1963 New York Giants season
Encyclopedia
The 1963
New York Giants
season was the 39th season for the club in the National Football League
.
selection Wietecha, retired after a decade of service, and Greg Larson
took over his job at center. Other new faces included third-string quarterback Glynn Griffing
(who would spend just a single season in the NFL), linebacker Jerry Hillebrand
, and tackles Lane Howell
and Lou Kirouac. There was nothing new about the face of Hall of Fame
bound Hugh McElhenny
, who put on a Giants uniform for the first time in 1963 after 11 years as a star fullback with San Francisco and Minnesota
. McElhenny stayed with the Giants for just a single season, and of the 12 new players on the Giants' roster in 1963, only Hulebrand and John Lo Vetere spent more than two seasons with the team.
The Giants were facing competition as the once laughingstock of the American Football League
the New York Titans were bought by Sonny Werblin
who changed the team name to the New York Jets
.
, Frank Gifford
, Alex Webster, Joe Morrison
, Joe Walton
and Thomas were joined by the newly acquired McElhenny, who had already caught many a pass from Tittle when both played for the San Francisco 49ers
. Complementing the offense was Don Chandler
, whose accurate place-kicking enabled him to become the league's leading scoring in 1963.
But the brightest of the stellar attractions would be the come-from-behind quarterback himself, who had to rescue the 1963 season with yet another miracle finish. Although Tittle threw three touchdown passes for a 37-28 victory in the season opener against the Baltimore Colts
, his ribs were injured in the third quarter, and he was forced to spend the rest of the game, and the entire next game as well, on the sideline. Reserve quarterbacks Gugliemi and Griffing were of little help in game 2, a 31-0 drubbing of the Giants at Pittsburgh. Fortunately for New York, Tittle recovered in time for the third game of the season.
In victories over the Philadelphia Eagles
and Washington Redskins
, Tittle threw a total of five touchdown passes. The defense came alive as well, especially Dick Lynch
, who intercepted three Sonny Jurgensen
passes in New York's defeat of the Eagles.
The Giants' home opener, perennially delayed by Yankee Stadium's baseball
tenant, was the first critical game of the season. Jim Brown
and the undefeated Cleveland team kept the Browns' perfect record intact and increased Cleveland's Eastern Conference lead over the Giants to two games with a 35-24 victory. With nine games remaining in the 1963 schedule, New York's 3-2 record did not seem particularly hopeful.
During the next five games, however, Tittle shifted the Giants' offense into overdrive, averaging an astounding 39.6 points per game. The sweetest of the victories was a 33-6 shellacking of the Browns in the face of 84,000 stunned Cleveland spectators. Before a frustrated Jim Brown was ejected late in the 4th quarter for fighting with a New York defender, he had been held to a mere 40 yards rushing.
Of the final 9 games in the 1963, season, the Giants lost only one: A 24-17 defeat by the St. Louis Cardinals
in a game played at Yankee Stadium a few days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
. (Commissioner Pete Rozelle
received broad criticism from many quarters allowing the regular schedule to proceed on that bleak Sunday, for it had been set aside as a national day of mourning.) New York closed out the season with big wins over the Dallas Cowboys
, Washington Redskins
, and the Pittsburgh Steelers
, and the Giants captured their third consecutive Eastern Conference crown on the final Sunday of the season to finish 11-3-0. one game ahead of the Browns.
Throughout the autumn of 1963, the air above Giants football games virtually hummed with forward passes. The team has amassed 3,558 total passing yards, a mere 47 shy of the Baltimore Colts, who were led by Johnny Unitas
. More importantly, Tittle led the NFL with 36 touchdown tosses, breaking his one-yard-old single-season of 33. But New York's passing game was to be severely tested by the league's acknowledged defensive leader: The Chicago Bears
.
1963 NFL season
The 1963 NFL season was the 44th regular season of the National Football League. On April 17, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle indefinitely suspended Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras for gambling on their own teams, as well as other NFL games;...
