Philadelphia Phillies nearly signed now-Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells

Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Parcells almost became a Phillies prospect.

Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells — a two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants — almost never had the illustrious, 19-year career in football.

In fact, the Englewood, New Jersey, native nearly pursued a professional baseball career as a Philadelphia Phillies catcher.

A star athlete in high school, Parcells was offered $50,000 to sign with the Phillies after graduation, according to The Palm Beach Post. However, his father insisted that he attend college. The Phillies persisted and offered Parcells an extra $5,000 to sign after his freshman year. The stars never aligned and he would go on to become the well-regarded football coach we know today.

In a recently aired CenterStage with Michael Kay interview on the YES Network, Parcells noted how back in those days, it was hard to get to the big leagues since there were fewer clubs in the league.

“My dad told me, ‘Look, you can play baseball if you want to, but we are going to wait until you are out of college,'” Parcells recalled. “Once that happened, my interests changed and I got involved in football.”

The 80-year-old also noted he attempted a football playing career as a linebacker, having made it to Detroit Lions training camp. Yet, he told Kay that he simply “wasn’t good enough.”

“In those days, the economics of the business wasn’t that enticing,” Parcells said. “I had an opportunity to go coach, which is what I really wanted to do. I’m glad I did it.”

Parcells coached nearly two decades in the National Football League, including a combined 12 seasons in the same division as the Philadelphia Eagles: New York Giants (1983-90), New England Patriots (1993-96), New York Giants (1997-99) and Dallas Cowboys (2003-06). He reached the Super Bowl three times and won twice with the Giants in 1986 and 1990.

When Parcells was asked if he could push a button and become a Hall of Fame baseball player or Hall of Fame coach, he would choose the latter: “But I do love baseball. I enjoy being around it. I have a lot of friends in baseball. I go to spring training and enjoy it very much.”