John Coleman Hufnagel (born September 13, 1951) is an American special advisor for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Hufnagel was an All-American at Penn State University in 1972, where he was the starting quarterback for three seasons (1970–1972) with a 26–3 record under head coach Joe Paterno.
[1][2] He led a backfield which included Franco Harris and Lydell Mitchell and Penn State finished 11–1, fifth in the final AP poll.
Hufnagel's final game as a collegian was the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, a 14–0 shutout loss to the University of Oklahoma on New Year's Eve.
During the 2014 Grey Cup Coaches News Conference, when Hufnagel and Austin were opposing coaches, Austin credited Hufnagel for giving him shortcuts in 1987 so that he could have a chance to succeed early as a Canadian Football quarterback instead of having to go through huge growing pains due to inexperience.
Future Pro Bowler quarterbacks Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia earned All-CFL honors.
In 1997, Hufnagel became head coach and general manager of the Arena Football League’s New Jersey Red Dogs.
Under Hufnagel's tutelage, Tom Brady earned a second Super Bowl MVP award, completing 60.2 percent of his passes for 3,620 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Tiki Barber set a franchise rushing record two years in a row, and the Giants became only the fifth team in NFL history to have five different players score at least seven touchdowns.
While Hufnagel is credited with the rapid development of quarterback Eli Manning, he is sometimes criticized for his often predictable play-calling and an inability to utilize his offensive play-makers effectively.
In addition, he was also questioned for having Manning throw the ball the third and sixth most passes in the league over 2005 and 2006 despite Tiki Barber clearly being the best player on offense.
In his first season, he led the Stampeders to the Grey Cup title with a 22–14 victory over the Montreal Alouettes on November 23.
Following the Stampeder's championship season of 2014, Hufnagel was awarded the Annis Stukus Trophy as the CFL coach of the year for the second time in his career.
In 2016, the plan was for offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson to take over as head coach, with Hufnagel continuing as general manager.
Hufnagel gained 175 wins as Calgary's general manager, which placed him fourth all-time in CFL history.