New York Giants
Encyclopedia
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
(NFC) in the National Football League
(NFL). The team plays their games in East Rutherford, New Jersey
at MetLife Stadium, which it shares with the New York Jets
in a unique arrangement.
The Giants were one of five teams that joined the NFL in 1925, but the only one admitted that year which still exists
. The team ranks third among all NFL franchises with seven NFL titles: four in the pre–Super Bowl
era (1927, 1934, 1938, 1956) and three since the advent of the Super Bowl (Super Bowl
s XXI
(1986), XXV
(1990), and XLII
(2008). Their championship tally is surpassed only by the Green Bay Packers
(13) and Chicago Bears
(9). During their history, the Giants have featured 15 Hall of Fame
players, including NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winners Mel Hein
, Frank Gifford
, Charlie Conerly
, Y. A. Tittle
, and Lawrence Taylor
.
To distinguish themselves from the professional baseball team of the same name
, the football team was incorporated as the "New York National League Football Company, Inc." in 1929 and changed to "New York Football Giants, Inc." in 1937. Although the baseball team moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season, the football team continues to use "New York Football Giants, Inc." as its legal corporate name, and is often referred to by fans and sportscasters as the "New York Football Giants". The team has also gained several nicknames, including "Big Blue", the "G-Men", and the "Jints", an intentionally mangled contraction seen frequently in the New York Post
and New York Daily News
, originating from the baseball team when they were based in New York. Additionally the team as a whole is occasionally referred to as the "Big Blue Wrecking Crew
", even though this moniker primarily and originally refers to the Giants defensive unit during the 80s and early 90s.
The team's heated rivalry with the Philadelphia Eagles
is the oldest of the NFC East
rivalries, dating all the way back to 1933 and has been called the best rivalry in the NFL in the 21st century.
played their first game as an away game against All New Britain in New Britain, Connecticut
, on October 4, 1925. They defeated New Britain 26–0 in front of a crowd of 10,000. The Giants were successful in their first season, finishing with an 8–4 record.
In its third season
, the team
finished with the best record in the league at 11–1–1 and was awarded the NFL title. After a disappointing fourth season
(1928
) owner Mara bought the entire squad of the Detroit Wolverines
, principally to acquire star quarterback Benny Friedman
, and merged the two teams under the Giants name.
In 1930
, there were still many who questioned the quality of the professional game, claiming the college "amateurs" played with more intensity. In December 1930, the Giants played a team of Notre Dame
All Stars at the Polo Grounds
to raise money for the unemployed of New York City. It was also an opportunity to establish the superiority of the pro game. Knute Rockne
reassembled his Four Horsemen
along with the stars of his 1924 Championship squad and told them to score early, then defend. Rockne, like much of the public, thought little of pro football and expected an easy win. But from the beginning it was a one-way contest, with Friedman running for two Giant touchdowns and Hap Moran
passing for another. Notre Dame failed to score. When it was all over, Coach Rockne told his team, "That was the greatest football machine I ever saw. I am glad none of you got hurt." The game raised $100,000 for the homeless, and is often credited with establishing the legitimacy of the professional game.
coach Steve Owen
, and Hall of Fame players Mel Hein
, Red Badgro
, and Tuffy Leemans. This period also included the famous "Sneakers Game", where they defeated the Chicago Bears
on an icy field in the 1934 NFL Championship game
, while wearing sneakers for better traction. The Giants were particularly successful from the latter half of the 1930s until the United States entry into World War II
. They added their third NFL championship in 1938
with a 23–17 win over the Green Bay Packers
.
players such as running back Frank Gifford
, linebacker Sam Huff
, and offensive tackle Roosevelt Brown, as well as all-pro running back Alex Webster. The Giants' 1956 championship team not only included players who would eventually find their way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but a Hall of Fame coaching staff, as well. Head coach Jim Lee Howell
's staff had Vince Lombardi
coaching the offense and Tom Landry
coaching the defense. From 1958 to 1963, the Giants played in the NFL Championship Game five times, but failed to win. Most significantly, the Giants played the Colts
in the 1958 NFL Championship Game
that is considered a watershed event in the history of the NFL. The game, which the Giants lost in overtime 23–17, is often considered one of the most important events in furthering the NFL's popularity. The following year, they lost the championship to the Colts again, giving up a 16–9 4th quarter enroute to 31–16 loss. In 1963 led by league MVP quarterback
Y.A. Tittle, who threw a then-NFL record 36 touchdown
passes, the Giants advanced to the NFL Championship Game, where they lost to the Bears 14–10.
. They rebounded with a 7–7 record in 1965
, before compiling a league-worst 1–12–1 record, and allowing more than 500 points on defense in 1966
. During the 1969 preseason, the Giants
lost their first meeting with the New York Jets
, 37–14, in front of 70,874 fans at the Yale Bowl
in New Haven, Connecticut
. Following the game, Wellington Mara fired coach Allie Sherman
, and replaced him with former Giants fullback Alex Webster.
In 1967
, the team acquired quarterback Fran Tarkenton
from the Minnesota Vikings
. Despite having several respectable seasons with Tarkenton at quarterback, including a 7–7 finish in 1967 and 9–5 in 1970
, the Giants traded him back to the Vikings after a 4–10 finish in 1971
. Tarkenton would go on to lead the Vikings to three Super Bowls and earn a place in the Hall of Fame, while the Giants suffered through one of the worst stretches in their history, winning only 23 games from 1973–79. Before the 1976 season, the Giants tried to revive a weak offense by replacing retired RB Ron Johnson with future HOF fullback Larry Csonka
, but Csonka was often injured and ineffective during his 3 years in New York. The 1977 season
featured a roster that included three rookie quarterbacks.
The Giants were allowed to play their home games at the Yale Bowl
in New Haven, Connecticut
in 1973–74, and at at Shea Stadium (home of the Mets) in 1975, due to the renovation of Yankee Stadium. They finally moved into their own dedicated state-of-the-art stadium in 1976, when they moved into Giants Stadium
at the Meadowlands
in East Rutherford, New Jersey
. One of the low points during this period was the play known as the "Miracle at the Meadowlands
", which occurred in 1978. With the Giants trying to secure a win against the Philadelphia Eagles
, they chose to call a running play—which resulted in a fumble that was returned for a game-winning touchdown by the Eagles' Herman Edwards
.
