GLENDALE, Ariz. - It is one of Peter Giunta's most prized possessions as a football coach and it sits comfortably at his northern New Jersey home.
Believe it or not, it doesn't fit around his finger - he was defensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams of 1999.
It's a signed football from the 1978 Swampscott High freshmen team.
"Every player signed it," said the Salem, Mass. native and current defensive backs coach of the New York Giants. "John Squires and I were both of the coaches. We didn't have a great season, wins and losses, but it was so much fun. The players worked so hard for us. It was my first taste of coaching. I knew then that this was what I wanted to do. That football is very important to me."
Giunta's career as a player was a distinguished one on the local scene. He played and starred on the football and hockey teams at St. John's Prep, later matriculating to Northeastern University. He played both defensive back and running back, graduating in 1978.
Giunta (pronounced JUN-ta) says that his time at the Prep had as much to do with the person he is today than any place he has been or worked.
"Brother Linus was probably the most influential coach I ever had," says Giunta. "He coached freshman football and hockey at St. John's. He was a great person. He taught me a lot about life and sportsmanship."
After three years at Swampscott High under coach Frank DeFelice, whom Giunta says could have coached football or baseball at any level, he spent 10 years at the collegiate level (Penn State, Brown and Lehigh) before making the jump to professional football with the Philadelphia Eagles (1991 through 1994).
"I think most coaches would like to some day get to the highest level," says Giunta. "It's different. It's a business. But it is so much fun. It can be a tough life for your family, but I've been lucky with some of the places I've been."
As the St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator from 1998 through 2000, Giunta gets credit for the defense which helped spark the club's remarkable Super Bowl run in 1999. The 13-3 Rams, which beat the Tennessee Titans, 23-17 in the thrilling title game, led the league in rush defense in '99, allowing just 74.3 yards per game, while ranking fourth in scoring defense (15.1 points per game) and sixth in total defense (293.6 yards per game).
Giunta's specialty as a pro football coach has been with defensive backs. The Rams' 1999 defense led the NFC and was second in the NFL with 29 interceptions.
"We were in the top 10 in almost every defensive category," says Giunta, who worked under Dick Vermeil. "That was a special season. The offense got a lot of publicity, but we had a very good defense, too."
He joined Vermeil in Kansas City as a defensive backs coach after the 2000 season with the Rams. He spent five seasons there.
"Dick is a special person," says Giunta. "I learned a lot from him. He's a leader. He preaches family and character. He really makes the players important and they respect that.
"He's also a great coach. He's very organized," says Giunta. "We were 13-3 our third year there (in Kansas City) and had homefield advantage in the playoffs when we lost to the Colts. We thought we had the team to get us here. I owe a lot to Dick Vermeil."
After Vermeil left the Chiefs, Giunta was out of work. That was until Vermeil called Giants head coach Tom Coughlin.
"They had been friends. Tom had come to visit Dick the year he was off between the time he left Jacksonville and went to the Giants," says Giunta. "I interviewed with Tom and we had a lot of same beliefs. And here I am."
The 2007 Giants defense ranked seventh in yards allowed (305) and 11th in passing yards allowed (207). In the playoffs, the Giants have tallied five interceptions and allowed only 17 points per game, four less than their regular season average.
"We're playing our best football right now in a lot of areas," says Giunta. "But we have our work cut out for us on Sunday. That is an incredible offense. Randy Moss and Tom Brady are the best of the best."
Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who is one game away from completing his first season with the Giants, says Giunta is one guy he seems to lean on a lot.
"I spend a lot of time talking to Pete about things," says Spagnuolo. "He's been in this league almost 20 years. He's seen a lot. He had a lot of success with the Rams, winning a Super Bowl. I was very lucky to have him here when I got the job. I can't tell you how lucky."
Giunta admits he was like every other kid growing up on the North Shore. He was obsessed with sports and coaching seemed like a seamless transition into his adult life.
"I still follow the Celtics, Bruins and specially the Red Sox," says Giunta. "I was as excited as everybody else when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 and last season. I grew up watching Bobby Orr and Gerry Cheevers. I couldn't get enough of them. I wasn't any different than any of my friends."
Speaking of friends, Giunta says he tries, sometimes unsuccessfully, to stay in contact with his childhood pals from Salem, including John Perreni, a fellow Prep grad, and Danny Dunn, who attended Bishop Fenwick.
He does talk to his brother Gerry, who recently got good news.
"Gerry was promoted to Deputy Fire Chief in Salem," says Giunta. "He's a great guy. He deserves everything he gets. I'm very proud of him."
And despite his employment on the enemy sidelines this Sunday night, we can probably bet the feeling is mutual.
E-mail Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com. Also check out his blog from the Super Bowl, "Burt Talks Sports," at www.salemnews.com.
Peter Giunta's coaching resume
1978-1980%Swampscott High
1981-1983%Penn. State (asst.)
1984-1985%Brown (TE/WR coach)
1986-1987%Brown (Off. coordinator)
1988-1990%Lehigh (TE/WR)
1991-1994%Philadelphia Eagles (DB coach)
1995-1996%N.Y. Jets (DB coach)
1997%St. Louis Rams (DB coach)
1998-2000%St. Louis Rams (Def. coordinator)
2001-2005%Kansas City Chiefs (DB coach)
2006-present%N.Y. Giants (DB coach)
The Giunta bio
Born: Aug. 11, 1956
High school: St. John's Prep ('74)
College: Northeastern University ('78)
Family: Wife, Cindy; children, Christina, John and D.J.
Giunta on slowing Moss down
"Wow. That's quite a task, isn't it? I don't think you can go into a game thinking you will shut him down. He's the best in the league. But we can try to make him earn every catch and every yard he gets. I know Randy. When I was with the Chiefs we practiced with the Vikings at training camp every year. I've seen him a lot. You have to double him by rolling over the safety. We just have to remain patient because Tom Brady is looking for that one mistake you make and then, gone, to Moss. We have to be perfect in the defensive backfield. It's that simple."
