Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 27, 1993 TAG: 9301270226
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press and Knight-Ridder/Tribune reports
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
REEVES EAGER TO BEGIN
Dan Reeves eagerly accepted the job of rebuilding the two-time Super Bowl champion New York Giants on Tuesday, saying he had no qualms about being the team's third choice."I was my mother's third choice," Reeves said during a news conference in East Rutherford, N.J. "I don't feel I was any less loved than the rest of them. It doesn't make a difference with me. The main thing is that I'm their last choice."
Reeves, who led the Denver Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances, and Giants general manager George Young refused to disclose contract terms. A source told The Associated Press the deal was for five years and worth an estimated $4 million.
Reeves, 49, replaces Ray Handley, who was fired in December after the Giants missed the playoffs for the second straight year.
Reeves' hiring fills the last coaching vacancy in the NFL and ends a monthlong search by the Giants, who were turned down by their top two choices. Boston College coach Tom Coughlin chose to stay there, and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt took the Chicago Bears job last week.
Reeves ranks fourth in victories among active coaches with a 110-73-1 regular-season record, trailing Miami's Don Shula, the Los Angeles Rams' Chuck Knox and Washington's Joe Gibbs.
In other NFL news:
\ PROUD BILLS OWNER: Ralph C. Wilson Jr., owner of the Buffalo Bills, laughs when you ask if he would be embarrassed if his team loses its third straight Super Bowl.
"I'll be proud of the Bills no matter what happens," Wilson said. "I feel honored and privileged to be an owner of a football team that has made it to three straight Super Bowls. How many other franchises have done that?"
Ralph Wilson has operated the Bills since they opened for business in 1960, when he was a member of what the media referred to as the "Foolish Club," a group of eight millionaires who formed a fledging confederation called the American Football League. Wilson's initial investment in the Bills was $25,000. Estimates of the Bills' worth today are in the $150 million range.
\ HALEY TALKS, A LITTLE: Moody and controversial Charles Haley, who dodges interview requests like offensive linemen, granted a 15-minute audience in Los Angeles on media day but banned certain questions.
The Dallas Cowboys defensive end, who was traded by the San Francisco 49ers because of run-ins with management and teammates, said talking just causes him problems.
"I've got too many opinions, and that's why I get into trouble," the former James Madison University star said.
Haley, who said he was a "puppet of the management" at San Francisco, jousted verbally with the media gathered around him in Dodger Stadium. On 10 occasions, he snapped "next question" when the subject didn't please him, including, "Do you have any fond memories of San Francisco?" and "Have you always been something of a problem child everywhere you go?"
"Is this the happiest you've ever been in the NFL?" he was asked.
"What's that got to do with the Super Bowl? Next question."
He did talk about his relationship with Dallas players, the Bills' no-huddle offense and the fact that he never has worn either of the two Super Bowl rings he owns.
"I'm glad I was traded to a quality team like Dallas and I've tried to help these guys," he said. "Sometimes I yell at them because I take it upon myself to help them improve. I push them to the edge, but I think we've stayed friends."
Keywords:
FOOTBALL