The Giants' front office operations were complicated by a long-standing feud between Wellington Mara and his nephew, Tim Mara. Jack Mara had died in 1965, leaving his share of the club to his son Tim. Wellington and Tim's personal styles and their visions for the club clashed, and eventually they stopped talking to each other. Commissioner Rozelle intervened and appointed a neutral general manager, George Young, allowing the club to operate more smoothly. The feud became moot on February 20, 1991, when Tim Mara sold his shares in the club to Preston Robert Tisch
.
In 1979
, the Giants began the steps that would, in time, return them to the pinnacle of the NFL. These included the drafting of quarterback Phil Simms
in 1979
, and linebacker Lawrence Taylor
in 1981
. In 1981
, Taylor won the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards and the Giants made the playoffs for the first time since 1963. One of the few bright spots during this time was the team's excellent linebackers, who were known as the Crunch Bunch
. After the strike-shortened 1982 season
, in which they finished 4–5, head coach Ray Perkins resigned to take over the same position at the University of Alabama
. In a change that would prove crucial in the coming years, he was replaced by the team's defensive coordinator
, Bill Parcells
.
The Giants
struggled in Parcells's initial year and finished with 3–12–1 record. After 9–7 and 10–6 finishes in 1984
and 1985
respectively, the Giants
compiled a 14–2 record in 1986
led by league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Lawrence Taylor and the Big Blue Wrecking Crew
defense. The Giants defeated the 49ers
49–3 in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs and the Redskins
17–0 in the NFC championship game, advancing to their first Super Bowl, Super Bowl XXI
, against the Denver Broncos
at the Rose Bowl
in Pasadena. Led by MVP Simms who completed 22 of 25 passes for a Super Bowl record 88% completion percentage, they defeated the Broncos 39–20, to win their first championship since 1956. In addition to Simms and Taylor, the team was led during this period by head coach Bill Parcells
, tight end Mark Bavaro
, running back Joe Morris, and Hall of Fame
linebacker Harry Carson
.
The Giants
struggled to a 6–9 record in the strike-marred 1987 season
, due largely to a decline in the running game, as Morris managed only 658 yards behind an injury-riddled offensive line. The early portion of the 1988 season
was marred by a scandal involving Lawrence Taylor. Taylor had abused cocaine and was suspended for the first four games of the season for his second violation of the league's substance abuse policy. Despite the controversy, the Giants
finished 10–6, and Taylor recorded 15.5 sacks after his return from the suspension. They surged to a 12–4 record in 1989, but lost to the Los Angeles Rams
in their opening playoff game when Flipper Anderson
caught a 47-yard touchdown pass to give the Rams a 19–13 overtime win. In 1990
, the Giants went 13–3
and set an NFL record for fewest turnovers in a season (14),. They defeated the San Francisco 49ers
, who were attempting to win the Super Bowl
for an unprecedented third straight year, 15–13 at San Francisco and then defeated the Buffalo Bills
20–19 in Super Bowl XXV
.
Following the 1990 season, Parcells resigned as head coach and was replaced by the team's offensive coordinator, Ray Handley
. Handley served as coach for two disappointing seasons (1991–92), which saw the Giants fall from Super Bowl champions to 6–10 records. He was fired following the 1992 season
, and replaced by former Denver Broncos
' coach Dan Reeves
. In the early 1990s, Simms and Taylor, two of the stars of the 1980s, played out the last seasons of their careers with steadily declining production. The Giants
experienced a resurgent season with Reeves at the helm in 1993
however, and Simms and Taylor ended their careers as members of a playoff team.
The Giants initially struggled in the post Simms-Taylor era. After starting 3–7 in 1994
, the Giants
won their final six games to finish 9–7 but missed the playoffs. Quarterback Dave Brown
received heavy criticism throughout the season. Brown performed poorly the following two seasons, and the Giants struggled to 5–11 and 6–10 records. Reeves was fired following the 1996 season
, and replaced by Jim Fassel
, former offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals
. Fassel named Danny Kanell
the team's starting quarterback, and the team
finished 10–5–1 and made the playoffs in 1997
. After losing in the first round to the Vikings
in 1997, the Giants
needed to close out the season with four wins to finish 8–8 in 1998
. One of the bright spots of that season was a win over the Denver Broncos in week 15, giving the Broncos their first loss of the season after starting 13–0.
Before the 1999 season
Kerry Collins
was brought in to help the team. Collins was the first–ever draft choice of the expansion Carolina Panthers
in 1995
, and led the Panthers
to the NFC Championship game in his second season. However, problems with alcohol, conflicts with his teammates and questions about his character led to his release from the Panthers. The Giants finished 7–9 in 1999
.
was considered a make-or-break year for Fassel. The conventional wisdom was that Fassel needed to have a strong year and a playoff appearance to save his job. After two back-to-back losses at home against St. Louis
and Detroit
, the Giants fell to 7–4 and their playoff prospects were in question. At a press conference following the Giants' loss to Detroit, Fassel guaranteed that "[t]his team is going to the playoffs". The Giants responded, winning the rest of their regular season games to finish the season 12–4 and earn a bye as the NFC's top seed. The Giants won their first playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles
, 20–10, and defeated the Minnesota Vikings
41–0 in the NFC Championship game. They advanced to play the Baltimore Ravens
in Super Bowl XXXV
. Though the Giants went into halftime down only 10–0, the Ravens dominated the second half. Their defense harassed Kerry Collins all game long, resulting in Collins completing only 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards and 4 interceptions. The Ravens won the game 34–7.
