Giants Legendary Head Coach Tom Coughlin to Receive Humanitarian Award

Tom Coughlin, the longtime and legendary New York Giants head coach who led the franchise to its last two Super Bowl championships, will be honored, along with his daughter, Kelli Coughlin Joyce, for a very special humanitarian award.

We are honored to share that Coach Coughlin and Keli Coughlin Joyce are receiving the President’s Medallion at the One Jax Humanitarian Awards on Thursday, April 30, at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts.

The President’s Medallion is given to individuals whose… pic.twitter.com/LtdhexLqnN
— Tom Coughlin Jay Fund (@tcjayfund) March 25, 2026

The Coughlins, who are at the forefront of the TC Jay Fund, which raises funds to help families with children stricken with cancer, will receive the President's Medallion at the 2026 OneJax Humanitarian Awards on Thursday, April 30, in Jacksonville, Florida.

Coughlin, who served as Giants head coach for 12 years (2004 to 2015), founded the Jay Fund Foundation in honor of Jay McGillis, who was a defensive back on Coughlin's Boston Eagles team who was diagnosed with leukemia during his sophomore season.

McGillis bravely fought the cancer, but sadly lost his battle eight months following his diagnosis when his body rejected a bone marrow transfer from his older brother.

Today we honor the life and legacy of Jay McGillis who passed 29 years ago today. Thank you for touching the lives of over 5,000 families through the work of the Jay Fund. pic.twitter.com/uZbVgXq3mE
— Tom Coughlin Jay Fund (@tcjayfund) July 3, 2021

McGillis’s diagnosis was emotionally straining on all those who loved him, including his teammates and his coaches. The Coughlins remained close with the McGillis family throughout their ordeal, providing whatever they could in terms of emotional support.

Coughlin and his late wife Judy, made a vow that if given a chance to help families facing pediatric cancer in the future, they would do so.

Thus was born the TC Jay Fund Foundation, which has raised and distributed over $34 million to families in Northeast Florida, Southeast Georgia, and the New York Metropolitan area.

Coughlin serves as the president of the foundation’s board of directors. His daughter is the CEO, and Coughlin’s son, Brian, serves as a Vice President of the Board.

The foundation holds annual fundraising events in both Jacksonville and the New York Metro area, including the Celebrity Golf Classic Fund Golf Outing at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and the Champions for Children Gala, typically held in Northern New Jersey or Manhattan.

Prior to becoming the Giants head coach and before his stint at Boston College, Coughlin was a member of Bill Parcells' Giants staff from 198 to 1990 as the team's wide receivers coach. Coughlin and the Giants won the franchise's second Super Bowl championship during the 1990 season when they topped the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV, 20-19.

Years later, Coughlin's two Super Bowl wins as Giants head coach would come against a former colleague from Parcells' staff, then defensive coordinator Bill Belichick who as head coach of the New England Patriots lost twice against Coughlin's Giants.

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