New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
season was the 39th season for the club in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Offseason
A familiar figure on the offensive line, four-time Pro BowlPro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selection Wietecha, retired after a decade of service, and Greg Larson
Greg Larson
Gregory Kenneth Larson is a former American football center in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He played college football at the University of Minnesota and was drafted in the sixth round of the 1961 NFL Draft. Larson was also selected in the eleventh round of the 1961 AFL...
took over his job at center. Other new faces included third-string quarterback Glynn Griffing
Glynn Griffing
Wilburn Glynn Griffing is a former American football quarterback who played one season for the New York Giants in the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Mississippi and was drafted in the fourth round of the 1962 NFL Draft...
(who would spend just a single season in the NFL), linebacker Jerry Hillebrand
Jerry Hillebrand
Gerald John Hillebrand is a former American football linebacker who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football and was drafted in the first round of the 1962 NFL Draft...
, and tackles Lane Howell
Lane Howell
Autrey Lane Howell is a former professional American football player who played defensive tackle for seven seasons for the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles....
and Lou Kirouac. There was nothing new about the face of Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
bound Hugh McElhenny
Hugh McElhenny
Hugh Edward McElhenny is a former American football running back in the National Football League who played from 1952–1964, for the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, and Detroit Lions. He was noted for his explosive, elusive running style and was frequently called "The...
, who put on a Giants uniform for the first time in 1963 after 11 years as a star fullback with San Francisco and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. McElhenny stayed with the Giants for just a single season, and of the 12 new players on the Giants' roster in 1963, only Hulebrand and John Lo Vetere spent more than two seasons with the team.
The Giants were facing competition as the once laughingstock of the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
the New York Titans were bought by Sonny Werblin
Sonny Werblin
David Abraham "Sonny" Werblin was a prominent entertainment industry executive and sports impresario who was an owner of the New York Jets, Chairman of Madison Square Gardens, and who built and managed the Meadowlands Sports Complex.A graduate of Rutgers University, Werblin went to work for Music...
who changed the team name to the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Roster
Regular season
For Y.A. Tittle 1963 was his finest season. The New York offense was flooded with capable receivers. Del ShofnerDel Shofner
Delbert Martin Shofner is a former American football wide receiver who played for eleven seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Giants from 1957 to 1967 in the National Football League. Shofner was a five-time consensus All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 1958, 1959, and from 1961 to 1963...
, Frank Gifford
Frank Gifford
Francis Newton "Frank" Gifford is a Hall of Fame former American football player and American sportscaster.-Early life:Gifford was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Lola Mae and Weldon Gifford, an oil driller....
, Alex Webster, Joe Morrison
Joe Morrison
Joseph R. Morrison was an American football player in the National Football League for the New York Giants and a coach best known as the head coach at the University of South Carolina.-Playing career:...
, Joe Walton
Joe Walton
Joseph Frank Walton is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of Robert Morris University. Walton played eight seasons in the National Football League and served as head coach of the New York Jets for seven seasons...
and Thomas were joined by the newly acquired McElhenny, who had already caught many a pass from Tittle when both played for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. Complementing the offense was Don Chandler
Don Chandler
Donald Gene "Don" Chandler was an American college and professional football player who was a punter and placekicker in the National Football League for twelve seasons in the 1950s and 1960s...
, whose accurate place-kicking enabled him to become the league's leading scoring in 1963.
But the brightest of the stellar attractions would be the come-from-behind quarterback himself, who had to rescue the 1963 season with yet another miracle finish. Although Tittle threw three touchdown passes for a 37-28 victory in the season opener against the Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
, his ribs were injured in the third quarter, and he was forced to spend the rest of the game, and the entire next game as well, on the sideline. Reserve quarterbacks Gugliemi and Griffing were of little help in game 2, a 31-0 drubbing of the Giants at Pittsburgh. Fortunately for New York, Tittle recovered in time for the third game of the season.
In victories over the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, Tittle threw a total of five touchdown passes. The defense came alive as well, especially Dick Lynch
Dick Lynch
Richard Dennis "Dick" Lynch was an American football defensive back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants. He was a one-time Pro Bowler in 1963, when he led the NFL in interceptions...
, who intercepted three Sonny Jurgensen
Sonny Jurgensen
Christian Adolph "Sonny" Jurgensen III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983....
passes in New York's defeat of the Eagles.