. Although Collins had several solid seasons as the Giants quarterback, he experienced his share of struggles. In 2004
, the Giants
completed a draft day trade for University of Mississippi
quarterback Eli Manning
. Manning became the team's starting quarterback in the middle of the 2004 season
, taking over for Kurt Warner
. The early part of Coughlin's tenure produced inconsistent results (a 25–23 record and two playoff appearances—both losses, before the 2007 season) and spawned intense media scrutiny concerning the direction of the team. During this period in their history, standout players included defensive end
Michael Strahan
, who set the NFL single season record in sacks
in 2001
, and running back Tiki Barber
, who set a team record for rushing yards in a season in 2005.
, the Giants had made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. In 2007, the Giants became the third NFL franchise to win at least 600 games when they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 31–10 on Monday Night Football
. For the 2007 season, the NFL scheduled the Giants' road game against the Miami Dolphins
on October 28 in London
's Wembley Stadium
; this was the first NFL regular-season game to be played outside of North America
. The Giants defeated the Dolphins, 13–10. The Giants finished 10–6, and became NFC Champions after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, Dallas Cowboys
, and Green Bay Packers
in the NFC Playoffs
. They set a record for most consecutive road wins with 10 (a streak which ended with a loss to the Cleveland Browns
during week 6 of the 2008 season).
The Patriots
(18–0) entered the Super Bowl undefeated and were 12 point favorites going into game weekend. The Giants defeated the Patriots 17–14 in Super Bowl XLII
, capped by the famous "Manning to Tyree" pass. the third biggest upset by betting line in Super Bowl history. (The Baltimore Colts were favored by 17 over the New York Jets in Super Bowl III
, and the St. Louis Rams were favored by 14 over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI
.) Co-owner John Mara
described it as "the greatest victory in the history of this franchise, without question".
, the Giants won the NFC East with a record of 12–4 (and also were the number one seed in the NFC after beating the Carolina Panthers
for home field advantage
), but lost 23–11 to the Philadelphia Eagles
in the divisional round of the playoffs
.
In 2009, the Giants opened a new training complex, the Timex Performance Center, also located in the Meadowlands. After starting 5–0 in the 2009 season
, New York lost to the likewise undefeated New Orleans Saints
at the Superdome 48–27, beginning a four game losing streak, in which they lost to the Arizona Cardinals 24-17, the Chargers 21-20 and the Eagles 40-17. The streakwhich was broken with a 34–31 overtime victory against the Atlanta Falcons
. On Thanksgiving night, they lost to the Denver Broncos
26–6. The Giants next beat the division leading Dallas Cowboys
. A week later, with a record of 7–5, they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles
, 45–38. On December 27, the Giants lost to the Carolina Panthers 41–9 in their final game at Giants Stadium, and were eliminated from playoff eligibility. The Giants finished the season 8–8.
Third year wideout Steve Smith led the team with 107 receptions (a team record), 1,220 receiving yards (second most in a season for the Giants) and 7 touchdowns.
Following the season, the Giants fired first-year defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, and replaced him with the former Buffalo Bills interim head coach, Perry Fewell
. The Giants defense finished 13th overall under Sheridan, giving up 324.9 yards per game, and the final two losses of the season against Carolina and Minnesota, in which the Giants gave up 85 points, ultimately led to the firing.
In 2010, the Giants moved from Giants Stadium into MetLife Stadium, then known as the "New Meadowlands Stadium". They won against the Panthers in the first game at the New Meadowlands, but then lost to the Colts in the second "Manning Bowl", so-called due to Eli Manning's brother Peyton playing for the Colts. The Giants dropped one game to the Titans before going on a 5-game winning streak, beating the Bears, Texans, Lions, Cowboys and Seahawks. Before long, the Giants were 6-2, but lost two straight to division foes: to the Dallas Cowboys 33-20 at home, and to the Eagles on the road, putting the G-Men in 2nd place in the NFC East at 6-4. In first place was the Eagles, but at December 19th they were both tied for first place at 8-4, setting up a match for first place. The Giants were at home, and led 24-3 over the Eagles at halftime. The score was 31-10 with 5:40 left in the game, but Michael Vick led the Eagles to three touchdown drives to tie the game up at 31 with 40 seconds left. After a Giants three-and-outs, Matt Dodge punted the ball to Desean Jackson, who returned it for a touchdown, concluding the Giants' epic collapse. The next game, the Giants lost to the Packers 45-17, and at 9-6, they faced the Redskins. They had to win and have the Packers lose in order to get into the playoffs. The Giants won 17-14, but the Packers beat the Bears 10-3, so the Giants missed out on the playoffs again, ending an collapse in which the Giants went 4-4 in their last eight games.
and rookie tight end Jake Ballard. On September 11, 2011, the Giants faced the Washington Redskins at Washington for the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, with both New York City and Washington being a target of the attacks. The Redskins upset the Giants 28-14, but the Giants rebounded by winning three straight against St. Louis, Philadelphia and Arizona. The Giants lost their next game at home against the Seattle Seahawks due to a Manning interception late in the game. However, the Giants responded to the adversity by engineering a three game winning streak during which all three games were won due to 4th quarter comebacks orchestrated by Manning. The surge culminated with the Giants upset of the New England Patriots 24-20 in Foxborough thanks to Manning's touchdown pass to tight end Jake Ballard on 3rd and goal, with 15 seconds left in the game; this snapped the Patriots' NFL-Record home-game winning streak. However, the Giants seemed to hit a wall after the midpoint of the season. Marred by inconsistent gameplay, questionable play-calling and injuries, the team struggled the following three games, dropping their record from 6-2 to 6-5 in the process and losing their spot as the NFC East Division leaders to the Cowboys. The skid started Sunday, November 13, as the Giants lost to the San Francisco 49ers
by a score of 27 to 20, falling just short of another fourth quarter rally. Following this, they played a universally dispirited game against the Eagles, losing 17-10 at Giants Stadium on Sunday Night Football, which lead head coach Tom Coughlin to question the team's desire. That poor effort was followed by a 49-24 beatdown by the Saints on the November 28, 2011 edition of Monday Night Football, one eerily reminiscent of their meeting during the 2009 season which started Big Blue's collapse during that season. The Giants host the undefeated Green Bay Packers Sunday, December 4, 2011 at 4:15P.M. in Metlife Stadium.
s and logo
s. Giants' logos include several incarnations of a giant quarterback preparing to throw a football, a lowercase "ny", and stylized versions of the team nickname.
