Thomas McGaughey (pronounced muh-GAY-hee), is in the fifth season of his second stint with the Giants and his fifth as their special teams coordinator. He was previously a coordinator for three other NFL teams.
In 2021, 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. The longest runback they allowed on 37 returns was 32 yards.
Graham Gano extended his franchise record to 37 consecutive successful field goal attempts and made 29 of 33 tries. Gano kicked a Giants-record seven field goals of 50+ yards and after just two years holds the team's career mark with 12 field goals of 50 or more yards. Since joining the team in 2020, Gano has made 60 of 65 field goal attempts, a .923 percentage that is a Giants record for kickers with at least 50 attempts.
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.
The record-setter was a 50-yard field goal with 6:27 remaining in the fourth quarter against Dallas on Jan. 3. It was Gano's fifth field goal of the season of 50 or more yards, including four against the Cowboys. That was the franchise single season record until he set it again in 2021. Gano tied an NFL record by becoming the first player in Giants history to kick three field goals of 50 or more yards in a game at Dallas on Oct. 11. He kicked field goals of 55, 50 and 54 yards, plus a 28-yarder.
The Giants finished sixth in the NFL with an 11.4-yard punt return average. Safety Jabrill Peppers had 15 of the Giants' 20 punt returns and average 12.5 yards with a long return of 20 yards.
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.
Dixon's 42.3-yard net average was 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 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.
Michael Thomas led the Giants with nine special teams tackles (six solo) and was the NFC special teams player in the Pro Bowl.
That season, the Giants finished second in the NFL in kickoff coverage, limiting opponents to an average return of 20.4 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. 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 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 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 three All-Americans, including future Giants Odell Beckham, Jr. and Brad Wing, plus Tyrann Mathieu. McGaughey coached more than 40 future NFL players at LSU.
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 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 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.
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
2018-22 New York Giants special teams coordinator
