For a man who had already come out of retirement multiple times, head coach Bill Parcells’ decision to retire in 2007 came as a shock, especially considering the disappointing ending to the Dallas Cowboys‘ 2006 season. Many expected him to return for another NFL season, but that did not happen.

Parcells had already made up his mind as games in the fall and winter, draft preparation in the spring, and training camp in the summer had turned coaching into a year-round job. But fast forward nearly two decades, and you would imagine that, as a legendary coach, there is always an urge to get back to the sidelines. Not for Parcells, though. This week, he even picked another sport when asked about what brought him joy.

“Horse racing,” Parcells said this week in an exclusive interview with Sal Licata. “Now, I love the game [football], but that was my job. This is my hobby.”

During the interview, Licata said that the legendary coach could still go out there to the NFL sidelines, and Parcells admitted, “Maybe, but I don’t think so.”

It’s safe to say that the third retirement will eventually remain the final retirement for “The Big Tuna.” He had been coaching football since 1964 and served as an NFL head coach for four different teams, earning a reputation for rebuilding broken franchises. The process, however, exhausted him.

Bill Parcells first became an NFL head coach in 1983 when the New York Giants hired him after having just one winning season in the past ten years. Once Parcells took over the reins, he led the Giants to six winning seasons and a pair of Super Bowl wins in eight years. But after helping the Giants win Super Bowl XXV, he hung up his whistle for the first time due to health issues.

Just after a two-year hiatus from the NFL, though, Parcells got a call from the New England Patriots to lead the struggling franchise after their 2-14 season in 1992. His first year in New England was disappointing, as the Patriots finished 5-11. It was then, in 1994, that Robert Kraft bought the Patriots, and that same year, the franchise reached the postseason.

Later, Parcells guided the Pats to Super Bowl XXXI, which they lost to the Green Bay Packers. In January 1997, he ultimately left the organization due to Kraft’s involvement in player personnel decisions. At that time, Parcells was still in a contract dispute with the Pats, but the New York Jets sought him out and eventually hired him as their head coach and general manager.

Before Parcells’ arrival, the Jets had just gone 1-15, but during his three-year stint, the team never had a losing season. That’s how good he was at turning around NFL franchises. Still, following the 1999 season, he resigned as HC and remained the team’s GM for one more year before his second retirement.

Parcells then stayed away from coaching for two more years until Cowboys owner Jerry Jones lured the legendary coach out of retirement once again. When Parcells took over as the team’s new head coach, Dallas was desperate for leadership after recording three straight 5-11 seasons. In the next four seasons, he led the Cowboys to two postseason appearances but couldn’t help the team win any playoff games.

Finally, in 2007, when Dallas lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild-Card round, many questioned whether Parcells could still coach. Shortly after that, he announced his third retirement.

“Physically, I could still do it. But, mentally, this is a 12-month-a-year job, and I’ve been doing it since 1964. It was time to stop. I just have to let go,” Parcells told ESPN’s Ed Werder in an interview back in 2007.

After walking away from coaching, Parcells served as the Miami Dolphins‘ executive vice president of football operations. That, however, turned out to be his final job in the NFL. Since then, Parcells has spent more than a decade away from the league. Still, Parcells remains confident that his coaching style would translate well into the modern NFL. He has even named a coach, who he believes is still using his approach.

“I know a guy who’s using it: Sean Payton. So, I know it’ll work,” Parcells told Licata.

Before becoming a Super Bowl-winning head coach, Payton worked under Parcells, serving as the Cowboys’ assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach from 2003 to 2005. Fast forward to now, and Payton is the Denver Broncos‘ head coach. So, members of Parcells’ coaching tree are still making an impact in the NFL. As for Parcells, he continues following the NFL while fondly remembering the four decades he spent in the league.