Giants' jerseys are traditionally blue or red (or white with blue or red accents), and their pants alternate between white and gray. Currently, the Giants wear home jerseys that are solid blue with white block numbering, gray pants with red and blue stripes on the pant legs, and solid blue socks. For this they gained their most renown nickname, "Big Blue". For road uniforms, they wear a white jersey with red block numbering and Northwestern stripes on the sleeves, gray pants with blue and red stripes, and solid red socks. The Giants' current helmet is metallic blue with white block numbers, frontally mounted on either side of a red stripe running down the center. The helmet is adorned on both sides with the lower case "ny" logo and features a gray facemask. Additionally, the Giants had until the '09–'10 season a third jersey which recalled the Giants' solid red home jerseys from the early 50's: a solid red alternate with white block numbers. These jerseys have been used a total of four times, but have been retired. Once in 2004 against the Philadelphia Eagles
and three consecutive years; 2005, 2006, and 2007 against the Dallas Cowboys
.
with an investment of US$
500 in 1925 and became one of the first teams in the then five-year-old NFL. To differentiate themselves from the baseball team of the same name
, they took the name "New York Football Giants", which they still use as their legal corporate name.
Although the Giants were successful on the field in their initial seasons, their financial status was a different story. Overshadowed by baseball, boxing, and college football, professional football was not a popular sport in 1925. The Giants were in dire financial straits until the 11th game of the season when Red Grange
and the Chicago Bears
came to town, attracting over 73,000 fans. This gave the Giants a much needed influx of revenue, and perhaps altered the history of the franchise. The following year, Grange and his agent formed a rival league and stationed a competing team, led by Grange, in New York. Though the Giants lost $50,000 that season, the rival league folded and was subsumed into the NFL. Following the 1930 season, Mara transferred ownership of the team over to his two sons to insulate the team from creditors, and by 1946, he had given over complete control of the team to them. Jack
, the older son, controlled the business aspects, while Wellington
controlled the on-field operations. After their initial struggles the Giants financial status stabilized, and they led the league in attendance several times in the 1930s and 1940s.
By the early 1960s, the Giants had firmly established themselves as one of the league's biggest attractions. However, rather than continuing to receive their higher share of the league television revenue, the Mara sons pushed for equal sharing of revenue for the benefit of the entire league. Revenue sharing
is still practiced in the NFL today, and is credited with strengthening the league. After their struggles in the latter half of the 1960s and the entire 1970s, the Giants hired an outsider, George Young, to run the football operations for the first time in franchise history. The Giants' on-field product and business aspects improved rapidly following the move.
In 1991, Tim Mara, struggling with cancer at the time, sold his half of the team to Bob Tisch
for a reported $80 million. This marked the first time in franchise history the team had not been solely owned by the Mara family. In 2005, Wellington Mara, who had been with the team since its inception in 1925 when he worked as a ball boy
, died at the age of 89. His death was followed two weeks later by the death of Tisch.
In 2010, MetLife Stadium opened, replacing Giants Stadium. The new stadium is a 50/50 partnership between the Giants and Jets, and while the stadium is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
on paper, the two teams jointly built the stadium using private funds, and administer it jointly through New Meadowlands Stadium Corporation. The Giants had previously planned a $300 million dollar renovation to the Meadowlands, before deciding in favor of the new stadium which was originally estimated to cost approximately $600 million, before rising to an estimated cost of one billion dollars. One advantage gained by owning the stadium is that the teams saved considerable money in tax payments. The teams leased the land from the state at a cost of $6.3 million per year. The state paid for all utilities, including the $30 million needed to install them.
The Giants are currently owned and operated by John Mara
and Steve Tisch
. Forbes magazine estimates the current value of the team at $974 million. This ranks them eighth among the 32 teams in the league in terms of estimated value. The value has steadily increased from $288 million in 1998, to their current value. The magazine estimated their revenue in 2006 at $182 million, of which $46 million came from gate receipts. Operating income was $26.9 million, and player salary was $102 million. Current major sponsors include Gatorade
, Anheuser Busch, Toyota, and Verizon Wireless
. Recent former sponsors include Miller Brewing
and North Fork Bank
. Game day concessions are provided by Aramark
, and the Giants average ticket price is $72.
The Giants draw their fans from the New York metropolitan area
. Since their move to New Jersey in 1976, fans from each state have claimed the team as their own. In January 1987, shortly before the team won Super Bowl XXI, then New York City mayor Ed Koch
labeled the team "foreigners" and said they were not entitled to a ticker-tape parade
in New York City. On February 5, 2008, the city, under mayor Michael Bloomberg
, threw a ticker tape parade in honor of the Giants' Super Bowl XLII victory at the Canyon of Heroes in lower Manhattan. According to a team spokesman, in 2001, 49 percent of the Giants' season ticket-holders lived in New Jersey. Most of the remaining ticket holders lived in New York State with some coming from other states.
Through the lean years of 1960s and 1970s the Giants, in spite of a 17-year-long playoff drought, still accumulated a 20-year-long waiting list for season tickets. It has been estimated that the Giants have a waiting list of 135,000 people, the largest of any franchise.
. Dallas currently leads the all-time series 56–40–2, the only divisional opponent the Giants do not lead the series against, including their former divisional foe the Arizona Cardinals.
Regular season matchups between the teams have been less frequent, as they follow the NFL scheduling formula for interconference games. The most prominent regular season game was in 1988, when the Giants faced off against the Jets in the last game of the season, needing a victory to make the playoffs. The Jets played spoiler however, beating the Giants 27–21 ruining the latter's playoff hopes. The Giants lead the overall regular season series 7–4.
