Thomas McGaughey, is in the sixth season of his second stint with the Giants and his sixth as their special teams coordinator. He was previously a coordinator for three other NFL teams.
Working with McGaughey, Graham Gano has become one of the finest kickers in Giants history. In three seasons with the Giants, Gano has made 89 of 97 field goal attempts (91.8%), including 20 of 25 (80.0%) from 50+ yards, with a long of 57 yards. His 91.8% success rate is the highest in Giants history among kickers with at least 50 attempts. Gano has the franchise's second and sixth-highest single-season field goal percentages with 96.9 (31 of 32) in 2020, and 90.6 (29 of 32) in 2022. Gano's 20 field goals of 50 or more yards are more than twice as many as any other kicker in Giants history. Joe Danelo is second with nine.
In 2022, Gano set a Giants record with eight field goals of 50 or more yards, one more than the previous record he established in 2021. Gano also tied the franchise record for the longest field goal with a 57-yarder at Dallas.
That season, the Giants were one of just four teams that did not have any negative plays (turnover, blocked kick, touchdown allowed) on special teams. Their opponents averaged an NFL-low 17.8 yards per kickoff return.
Several of the best placekicking performances in Giants history have occurred during McGaughey's tenure as coordinator.
In 2020, Gano made 31 of 32 field goal attempts, a .9687 percentage that is the second highest in Giants history. Gano's predecessor, Aldrick Rosas made 32 of 33 attempts, a success rate of .9696, in 2018, McGaughey's first season as coordinator.
Gano's .9687 percentage was the highest among the 21 NFL kickers who attempted at least 25 field goals in 2020. His only miss was on a 57-yard try in Chicago in Week 2. Gano followed by making his next 30 field goal attempts that season and first seven in 2021.
In 2019, the Giants' kickoff coverage team led the NFL 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.
In McGaughey's first season leading the Giants' special teams in 2018, Rosas was selected to the Pro Bowl and named second-team All-Pro after missing just one field goal attempt and one PAT. His 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. On Dec. 2, Rosas kicked the longest field goal in Giants history, a 57-yarder against Chicago in MetLife Stadium (a record Gano matched in 2022).
Michael Thomas led the Giants with nine special teams tackles (six solo) and was the NFC special teams player in the Pro Bowl.
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. Gano played in the Pro Bowl after leading the league with a franchise-record .967 success rate on field goal attempts (29 of 30). In McGaughey's first season with Carolina, the kickoff coverage unit limited opponents to an NFL-best average of 18.1 yards per return.
McGaughey was the San Francisco 49ers' 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 coached the Jets' special teams. 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. In those three seasons, the Tigers scored seven special teams touchdowns and McGaughey coached more than 40 future NFL players.
McGaughey was first on the Giants' staff from 2007-10, when he was the assistant special team coach. In his first season, 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.
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 was hired as the Kansas City Chiefs' as an assistant special teams coach the following year.
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.
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 was a three-time letter-winner on the track team, competing in the 110-meter hurdles. McGaughey majored in kinesiology and sports administration.
He was briefly with the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles in 1996 and played in NFL Europe and was a member of the Barcelona Dragons team that won the World Bowl in 1997.
McGaughey has 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
2018-23 New York Giants special teams coordinator
