Behind every great leader, there’s a strong foundation of family and upbringing. For Brian Daboll, the New York Giants head coach, his mother and grandparents played a pivotal role in shaping his life and career. Who are the people who raised this football mastermind? What values did they instill in him, and how did they influence his path to success?

In this intimate look at Brian Daboll’s family, we’ll explore the lives of his parents and grandparents and the lessons they taught him. From his childhood to his current status as an NFL head coach, we’ll examine the ways in which his parent’s guidance and support helped him achieve his dreams.

Who are Brian Daboll’s parents?

Brian Daboll was born in Welland on April 14, 1975, into a couple who would soon be divorced and go on to have different lives forever. Nancy Kirsten, his mother, is American and has lived in West Seneca her entire life. Brian Daboll, his namesake and father, was a Canadian who resided in Ontario, on the other side of the Niagara River.

“My mother was a teenager, in her late teens, and she met a man from Canada. She got pregnant. After she got pregnant she got married. I was born in Canada, and I would say very quickly (living) in my grandparents’ house in the States. So I never met my father. He has since passed. Don’t know anybody up there (in Canada).”

Daboll is not a dual citizen. He’s from America. “I lived in West Seneca — just over the border there — my entire life, before I started in this journey of coaching,” he said.

Though not entirely on their own, Daboll was raised by his mother Nancy Kirsten’s parents, Chris and Ruth Kirsten. Assisting whenever she could, Nancy Kirsten also resided there. “Yeah, she was there with us. My mom was young when she had me — not terribly, terribly young,” said Daboll. “But my grandmother was only 39 when I was born. I was older than her when my two youngest were born.”

Chris and Ruth Kirsten were also known as “Pops” and “Pew,” a nickname given to Ruth by the Daboll children for the noise she made when smelling their feet. Pops maintained the grounds at West Seneca West High School to resemble Augusta National in the spring for almost thirty years. His grandson never heard Dad offer an explanation for the long hours he put in at work or his devotion to his family.

“Pew” had 10 brothers and sisters. She was the third oldest. All the brothers and sisters used to live not too far from each other. Pops used to take Daboll to all his spring events. Pew was the matriarch of the family, taking care of the home and her family.

Little Brian’s personality became similar to Pew’s when she stayed at home with him—competitive, motivated, and spicier. “I’d get a 98 on a test and get chewed out for two hours because I got that one question wrong,” Daboll says.

Brian Daboll owes his career to his ‘Pops’ and ‘Pew’

None of this could have happened if it weren’t for them. Daboll ought to have headed straight to Wall Street after earning his economics degree from the University of Rochester. Rather, he accepted a position at William & Mary as a volunteer coach. Upon telling Pew, she questioned him, “Are you crazy?”

Daboll’s first big break came in 1998 when Michigan State hired him as a graduate assistant under Nick Saban. Daboll, who was already getting ready to become a head coach someday, observed Saban intently and took notes. Subsequently, he jotted down notes on each coach he worked under and with others. And now, eight black binders are stored in a cabinet over his desk at work.

Eventually, according to Daboll, his mother Nancy moved to North Carolina and was married again. She is still alive, and they have a happy bond. “She’s been down there, heck, for probably over 20 years … She’s the only (family) I’ve got left.”

“Oh, they were the best,” Daboll said. “It pains my heart that they weren’t here for this (Giants) press conference, and this announcement to be a head coach. That’s all they wanted for me, really, since I started in coaching. If you ever knew them, they were just unbelievable people, to the point where they knew that…”