, the Giants boast the second-most enshrined members with twenty-seven. Tim Mara
and Mel Hein
were a part of the original class of inductees in 1963, while linebacker Harry Carson
, the most recent Giant inducted, was a part of the Class of 2006. Numerous members, including Larry Csonka
, Ray Flaherty
, Joe Guyon
, Pete Henry
, Arnie Herber
, Cal Hubbard
, Don Maynard
, Hugh McElhenny
, and Jim Thorpe
were at one time associated with the New York Giants, however they have been inducted under other teams.
* Retired in 1935, this was the first number to be retired by any team in major league sports.
, Bill Parcells
, Michael Strahan
, Tiki Barber
, Frank Gifford
and Pete Gogolak
would all be inducted about a week prior to the ceremony.
660 AM, the oldest all-sports radio station in the United States. Some games in August and September are moved to WXRK or WCBS-FM
due to conflicts with the New York Mets
baseball team.
Bob Papa
on play-by-play and Carl Banks
on color commentary are the Giants' radio broadcast team, with Howard Cross
as the sideline reporter. When Papa is unavailable to call games Chris Carrino
, WFAN's lead broadcaster for the New Jersey Nets
, substitutes for him. Games are carried over the New York Giants Radio Network
over various stations in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and (as of 2010) Mississippi.
Preseason telecasts not seen nationally air in the area on WNBC
, "4 New York". National cable broadcasts carried over the local airwaves aired on WPIX in 2009; Giants and Jets regular season games broadcast on cable are usually carried by either WPIX or WWOR-TV
with rare exceptions.
The Current Public Address Announcer for the Giants home games is Jim Hall
and continued to be so for several years after the station acquired the radio rights to the Giants. For the following season the radiocasts aired simultaneously on both WOR and WFAN, with the games moving solely to the latter the next year. In 1997 the Giants radio broadcast was moved to WNEW-FM and stayed there for the next three seasons so as not to interfere/overlap with the Jets coverage airing on the station. After the Jets moved to WABC
in 2000, the Giants returned to WFAN and have been there since.
The Giants' longtime radio home was WNEW-AM
, where games aired from the mid-1950s until 1993 when the station was bought by Bloomberg L.P.
and changed its format. Marty Glickman
teamed with Al DeRogatis
for a long stretch beginning in the early 1960s on WNEW-AM. Chip Cipolla
joined Glickman after DeRogatis left to join Curt Gowdy
on NBC. After the WNEW split, games began airing on WOR. Glickman moved to the crosstown Jets in 1973 and was succeeded by Marv Albert
. Jim Gordon
succeeded Albert in 1977, beginning an 18-year tenure as the Giants' play-by-play voice. Meanwhile, Dick Lynch
succeeded Cipolla as color analyst in 1976 and continued in that role through 2007, with his last game being Super Bowl XLII
, and retired following the season due to his advancing leukemia
, which took his life in September 2008.
Eventually Gordon and Lynch were joined by Karl Nelson
, a former lineman for the Giants. Gordon and Nelson were fired after the 1994 season, after which Papa took over the play-by-play (after being studio host) and led a two-man booth with Lynch. Dave Jennings
joined the broadcast team in 2002 following his firing by the Jets
, with whom he had worked since his 1987 retirement from the NFL. Jennings was moved to the pregame show after the 2006 season and was replaced by Carl Banks
.
After WFAN began airing games Richard Neer
served as pregame and postgame host. Eventually, Sid Rosenberg
served as pregame and postgame host for home games. They were replaced by Chris Carlin
, who in turn was replaced by WWOR and WNYW sports reporter Russ Salzberg for 2008.
The Giants were carried on the DuMont Network, then CBS (New York's Channel 2) in the early TV days of the NFL, when home games were blacked out within a 75-mile radius of New York City. Chris Schenkel
was their play-by-play announcer in that early era when each team was assigned its own network voice on its regional telecasts. At the time, there were few if any true national telecasts until the NFL championship game, which was carried by NBC. Schenkel was joined by Jim McKay
, later Johnny Lujack
through the 1950s and the early 1960s. As Giants players retired to the broadcast booth in the early and 1960s, first Pat Summerall
, then Frank Gifford
took the color analyst slot next to Schenkel. As the 1970 merger of the NFL and AFL approached, CBS moved to a more generic announcer approach and Schenkel was off the broadcasts.
Giants regular-season Sunday telecasts moved to Fox when that network took over NFC telecasts in 1994 and are carried locally by WNYW
.
WCBS-TV
and WPIX were previously home to Giants preseason telecasts in the 1990s. After the NFC rights were lost by CBS, the Giants followed the conference's broadcast rights to WNYW. WWOR became the Giants' flagship TV station in the late '90s, and stayed so up until WNBC took over rights in 2005.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team based in East Rutherford
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division
NFC East
The NFC East is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins....
of the National Football Conference
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
(NFC) 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...
(NFL). The team plays their games in East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
at MetLife Stadium, which it shares with 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...
in a unique arrangement.
The Giants were one of five teams that joined the NFL in 1925, but the only one admitted that year which still exists
Major North American professional sports teams
The following is a list of teams that play in one of the six major sports leagues in the United States and Canada: Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the Canadian Football League, the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association, and Major League Soccer. All lists...
. The team ranks third among all NFL franchises with seven NFL titles: four in the pre–Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
era (1927, 1934, 1938, 1956) and three since the advent of the Super Bowl (Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s XXI
Super Bowl XXI
Super Bowl XXI was an American football game played on January 25, 1987 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1986 regular season. The National Football Conference champion New York Giants won their first Super Bowl by defeating...
(1986), XXV
Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV was an American football game played on January 27, 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1990 regular season. The National Football Conference Champion New York Giants defeated the American Football Conference ...
(1990), and XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
(2008). Their championship tally is surpassed only by the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
(13) and 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...
(9). During their history, the Giants have featured 15 Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
players, including NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winners Mel Hein
Mel Hein
Melvin Jack Hein was an American Professional Football player for the New York Giants. Hein played fifteen seasons for the Giants and never missed a down due to injury...
, 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....
