Ray Handley, former Giants head coach and assistant coach, dead at 81

The New York Giants are mourning the loss of Ray Handley, a former assistant coach who later led the franchise as head coach. He was 81.

The Giants said Handley’s family member, Rob Handley, confirmed the former coach’s passing. Details on a cause of death were not immediately made available.

Handley first joined the Giants coaching staff in 1984, working as an assistant under then-head coach Bill Parcells. During his seven-year stint as the team’s offensive backfield coach, Handley played a role in the Giants winning two Super Bowl titles.

Parcells retired following the Giants’ second championship in that run. Handley was elevated to the head coach position in 1991.

But, Parcells’ success ultimately proved difficult for Handley to follow. One of his first key decisions was naming Jeff Hostetler over Phil Simms as the starting quarterback during training camp in 1991. Simms had flourished as the starter the previous season until suffering a leg injury before Hostetler took over to finish the Super Bowl run.

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The Giants went 8-8 in Handley’s debut season and fell to 6-10 the following year. Handley was dismissed after the 1992 season and was replaced by former Denver Broncos coach Dan Reeves.

Handley served as an assistant coach at Army, Stanford and Air Force before taking an assistant coaching job with the Giants. He did not coach again after he was fired by New York.

Before he entered the coaching ranks, Handley was running back at Stanford.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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