The Giants' home opener, perennially delayed by Yankee Stadium's baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
tenant, was the first critical game of the season. Jim Brown
Jim Brown
James Nathaniel "Jim" Brown is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. In 2002, he was named by Sporting News...
and the undefeated Cleveland team kept the Browns' perfect record intact and increased Cleveland's Eastern Conference lead over the Giants to two games with a 35-24 victory. With nine games remaining in the 1963 schedule, New York's 3-2 record did not seem particularly hopeful.
During the next five games, however, Tittle shifted the Giants' offense into overdrive, averaging an astounding 39.6 points per game. The sweetest of the victories was a 33-6 shellacking of the Browns in the face of 84,000 stunned Cleveland spectators. Before a frustrated Jim Brown was ejected late in the 4th quarter for fighting with a New York defender, he had been held to a mere 40 yards rushing.
Of the final 9 games in the 1963, season, the Giants lost only one: A 24-17 defeat by the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in a game played at Yankee Stadium a few days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. (Commissioner Pete Rozelle
Pete Rozelle
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle was the commissioner of the National Football League from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. Rozelle is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world....
received broad criticism from many quarters allowing the regular schedule to proceed on that bleak Sunday, for it had been set aside as a national day of mourning.) New York closed out the season with big wins over the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, and the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, and the Giants captured their third consecutive Eastern Conference crown on the final Sunday of the season to finish 11-3-0. one game ahead of the Browns.
Throughout the autumn of 1963, the air above Giants football games virtually hummed with forward passes. The team has amassed 3,558 total passing yards, a mere 47 shy of the Baltimore Colts, who were led by Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
. More importantly, Tittle led the NFL with 36 touchdown tosses, breaking his one-yard-old single-season of 33. But New York's passing game was to be severely tested by the league's acknowledged defensive leader: The Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 15, 1963 | at Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls.... |
W 37-28 |
| 2 | September 22, 1963 | at Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
L 31-0 |
| 3 | September 29, 1963 | at Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 37-14 |
| 4 | October 6, 1963 | at Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
W 24-14 |
| 5 | October 13, 1963 | Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 35-24 |
| 6 | October 20, 1963 | Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... |
W 37-21 |
| 7 | October 27, 1963 | at Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 33-6 |
| 8 | November 3, 1963 | St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 38-21 |
| 9 | November 10, 1963 | Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 42-14 |
| 10 | November 17, 1963 | San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
W 48-14 |
| 11 | November 24, 1963 | St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 24-17 |
| 12 | December 1, 1963 | at Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... |
W 34-27 |
| 13 | December 8, 1963 | Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
W 44-14 |
| 14 | December 15, 1963 | Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
W 33-17 |
Playoffs
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | December 29, 1963 | at Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 14-10 |
Standings
| NFL Eastern Eastern and Western Divisions (NFL) 1933-69 The Eastern and Western Divisions of the National Football League, renamed the American and National Conferences in 1950 and then the Eastern and Western Conferences in 1953, were organized as a result of the disputed NFL championship of 1932... |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| New York Giants | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 448 | 280 | W-3 |
| Cleveland Browns 1963 Cleveland Browns season The 1963 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 14th season with the National Football League.-Exhibition schedule:-Regular season schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 343 | 262 | W-1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals 1963 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season The 1963 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 44th season the team was in the league and their fourth in St. Louis. The team improved on their previous output of 4-9-1, winning nine games. Despite the improvement, they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 15th consecutive... |
9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 341 | 283 | L-1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers 1963 Pittsburgh Steelers season The 1963 Pittsburgh Steelers season consisted of the team winning seven games, and losing four, with three games ending in a tie. As a result, the Steelers finished in fourth place in the NFL Eastern Conference... |
7 | 4 | 3 | .636 | 321 | 295 | L-1 |
| Dallas Cowboys 1963 Dallas Cowboys season The 1963 Dallas Cowboys season was their fourth in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 5–8–1, winning only four games. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:... |
4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 305 | 378 | W-1 |
| Washington Redskins 1963 Washington Redskins season The 1963 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 5-7-2 record from 1962.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 279 | 398 | L-3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles 1963 Philadelphia Eagles season -NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:* * *... |
2 | 10 | 2 | .167 | 242 | 381 | L-2 |
Week 1: Baltimore Colts
Awards and honors
- Y.A. Tittle, NFL MVP
- Y.A. Tittle, Franchise Record, Most Touchdown Passes in One Season, 36 Touchdown Passes