Lessons Learned from a Career in Coaching
New Jersey native and longtime Tom Coughlin assistant Jerry Palmieri served 12 seasons as the Giants’ strength and conditioning coach, a position he held from on January, 2004 until January, 2016. He was with the Giants for Tom Coughlin’s entire tenure as head coach. Palmieri was the New Orleans Saints’ assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2003. Prior to that he spent nine years as a strength and conditioning coach under Coughlin, one at Boston College (where he was the director of strength and conditioning operations) and eight with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Palmieri began his career as a strength coach at the University of North Carolina in 1982. From there he moved to Oklahoma State University (1984-86) and Kansas State University (1987-92) before joining Coughlin at Boston College. In addition to his coaching experience, Palmieri has taught physical education classes and written articles about strength and conditioning for national publications. Palmieri is a 1980 graduate of Montclair State University. He received a master’s degree specializing in exercise physiology from North Carolina in 1984. Palmieri was a three-time New Jersey Golden Gloves champion (1976-78) and competed in international competitions as a member of the 1978 and 1979 USA Boxing Teams. He was honored as the 2007 Samson’s NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year. In 1999, Palmieri was honored by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society as Coach of the Year, and then in 2018, this organization presented him with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2021, he received the President’s Award from the National Strength & Conditioning Association. Palmieri was a member of NY Giants’ staffs that won 2 Super Bowl Championships (2007 and 2011). Currently, Palmieri volunteers for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes advancing that ministry in North Jersey. He also speaks on topics of strength & conditioning and his faith, while also conducting workshops on 3 Dimensional Coaching. Palmieri was raised in Dumont, N.J. He and his wife, Ellen, also a New Jersey native, have two children and one grandson
