MAMA'S BOY

Giants coach credits matriarch with instilling values needed for success

THE head coach of the New York Football Giants is a mama’s boy. And proud of it. “I think it’s fitting that we’re having a minicamp on Mother’s Day, because we’ve got 61 players who have developed passions and are chasing their dreams, and I think that’s what mothers want to see from their kids,” Pat Shurmur told The Post.

“But Mother’s Day always makes me think of the women in my life that are very significant to me, obviously starting with my mother.

“She raised me the right way. She was there for me, she defended us. As hard as she was on us, nobody outside the house could say anything bad about us, which was really cool.”

Pat Shurmur, 53, is the oldest of four children raised by Barbara Shurmur and the late Joe Shurmur, whose brother Fritz was a respected 24-year NFL assistant coach. Barbara is 75, living in Michigan. Her husband died of lung cancer in 1996.

“I kind of regret sometimes that I live away from her and have for so long,” Pat said, “and I’m not really great on the phone sometimes.

“I love her a great deal. It’s fun when we have success as kids for the moms to enjoy it. ”

Pat starred as a center at Michigan State before beginning the coaching journey that has led him to 1925 Giants Drive.

“She always taught us to compete, to show compassion as you live your life, and don’t ever let anybody say you couldn’t do something,” Pat said.

There was NCAA heartbreak that preceded the personal heartbreak of losing Joe Shurmur when Pat tore up his knee as a Michigan State freshman and faced a frustrating rehab.

“I’m not the most patient of people, and she was able to help me through that,” Pat said. “Just ‘stay the course, it’s gonna work out.’ All the things a mom might say.”

NFL heartbreak came when Pat was fired by the Browns after two years at the helm.

“Well, like any mom, she tried to console,” Pat said, “but we move on, and at that time, we were all adults, and so we take the good with the bad, we move forward.”

Joe played guard and linebacker at Albion College (Mich.) in the late 1950s and early ’60s.

“What was special about the way we were raised is my mom and dad made sure we always attended Sunday Mass,” Pat said.

From peewee football to Divine Child High School in Dearborn, Mom followed her son’s football dream.

“She was always there, she always had the uniform washed, she was at as many of the practices and games that she could be at,” Pat said.

Asked to describe his mother, Pat said, “Well, she’s an Italian, Detroit lady that is very strong in her beliefs. She was very protective of her husband and her kids, and very proud of everything that we’ve done. And she’s been there all along. Very consistent in her love, and wishing that we all do well.”

Pat will celebrate his 28th wedding anniversary this summer with wife Jennifer, who was a swimmer at Michigan State. Their three daughters — Allyson, Erica and Claire — are swimmers and son Kyle is Vanderbilt’s quarterback.

“[Jennifer] became my best friend as soon as I met her,” Pat said. “She has the same strength, same conviction. She’s an athlete, and so she understands what our kids all go through.

“She’s an outstanding student, so she can help with the homework, not me,” Pat said with a smile. “She’s an outstanding person, very strong lady, and I’ve dragged her around the country [six states], although it’s been a very somewhat enjoyable and exciting life that we’ve lived. You know, it’s tough on the families when you’re picking up and moving every couple of years. She’s navigated our family through that.”

Pat will be at the Giants’ facility as rookie minicamp ends and enjoy a Mother’s Day dinner with his wife and two of their children.

“Mother’s Day makes me think of the other women in my life, too, my godmother, my mother-in-law, my sister and my three daughters,” Pat said.