. Tuck was first in the league with five recoveries of opponent fumbles.
Defensive tackle Barry Cofield had 68 tackles (36 solo, six for losses) and a career-high 4.0 sacks.
First-round draft choice Jason Pierre-Paul finished the season with 4.5 sacks, the most by a Giants rookie since Cornelius Griffin had 5.0 in 2000. Pierre-Paul had two sacks vs. Jacksonville on Nov. 28 and two against Washington the following week to become the first rookie in Giants history with at least two sacks in consecutive games.
Nunn spent the 2009 season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive line coach. Prior to this season with the Bucs, Nunn spent four years (2005-2008) coaching the defensive tackles for the Green Bay Packers. In 2008, Nunn oversaw a deep and talented rotation on the interior of the Packers defensive line. Two of Nunn’s players, Johnny Jolly and Ryan Pickett, ranked in the top five in tackles among Green Bay defenders that season. Jolly set a new career high with 82 stops. Pickett, who joined the Packers as a free agent acquisition in 2006, thrived under Nunn as he tallied 236 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 13 passes defensed the past three seasons. Nunn’s guidance also contributed to the emergence of Corey Williams in 2006, when the then third-year pro turned in his best season with 47 tackles and seven sacks.
In 2005, Nunn helped elevate the Packers’ defense from 25th in the NFL before his arrival to seventh in the league. Under Nunn’s direction, Grady Jackson started all 16 games for only the second time as a pro and responded with career bests in tackles (72) and passes defensed (four).
Nunn entered the NFL as a defensive assistant with the Miami Dolphins in 2000. The following year, he was promoted to assistant defensive line/quality control coach. He held that role for two years (2001-2002), during which time he worked with Pro Bowler Jason Taylor.
In 2003, Nunn coached the Washington Redskins’ defensive line. One of his players was Bruce Smith, who broke the late Reggie White’s NFL career sacks record. Nunn also tutored veteran standouts Renaldo Wynn and Regan Upshaw.
Nunn returned to Miami in 2004 as a special assistant. He began the year working on off-the-field projects and then assisted with the linebackers after Coach Dave Wannstedt resigned with seven games left in the season.
Nunn’s 12-year college coaching experience was highlighted by nine years at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Georgia. After one season as defensive coordinator, the school promoted him to head coach and athletic director in 1992. In his eight seasons holding that position, Nunn posted an outstanding 66-19 record.
He launched his coaching career at Northeastern Oklahoma in 1988, heading up the defensive line. He then tutored defensive ends at the University of Tennessee for two seasons (1989-1990).
A four-year letterman (1984-1987) as a linebacker at Oklahoma State, Nunn served as team captain in 1987. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education from the school in 1988.
Nunn and his wife Karen have five children: one daughter, Josie, and four sons, Noah, Jacob, Nathan and Johnny.