, Charlie Conerly
Charlie Conerly
Charles Albert Conerly, Jr. was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the New York Giants from 1948 through 1961. Conerly was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966.-College career:Conerly attended and played college football at the University of...
, Y. A. Tittle
Y. A. Tittle
Yelberton Abraham Tittle , better known as Y. A. Tittle, is a former football quarterback in the National Football League and All-America Football Conference who played for the Baltimore Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and the New York Giants...
, and Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League...
.
To distinguish themselves from the professional baseball team of the same name
History of the New York Giants (NL)
The history of the New York Giants, before the franchise moved to San Francisco, lasted from 1883 to 1957. It featured five of the franchise's six World Series wins and 17 of its 21 National League pennants...
, the football team was incorporated as the "New York National League Football Company, Inc." in 1929 and changed to "New York Football Giants, Inc." in 1937. Although the baseball team moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season, the football team continues to use "New York Football Giants, Inc." as its legal corporate name, and is often referred to by fans and sportscasters as the "New York Football Giants". The team has also gained several nicknames, including "Big Blue", the "G-Men", and the "Jints", an intentionally mangled contraction seen frequently in the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
and New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
, originating from the baseball team when they were based in New York. Additionally the team as a whole is occasionally referred to as the "Big Blue Wrecking Crew
Big Blue Wrecking Crew
The Big Blue Wrecking Crew is a nickname used to refer to the defense for the New York Giants during the 1980s that won two Super Bowl Championships, the first in Super Bowl XXI in 1986 and the other in Super Bowl XXV in 1990...
", even though this moniker primarily and originally refers to the Giants defensive unit during the 80s and early 90s.
The team's heated rivalry with 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...
is the oldest of the NFC East
NFC East
The NFC East is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins....
rivalries, dating all the way back to 1933 and has been called the best rivalry in the NFL in the 21st century.
1925–32
The Giants1925 New York Giants season
The 1925 New York Giants season was the first season for the club in the National Football League. The team finished with a record of 8–4 against league opponents.-Schedule:* Games in italics are against non-NFL teams.-Standings:-External links:...
played their first game as an away game against All New Britain in New Britain, Connecticut
New Britain, Connecticut
New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately 9 miles southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 71,254....
, on October 4, 1925. They defeated New Britain 26–0 in front of a crowd of 10,000. The Giants were successful in their first season, finishing with an 8–4 record.
In its third season
1928 NFL season
The 1928 NFL season was the 9th regular season of the National Football League. The league dropped to 10 teams after both the Cleveland Bulldogs and the Duluth Eskimos folded before the season. The Buffalo Bisons also had a year out from the league. The Detroit Wolverines were an expansion club...
, the team
1928 New York Giants season
The 1928 New York Giants season was the fourth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-External links:*...
finished with the best record in the league at 11–1–1 and was awarded the NFL title. After a disappointing fourth season
1928 New York Giants season
The 1928 New York Giants season was the fourth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-External links:*...
(1928
1928 NFL season
The 1928 NFL season was the 9th regular season of the National Football League. The league dropped to 10 teams after both the Cleveland Bulldogs and the Duluth Eskimos folded before the season. The Buffalo Bisons also had a year out from the league. The Detroit Wolverines were an expansion club...
) owner Mara bought the entire squad of the Detroit Wolverines
Detroit (1920s NFL teams)
Detroit, Michigan had four early teams in the National Football League before the Detroit Lions. The Heralds played in 1920, and had played as an independent as far back as 1905. The Tigers, a continuation of the Heralds, played in 1921, folding midseason and sending its players to the Buffalo...
, principally to acquire star quarterback Benny Friedman
Benny Friedman
Benjamin "Benny" Friedman was an American football quarterback who played for the University of Michigan , Cleveland Bulldogs , Detroit Wolverines , New York Giants , and Brooklyn Dodgers .He is generally considered the first great passer in professional football...
, and merged the two teams under the Giants name.
In 1930
1930 NFL season
The 1930 NFL season was the 11th regular season of the National Football League. Prior to the season, Brooklyn businessmen William B. Dwyer and John C. Depler bought the Dayton Triangles, moved it, and renamed it the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Orange Tornadoes relocated to Newark and the Buffalo Bisons...
, there were still many who questioned the quality of the professional game, claiming the college "amateurs" played with more intensity. In December 1930, the Giants played a team of Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
All Stars at the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
to raise money for the unemployed of New York City. It was also an opportunity to establish the superiority of the pro game. Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
reassembled his Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (football)
The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a winning group of American football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. They were the backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team...
along with the stars of his 1924 Championship squad and told them to score early, then defend. Rockne, like much of the public, thought little of pro football and expected an easy win. But from the beginning it was a one-way contest, with Friedman running for two Giant touchdowns and Hap Moran
Hap Moran
Francis Dale "Hap" Moran was a collegiate and professional American football player. He played mainly at halfback for Carnegie Tech , Grinnell College , the Frankford Yellow Jackets , the Chicago Cardinals , the Pottsville Maroons , and the New York Giants...
passing for another. Notre Dame failed to score. When it was all over, Coach Rockne told his team, "That was the greatest football machine I ever saw. I am glad none of you got hurt." The game raised $100,000 for the homeless, and is often credited with establishing the legitimacy of the professional game.
1933–46
In a fourteen-year span from 1933 to 1946, the Giants qualified to play in the NFL championship game 8 times, winning twice. During the period the Giants were led by Hall of FamePro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
coach Steve Owen
Steve Owen (football)
Stephen Joseph Owen was an American football player and coach who earned a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as head coach of the National Football League's New York Giants from 1930 to 1953...
, and Hall of Fame players Mel Hein
Mel Hein
Melvin Jack Hein was an American Professional Football player for the New York Giants. Hein played fifteen seasons for the Giants and never missed a down due to injury...
, Red Badgro
Red Badgro
Morris Hiram "Red" Badgro was a professional American football end in the National Football League for the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and the Brooklyn Dodgers...
