Thomas McGaughey (pronounced muh-GAY-hee), is in his third season of his second stint with the Giants and his third as their special teams coordinator. He was previously a coordinator for three other NFL teams.
In 2019, the Giants' kickoff coverage team led the league and finished in the top two for the season straight season by allowing an average return of just 18.1 yards. The punt coverage team was tied for fifth as opponents averaged only 5.7 yards a return. Conversely, the Giants were fourth and 10th, respectively, in the NFL in punt (9.8 yards) and kickoff (23.5 yards) return average.
Punter Riley Dixon was ninth in the league with a 42.3-yard net average, a franchise record since the statistic was first kept in 1976. He set the previous mark of 41.8 yards in 2018.
In McGaughey's first season leading the Giants' special teams, Aldrick Rosas had one of the finest seasons by a kicker in Giants history. Rosas was selected to his first Pro Bowl and was named second-team All-Pro after making 32 of 33 field goal attempts and 31 of 32 extra point tries. The 32 field goals were the fifth-highest total in Giants history.
Rosas' .970 field goal percentage was a Giants record and was just 1/100th of a percentage point behind NFL leader Robbie Gould, a former Giant. Rosas' 127 points tied Ali Haji-Sheikh (1983) for the fifth-highest total in Giants history. The then second-year kicker hit his final 19 field goal attempts, the second-longest streak in Giants history. And on Dec. 2, Rosas kicked the longest field goal in Giants history, a 57-yarder against Chicago in MetLife Stadium.
Michael Thomas led the Giants with nine special teams tackles (six solo) and was the NFC special teams player in the Pro Bowl.
The coverage teams improved significantly under McGaughey, who was the Giants' assistant special teams coach from 2007-10. The Giants finished second in the NFL in kickoff coverage, limiting opponents to an average return of 20.4 yards, and seventh in punt coverage with a 6.6-yard average. In 2017, the kickoff and punt teams had finished 14th and 27th, respectively, in the NFL.
The Giants' average kickoff return rose from 19.6 to 24.4 yards, and their average punt return improved from 5.5 to 6.2 yards.
Prior to returning to the Giants, McGaughey spent two seasons as the Carolina Panthers' special teams coordinator. Initially hired as Carolina's assistant special teams coach in February 2016, McGaughey was named coordinator six months later when the late Bruce DeHaven transitioned to the role of senior advisor to special teams.
In 2017, the Panthers ranked fifth in the NFL with a franchise-record 42.4-yard net punting average, and eighth by allowing an average of just 5.9 yards on 30 opponent punt returns. Pro Bowl kicker Graham Gano led the league with a franchise-record .967 success rate on field goal attempts (29 of 30) and made 34 of 37 extra point tries.
In McGaughey's first season with the Panthers, Carolina led the NFL and tied the team record with three blocked field goals. Carolina's kickoff coverage unit limited opponents to an NFL-best average of 18.1 yards per return.
McGaughey joined Carolina from the San Francisco 49ers, for whom he was the special teams coordinator in 2015. The 49ers ranked second in the league with four blocked field goals and eighth in punt coverage, allowing an average return of just 6.4 yards.
In 2014, McGaughey was the Jets' special teams coordinator. The kickoff return team finished fifth in the NFL with an average drive start of the 24.1-yard line, while the coverage group was seventh by limiting opponents to an average of 21.8 yards per return.
From 2011-13, McGaughey was the special teams coordinator/defensive assistant at Louisiana State, which won the Southeastern Conference Championship in 2011. During
his three seasons in Baton Rouge, the Tigers scored seven special teams touchdowns, and McGaughey coached three All-Americans, including two future Giants: returners Odell Beckham, Jr. and Tyrann Mathieu and punter Brad Wing. McGaughey coached more than 40 future NFL players at LSU.
Prior to his tenure at Louisiana State, McGaughey spent four seasons on the Giants' staff. In his first season in 2007, the Giants won Super Bowl XLII. The following year, McGaughey helped produce the Pro Bowl battery of kicker John Carney, punter/holder Jeff Feagles, and long snapper Zak DeOssie as the Giants won the NFC East. Carney set a team record by converting 92.1 percent (35-of-38) of his field goal attempts.
McGaughey initially came to the Giants following two seasons (2005-06) as the Denver Broncos' assistant special teams coordinator.
McGaughey was the special teams coordinator at his alma mater, the University of Houston, in 2003 and added cornerbacks coach to his responsibilities in 2004.
After getting his start in the NFL as an intern in the Houston Texans' pro scouting department in 2001, McGaughey gained experience coaching on the professional level as a minority intern with the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp that year. He was hired as an assistant special
Between his internship and full-time position with the Chiefs, McGaughey spent the spring of 2002 in NFL Europe as the Scottish Claymores' defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator, helping the team rank at or near the top of the league in punting average, punt return average, kickoff return average and field goal percentage.
McGaughey began his coaching career at Houston as a graduate assistant in 1997. He handled defensive backs and special teams at Willowridge High School in Houston from 1998-2001.
McGaughey played for the Houston Cougars from 1991-95 and was special teams captain as a senior. He attended training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1996 and spent time on the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad later that year. McGaughey played in NFL Europe and was a member of the Barcelona Dragons team that won the World Bowl in 1997.
McGaughey, who majored in kinesiology and sports administration, also lettered in track from 1991-93, competing in the 110-meter hurdles.
He and his wife, Erika, have three children, sons Thomas (Trey) and Trenton, and daughter Taylor.
2002 Kansas City Chiefs - assistant special teams
2003 University of Houston - special teams coordinator
2004 University of Houston - special teams coordinator/cornerbacks
2005-06 Denver Broncos - assistant special teams
2007-10 New York Giants - assistant special teams
2011-13 Louisiana State University - special teams coordinator/defensive assistant
2014 New York Jets - special teams coordinator
2015 San Francisco 49ers - special teams coordinator
2016-17 Carolina Panthers - special teams coordinator
2018-20 New York Giants - special teams coordinator
