Jenna Pugh talks about what it’s like to be the sister of rookie NFL offensive lineman Justin Pugh, a starter for the New York Giants. Pat Toner coached Jenna during her high school field hockey career at Council Rock South.
By Pat Toner
Having a brother who was an outstanding football player at Syracuse and who was the 19th overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft might mean you have to live your life in his shadow...his 6'4" 305 lb. shadow, that is.
Not so for Jenna Pugh. On draft day while family and friends awaited a phone call determining where standout Justin Pugh would begin his NFL career, no one was more excited and supportive than Justin's sister, Jenna. Throughout Justin's career at Council Rock South, then Syracuse, and now as a starting offensive lineman for the New York Giants, Jenna, along with her cousins Emily and Erica Pugh, spearheaded the "Pugh Crew," a group of devoted fans composed of family and friends.
It started right before the Northeast/New Jersey All Star Game with a few people wearing matching tee shirts but has now grown to hundreds of fans.
"We have a lot of followers on Twitter (@ThePughCrew), and on Facebook we have a Justin Pugh fan page run by our family," said Jenna. "The group has grown and grown. In fact, when Syracuse played Temple in Philly, we had over 250 members of the ‘Pugh Crew’ at the game supporting Justin. We might have had more people in the stands than Temple did."
While showing her devotion and dedication to Justin's career, Jenna carved out an excellent athletic career of her own. She was captain of Council Rock South's highly competitive field hockey and lacrosse teams and is currently the assistant coach for CR South's lacrosse team.
Jenna's former lacrosse coach, Kara DiMarco, remembers Jenna as "one of those great kids" to coach.
"Her dedication to her team and the sport of lacrosse helped her to become an excellent leader,” said DiMarco. "I am thrilled she has taken her love for the game to the next level and become a coach at her alma mater!"
Jenna was the team's MVP her senior year.
As Jenna's former field hockey coach, I can echo the same sentiments and remember Jenna as a dedicated member of the team. Jenna was an excellent leader and player. She was always quick to deflect praise from herself and share it with her teammates. She was the ultimate captain and teammate. It does not surprise me at all that Jenna would be the first one to support her brother. In fact, it's awesome to see a family that clearly puts team before individual accomplishments.
Jenna has a unique perspective of sports as a player, as a coach, and now as a family member of a professional athlete. When asked which is the most nerve racking, Jenna quickly said, "Oh definitely watching Justin play. I have no control over the situation at all. In coaching, I can make adjustments to the game, but watching Justin is totally different."
Was there a lot of competition and sibling rivalry growing up?
"Well, Justin played football and ice hockey and I played field hockey and lacrosse,” Jenna said. “At one point, Justin thought he might want to play lacrosse. He thought we could go out in the backyard and play against each other, so when we started playing, he started pushing and shoving me.
“I kept telling him that girls' lacrosse was different than boys' lacrosse and there was no body contact. That escalated into more pushing and shoving and eventually a broken window. That was the end of our competition against each other," she laughed. "My mom wasn't too happy.
"We are definitely supportive of each other and I am happy for his success. He really works hard and has overcome a lot of obstacles to get to where he is. He deserves it. It's still kind of surreal for our family. It hasn't completely sunk in that he is starting for the Giants. It's very exciting for all of us."
Jenna’s unwavering sport has not gone unnoticed.
"My older 'little' sister Jenna has been in my corner since I can remember,” Justin said. “She would always stick up for me even though my brothers and I weren't the most kind to the only girl in the house. She always would compete with us in whatever we were doing whether it be street hockey, football games or lacrosse.
“As time went on, she got to high school and became a leader for the lacrosse and field hockey teams. I remember classmates of mine that played with her coming up to me saying how competitive and good she was at both sports. During this time I was also finding out I had that same competitive mentality that she had. I think the atmosphere we grew up in molded us to be competitive in everything we did.
"In all honesty, as my sister excelled on the field, I didn't go to many of her games. I wasn't the most supportive brother because I was always busy with football. As time went on, I tried to make an effort to get to more of her games because she came to all of my events.
"Jenna has been to almost every game I have ever played in and has never asked for anything in return. She helps keep my life in order by reminding me of little things such as family birthdays or important events I have coming up. My sister's support has gone unnoticed by most people out there and I think she deserves a lot of credit for everything she has accomplished. She's played college lacrosse, coached high school sports, and graduated college all while coming to every one of my games on weekends all over the country. I know whatever she does next she will be successful and I'm very thankful to have her in my life."
When asked how Jenna and Justin's parents were able to instill such strong values in their children, Jenna's mother, Carolyn Gavaghan replied, "We have four kids and no one is better than the other. We live modestly, and we never went out of our way to make sure they had everything."
Read that again. As parents, they never went out of their way to make sure their children had everything.
When the Gavaghan family (Michael, Shaun, and Frank) blended with the Pugh family (Jenna, Justin and Carolyn), Jenna found herself among all boys. Carolyn's advice to her daughter: "I told her to make her own way, be proud of what you are doing, and know how to take care of yourself. And when times were tough the message for all of our kids was 'no wallowing.' Just pick yourself up, move on, and work through it because that's your only option."
That's advice we can all use.
One only has to listen to Justin Pugh's interaction with the media to realize that this family is a class act. You will not hear self-promotion. Instead you will hear a respectful young man who knows where he came from and is appreciative for everything he has.
Says Jenna, "Growing up, my mom and my step-dad instilled a sense of humility in us. It was okay to be proud of our accomplishments, but we were always taught that we were a part of something bigger. We have never forgotten that."
And now, as Justin continues his NFL career with the two-time Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, it is clear that he truly is a part of something much bigger. And you can bet that his #1 fan will be right where she has been all along; by his side…not in his shadow.
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