, and Tuffy Leemans. This period also included the famous "Sneakers Game", where they defeated the Chicago Bears
1934 Chicago Bears season
The 1934 Chicago Bears season was their 15th regular season and 3rd postseason completed in the National Football League. The club posted an unprecedented 13-0 record in the second year of George Halas's second tenure...
on an icy field in the 1934 NFL Championship game
NFL Championship Game, 1934
The 1934 National Football League Championship Game, also known as The Sneakers Game, was played at the Polo Grounds in New York City on December 9, 1934. The final score was New York Giants 30, Chicago Bears 13. It was the 2nd annual NFL championship game.A freezing rain the night before the game...
, while wearing sneakers for better traction. The Giants were particularly successful from the latter half of the 1930s until the United States entry into World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. They added their third NFL championship in 1938
1938 NFL season
The 1938 NFL season was the 19th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended when the New York Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship Game.-Major rule changes:...
with a 23–17 win over the Green Bay Packers
1938 Green Bay Packers season
The 1938 Green Bay Packers season was their 18th season in the National Football League. The club posted a 8-3 record under coach Curly Lambeau, earning them a first-place finish in the Western Conference. The Packers lost to the Giants 23-17 in the 1938 NFL Championship Game...
.
1947–63
They did not win another league title until 1956, aided by a number of future Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
players such as running back 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....
, linebacker Sam Huff
Sam Huff
Robert Lee "Sam" Huff is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982....
, and offensive tackle Roosevelt Brown, as well as all-pro running back Alex Webster. The Giants' 1956 championship team not only included players who would eventually find their way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but a Hall of Fame coaching staff, as well. Head coach Jim Lee Howell
Jim Lee Howell
James Lee Howell was an American football player and coach for the National Football League's New York Giants. Howell was born in Arkansas and played college football and basketball at the University of Arkansas. He was drafted by the Giants in the 1937 NFL Draft and played wide receiver and...
's staff had Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
coaching the offense and Tom Landry
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods...
coaching the defense. From 1958 to 1963, the Giants played in the NFL Championship Game five times, but failed to win. Most significantly, the Giants played the 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....
in the 1958 NFL Championship Game
NFL Championship Game, 1958
The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first ever National Football League playoff game to go into sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17. The game has since...
that is considered a watershed event in the history of the NFL. The game, which the Giants lost in overtime 23–17, is often considered one of the most important events in furthering the NFL's popularity. The following year, they lost the championship to the Colts again, giving up a 16–9 4th quarter enroute to 31–16 loss. In 1963 led by league MVP quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Y.A. Tittle, who threw a then-NFL record 36 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
passes, the Giants advanced to the NFL Championship Game, where they lost to the Bears 14–10.
1964–78
From 1964 to 1978, the Giants registered only two winning seasons and no playoff appearances. With players such as Tittle and Gifford approaching their mid 30s, the team declined rapidly, finishing 2–10–2 in 19641964 NFL season
The 1964 NFL season was the 45th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season started, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle reinstated Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras, who had been suspended for the 1963 season due to...
. They rebounded with a 7–7 record in 1965
1965 NFL season
The 1965 NFL season was the 46th regular season of the National Football League.Because the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts ended up tied in the Western Conference standings after the regular season ended, a conference playoff game was held in Green Bay. Although the Packers had defeated the...
, before compiling a league-worst 1–12–1 record, and allowing more than 500 points on defense in 1966
1966 NFL season
The 1966 NFL season was the 47th regular season of the National Football League, and the season after which was played Super Bowl I, though it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The league expanded to 15 teams with the addition of the Atlanta Falcons, thus an odd number of teams...
. During the 1969 preseason, the Giants
1969 New York Giants season
The 1969 New York Giants season was the 45th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants finished with a 6–8 record, and had one victory less than the previous year...
lost their first meeting with the New York Jets
1969 New York Jets season
The 1969 New York Jets season was the tenth season for the team in the final season of the American Football League . Trying to defend their AFL championship and Super Bowl III title, they won the AFL Eastern Division again with a 10–4 record...
, 37–14, in front of 70,874 fans at the Yale Bowl
Yale Bowl
The Yale Bowl is a football stadium in New Haven, Connecticut on the border of West Haven, about 1½ miles west of Yale's main campus. Completed in 1914, the stadium seats 61,446, reduced by renovations from the original capacity of 70,869...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. Following the game, Wellington Mara fired coach Allie Sherman
Allie Sherman
Alexander "Allie" Sherman is a retired American football National Football League running back and head coach....
, and replaced him with former Giants fullback Alex Webster.
In 1967
1967 NFL season
The 1967 NFL season was the 48th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and...
, the team acquired quarterback Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton
Francis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....
from the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. Despite having several respectable seasons with Tarkenton at quarterback, including a 7–7 finish in 1967 and 9–5 in 1970
1970 NFL season
The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
, the Giants traded him back to the Vikings after a 4–10 finish in 1971
1971 NFL season
The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins...
. Tarkenton would go on to lead the Vikings to three Super Bowls and earn a place in the Hall of Fame, while the Giants suffered through one of the worst stretches in their history, winning only 23 games from 1973–79. Before the 1976 season, the Giants tried to revive a weak offense by replacing retired RB Ron Johnson with future HOF fullback Larry Csonka
Larry Csonka
Larry Richard Csonka is a former collegiate and professional American football fullback.-Childhood:One of six children, Csonka was born in Stow, Ohio where he was raised on a farm by his Hungarian family...
, but Csonka was often injured and ineffective during his 3 years in New York. The 1977 season
1977 NFL season
The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The Seattle Seahawks were placed in the AFC West while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slotted in the NFC Central....
featured a roster that included three rookie quarterbacks.
The Giants were allowed to play their home games at the Yale Bowl
Yale Bowl
The Yale Bowl is a football stadium in New Haven, Connecticut on the border of West Haven, about 1½ miles west of Yale's main campus. Completed in 1914, the stadium seats 61,446, reduced by renovations from the original capacity of 70,869...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
in 1973–74, and at at Shea Stadium (home of the Mets) in 1975, due to the renovation of Yankee Stadium. They finally moved into their own dedicated state-of-the-art stadium in 1976, when they moved into Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
at the Meadowlands
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The MetLife Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...
in East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
. One of the low points during this period was the play known as the "Miracle at the Meadowlands
The Miracle at the Meadowlands
The Miracle at the Meadowlands is the term used by sportscasters and Philadelphia Eagles fans for a fumble recovery by cornerback Herman Edwards that he returned for a touchdown at the end of a November 19, 1978 NFL game against the New York Giants in Giants Stadium...
