Alumni Profile - Peter Giunta, BHS'79

As New England Patriots fans wallowed in the aftermath of an unexpected Super Bowl defeat, New York Giants defensive backs coach Peter Giunta was enjoying an evening of unadulterated euphoria.

The Giants were nearly two-touchdown underdogs when they took the field on for Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, against the Patriots, who were riding the crest of an 18-game winning streak and positioning themselves to become the first NFL team in 36 years to finish the season unbeaten.

And we all know how that turned out.

"We went into the game setting very attainable goals," said Giunta, BHS'79, in his second season as the Giants’ defensive secondary coach. "(Head) Coach (Tom) Coughlin told the players that if they wanted to be the best, they had to beat the best. We figured if we could limit the passing to 20 yards per catch and put some pressure on the quarterback, we’d put ourselves in position to win the game."

While the Giants' defensive line constantly pressured Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the Giants' secondary kept New England's receivers in check, limiting his opportunities and putting New York in position to win the game on quarterback Eli Manning's 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds remaining. The Giants' 17-14 upset was shocking to many, but not to Giunta.

"We showed a few weeks ago that if we did everything we could to limit their chances we’d put ourselves in position to win the game," said Giunta, referring to the regular-season finale, in which the Giants held a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter before the Patriots rallied for a 38-35 win. "That was a tough loss, but I think we showed that we could play with them."

It’s been an incredible ride for Giunta, who figured he’d settle into a career as a high school physical education teacher and football coach in Massachusetts when he graduated from Northeastern. He became the freshman football coach at Swampscott High School after being encouraged by Northeastern football coach Robert “Bo” Lyons.

"I wasn’t a very good player at Northeastern but Bo Lyons was a tremendous guy, and he had a great group of coaches,” said Giunta, who was a defensive back and running back after joining the Huskies as a walk-on. “I had the drive and desire but I just didn’t have the physical tools as a player. I didn’t play much so I spent a lot of time observing the coaches. That probably helped me understand the game a lot more."

But the lean Massachusetts economy and the threat of teacher layoffs forced Giunta to look elsewhere, and he ended up as a defensive assistant coach at Penn State in 1981, working for legendary college coach Joe Paterno. In 1982, the Nittany Lions won the national championship with a victory over the University of Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

Giunta spent three seasons at Penn State before joining Brown University, first as the tight ends/wide receivers coach and then offensive coordinator. He then spent three seasons as tight ends/wide receivers coach at Lehigh University before entering the NFL ranks in 1991, accepting the position of defensive backs coach with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 1995 Giunta joined the New York Jets as defensive backs coach and took the same position with the St. Louis Rams in 1997. The following season he was named assistant head coach /defensive coordinator under head coach Dick Vermeil, and Giunta’s defense, which was ranked No. 1 in the NFC during the 1999 season, played an integral role in the Rams’ improbable run to winning Super Bowl XXXIV.

Now, eight years later, Giunta is celebrating another Super Bowl championship – this time with another Northeastern alumnus, Giants assistant athletic trainer
Steve Kennelly, BHS'85.

“I’ve been blessed in my career,” Giunta said. “To win a national championship at Penn State and two Super Bowls in the NFL, it’s been incredible. I just set my mind on improving as a coach at every level. I learned so much, starting with my experience at Northeastern.”

“Steve and I talk about Northeastern all the time,” he said. “It’s great to see so many people from Northeastern being successful in a lot of different areas.”

You could certainly include Peter Giunta in that group, much to the chagrin of Patriots fans.