Mr. P Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Ralph Vacchiano @RVacchianoNYDN 13m Former Giants DE Dave Tollefson has announced his retirement. Dave Tollefson on the incredible influence Tom Coughlin had on his life/career: "I didn't grow up with a dad, so...... I was lucky enough to have some men in my life that helped shaped me into the type of man that I am now,” Tollefson said. “To say that I was already grown up when coach Coughlin got ahold of me is not quite right. The relationship that he and I had meant a lot to me, because I felt he was always honest with you, which I really liked. I always felt like he was a father figure and I really took to heart how he felt about the way I played football and the type of person I was.” http://sulia.com/channel/new-york-giants/f/29cacacd-4a65-4ae4-a1f2-844183281828/?action=prop&source=tw&form_factor=desktop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Tom Coughlin has never stepped foot in Dave Tollefson’s home, but he did set the clocks there. RELATED NEWS How difficult is Giants schedule? A look at the Giants' 2014 strength of schedule... Ask Eisen's Mailbag Submit your questions to Giants.com's Michael Eisen... McAdoo hiring among Top-10 The new offensive coordinator is among SI's best hires... View Dave Tollefson career photos “All of our watches and our clocks in our house are five minutes fast, even my wife’s,” Tollefson said in a phone interview this week. Coughlin, of course, has kept all of the Giants’ clocks at that setting since his arrival as head coach 10 years ago. That Tollefson keeps the same time at his home in Omaha indicates how his five seasons with the Giants influenced his life. The defensive end arrived in 2007 and left after the 2011 season, meaning he played on both the Super Bowl XLII and XLVI championship teams. After spending a final season in Oakland playing for his hometown Raiders, Tollefson was out of football in 2013. Today, he announced his retirement as a Giant, the team that employed him for the bulk of his career, gave him those two Super Bowl rings – and ensured he should never again be late for an appointment. “I wanted to make sure Tom knew and the Maras and Tisches knew how much it meant to me,” Tollefson said. “They gave me the shot. If it wasn’t for what they did for me, who knows where I’d be now. I have three kids (including his third son, who is due in April) and a wife that I love. To be able to provide for them is something that I couldn’t even imagine in my wildest dreams as far as the way we live our lives. I’m indebted to coach and the Maras and the Tisches for doing that for me.” Tollefson said Coughlin was a significant influence on his life. “I didn’t grow up with a dad, so I was lucky enough to have some men in my life that helped shaped me into the type of man that I am now,” Tollefson said. “To say that I was already grown up when coach Coughlin got ahold of me is not quite right. The relationship that he and I had meant a lot to me, because I felt he was always honest with you, which I really liked. I always felt like he was a father figure and I really took to heart how he felt about the way I played football and the type of person I was.” Tollefson wasn’t the most talented player on those Giants teams, but no one played harder or with more fervor or was more popular in the locker room. A two-time all-conference selection at out-of-the-way Northwest Missouri State, he was the 253rd player selected in the 2006 NFL Draft, by Green Bay. The Packers and Raiders both waived him before the start of the 2007 season and the Giants signed him off of Oakland’s practice squad on Oct. 2 of that year. The Giants’ group of defensive ends included Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and Pro Bowlers Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora. That season, Tollefson played primarily on special teams in six regular-season games and all four postseason games. He had 3.5 sacks in 2008, 13 special teams tackles in 2010 and played in every game (and made his only two career starts) and finished with a career-high 5.0 sacks in 2011. Tollefson was a free agent prior to that season. But after investigating his options, he re-signed with the Giants soon after training camp began, to the delight of his teammates, coaches and beat reporters, for whom Tollefson was always available with insight and humor. Because of that, Tollefson had a predictable answer when asked what stands out about his Giants career. “The relationships,” he said. “You hear it all the time when guys retire, that they’re not going to miss the game, they’re going to miss the locker room. I know, for sure, I’m going to miss the locker room and those guys, but the great thing is the relationships I made playing with the Giants. I talk to those guys all the time. I talk to Osi and Tuck weekly, Strahan still, Eli (Manning). You build relationships that I’ve built with the Giants, they become lifetime deals, you know?” So are those two Super Bowl rings. “I’m sure that’s what the roots are to the relationships with those guys,” Tollefson said. “We went through those three seasons in-between Super Bowls, and that made the second one a little sweeter. It means a lot to me. I wasn’t that accomplished in high school like a lot of guys, I lost the national championship in college. So to finally get that elusive ring at any level, for me personally, it meant quite a bit, nonetheless two. I’m one short. Megan is pregnant with our third boy, who is due in April. I might have to go coach and get another ring so the third one doesn’t feel left out.” If he does, he’ll no doubt tell his players to set their clocks five minutes fast. Beyond that, however, he has few specific plans for his retirement. “I have a couple surgeries lined up,” Tollefson said. “I have to get some stuff taken care of physically, but right now, it’s kind of up in the air. I’m looking at it as a little bit of a halftime for me. I had this great game plan for the first half of my life and it worked out great, playing pro football and everything, but now the game has changed a little bit, so I have to re-adjust. I’ve taken this last year off and I’ll probably take another year off, enjoy the time with the kids. I’ve been Mr. Mom, taking them to school and picking them up and doing that. I don’t really know yet. I still have time to kind of figure that out. It’s not only a new chapter but maybe a new book in the Tollefson story.” http://www.giants.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Dave-Tollefson-Announces-Retirement/cff80b8a-e065-4285-8042-96fb211225b7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmenroc Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Seems like a classy guy who has his head on straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Seems like a classy guy who has his head on straight. Yep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYG Hampton 27 Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Tollefsen was the man. Good luck to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Dave Tollefson is definitely the second backup I've every truly appreciated. Yeah he didn't have the talent but he made up for it by never stopping until the whistle. You watched him play and wished the players with talent had half as much drive and determination. I don't know about you guys, but the defense lost a little something after he left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueInCanada Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Dave Tollefson is definitely the second backup I've every truly appreciated. Yeah he didn't have the talent but he made up for it by never stopping until the whistle. You watched him play and wished the players with talent had half as much drive and determination. I don't know about you guys, but the defense lost a little something after he left. Tollefson is the type of player you wish every one on your team could be, just a professional football player. Like you said he was never going to be a starter but he loved the game and gave it his all when he was out on the field. You can have all the talent in the world starting on your team but if you don't have the players willing to come in and give 110%, then you just won't win in this league and Tollefson gave that 110% percent every snap with the Giants. JR needs to get back to drafting and bringing in solid players, not these boom or bust "Hey lets try to force him into our scheme" type of players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakeMeSomeFoodHo Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I recall him being a very nice backup and enjoying watching him play..and as it was mentioned, he was certainly missed when he left. good luck to the man, thanks for helping win some championships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandolphScott Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I would always call him and Chase Blackburn "THE WARDENS" when they were on the field. I don't see why I have to explain this either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sephiroth Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 You seem to see this a lot... a player comes to the Giants, and even if they leave for a big payday, they come back to retire as a Giant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYG Hampton 27 Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I would always call him and Chase Blackburn "THE WARDENS" when they were on the field. I don't see why I have to explain this either. Haha I think I remember you posting that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMFP Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Always liked Tollefson.....seemed pretty cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Always liked Tollefson.....seemed pretty cool. Yea... for a white guy . But yea he was a pretty good back up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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