— by Riley Griffith
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — The New York Giants completed their second day of training camp from The Greenbrier Sports Performance Center Thursday.
Head coach John Harbaugh was then asked about his connection to West Virginia Football Hall of Fame coach Don Nehlen.
Harbaugh, who served as the Cincinnati special teams coordinator from 1989-96, recalled facing Nehlen in his first year with the Bearcats when WVU rolled to a 69-3 victory.
“I remember coach Nehlen beat us really bad when I was coaching at Cincinnati”, said Harbaugh. “He beat us really, really bad. I was a special teams coach and our punter, he had like the best day in the history of football. He averaged about 50 yards a punt and he had about 15 punts. So it was quite a day.”
Harbaugh expanded on his connection to the Nehlen family.
“Coach Nehlen played with my dad at Bowling Green,” Harbaugh said. “My dad coached for Coach Nehlen in 1967, ‘68, ‘69 at Bowling Green State University, and Coach Nehlen came back and coached with my dad under Bo Schembechler at Michigan in the ‘70s. Danny Nehlen was the longtime equipment guy there and we were buddies. We played basketball just about every day when we were growing up and they were coaching there. So, a lot of great ties to the Nehlen family. Coach Nehlen, Merry Ann, Vicky, her daughter, Danny. Just love that family so much and treasure those days.”
Thursday marked the Giants’ first practice open to the public at The Greenbrier Sports Performance Center, and many fans and spectators stayed from start to finish.
Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas was impressed with the turnout.
“I was surprised to see so many people out here,” said Thomas. “That speaks to the culture that we have, historic franchise, the fans want to see us do well. They’re out here while we’re grinding to get ready for the season, so we want to put a good product on the field for them.”
Thomas also had kind remarks for the climate at what’s generally the hottest point of the season for many NFL teams.
“It’s amazing. I was talking with (Jon) Runyan and I was telling him I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a training camp where it’s been this cold outside. I’m from the south and even in (New) Jersey it gets humid, so I’m not complaining. I’m excited. Scenery is nice, so we’re just going to continue getting better.”
Giants safety Jevon Holland also praised the setting.
“It’s fun,” Holland said. “You know, I like being near trees and whatnot. I’m from the northwest. I was from Canada, went to Oregon. Trees are my friend. I love it, so I’m enjoying the atmosphere.”