", which occurred in 1978. With the Giants trying to secure a win against the Philadelphia Eagles
1978 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1978 Philadelphia Eagles season resulted in an appearance in the postseason for the first time in eighteen years, which ended the longest postseason drought in the franchise’s history and one of the longest in the history of the National Football League....
, they chose to call a running play—which resulted in a fumble that was returned for a game-winning touchdown by the Eagles' Herman Edwards
Herman Edwards
Herman "Herm" Edwards, Jr. is an American football analyst who most recently coached in the National Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was fired from this position on January 23, 2009. Since then, he has been hired as a football analyst for ESPN...
.
The Giants' front office operations were complicated by a long-standing feud between Wellington Mara and his nephew, Tim Mara. Jack Mara had died in 1965, leaving his share of the club to his son Tim. Wellington and Tim's personal styles and their visions for the club clashed, and eventually they stopped talking to each other. Commissioner Rozelle intervened and appointed a neutral general manager, George Young, allowing the club to operate more smoothly. The feud became moot on February 20, 1991, when Tim Mara sold his shares in the club to Preston Robert Tisch
Preston Robert Tisch
Preston Robert "Bob" Tisch was the chairman, and, with his brother Laurence, part owner of the Loews Corporation. Tisch was born in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn in 1926. On August 16, 1986, he was appointed Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service, serving until February 1988...
.
1979–93
1979 NFL season
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams...
, the Giants began the steps that would, in time, return them to the pinnacle of the NFL. These included the drafting of quarterback Phil Simms
Phil Simms
Phillip Martin "Phil" Simms is a former American football quarterback, and currently a television sportscaster for the CBS network. After a standout career at Morehead State University, Simms was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants of the National Football League with the number...
in 1979
1979 NFL Draft
The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1979...
, and linebacker Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League...
in 1981
1981 NFL Draft
The 1981 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1981...
. In 1981
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
, Taylor won the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards and the Giants made the playoffs for the first time since 1963. One of the few bright spots during this time was the team's excellent linebackers, who were known as the Crunch Bunch
Crunch Bunch
The Crunch Bunch was the nickname for the group of New York Giants football team's defensive linebackers in 1981, 1982 and 1983, one of the NFL's best group of linebackers....
. After the strike-shortened 1982 season
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
, in which they finished 4–5, head coach Ray Perkins resigned to take over the same position at the University of Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
. In a change that would prove crucial in the coming years, he was replaced by the team's defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
, Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
.
The Giants
1983 New York Giants season
The 1983 New York Giants season was the 59th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 3–12–1 record, the team's worst record since 1976.-Schedule:...
struggled in Parcells's initial year and finished with 3–12–1 record. After 9–7 and 10–6 finishes in 1984
1984 NFL season
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana....
and 1985
1985 NFL season
The 1985 NFL season was the 66th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XX when the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots.-Major rule changes:...
respectively, the Giants
1986 New York Giants season
The 1986 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during...
compiled a 14–2 record in 1986
1986 NFL season
The 1986 NFL season was the 67th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXI when the New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos to win their first league title in 30 years.-Major rule changes:...
led by league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Lawrence Taylor and the Big Blue Wrecking Crew
Big Blue Wrecking Crew
The Big Blue Wrecking Crew is a nickname used to refer to the defense for the New York Giants during the 1980s that won two Super Bowl Championships, the first in Super Bowl XXI in 1986 and the other in Super Bowl XXV in 1990...
defense. The Giants defeated the 49ers
1986 San Francisco 49ers season
The 1986 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 37th year with the National Football League.-Staff:-Schedule:-NFC Divisional Playoff:* San Francisco 49ers 3, New York Giants 49...
49–3 in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs and the Redskins
1986 Washington Redskins season
The 1986 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 10-6 record from 1985.-Schedule:-Standings:-NFC Wild Card Game:-NFC Divisional Playoff:-NFC Championship Game:-References:...
17–0 in the NFC championship game, advancing to their first Super Bowl, Super Bowl XXI
Super Bowl XXI
Super Bowl XXI was an American football game played on January 25, 1987 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1986 regular season. The National Football Conference champion New York Giants won their first Super Bowl by defeating...
, against the Denver Broncos
1986 Denver Broncos season
-Regular season:The Broncos won their first six games of the season, before being felled by the then-5-1 New York Jets on Monday Night Football. They won two more games to improve to 8–1, tied with the Jets for the best record in the league...
at the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl (stadium)
The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...
in Pasadena. Led by MVP Simms who completed 22 of 25 passes for a Super Bowl record 88% completion percentage, they defeated the Broncos 39–20, to win their first championship since 1956. In addition to Simms and Taylor, the team was led during this period by head coach Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
, tight end Mark Bavaro
Mark Bavaro
Mark Bavaro is a former American football tight end who played for the New York Giants , Cleveland Browns , and Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League...
, running back Joe Morris, and Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
linebacker Harry Carson
Harry Carson
Harold Donald Carson is a former American football inside linebacker who played his entire professional career for the NFL's New York Giants...
.
The Giants
1987 New York Giants season
The 1987 New York Giants season was the 63rd season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champion but failed to qualify for the playoffs...
struggled to a 6–9 record in the strike-marred 1987 season
1987 NFL season
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players...
, due largely to a decline in the running game, as Morris managed only 658 yards behind an injury-riddled offensive line. The early portion of the 1988 season
1988 NFL season
The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
was marred by a scandal involving Lawrence Taylor. Taylor had abused cocaine and was suspended for the first four games of the season for his second violation of the league's substance abuse policy. Despite the controversy, the Giants
1987 New York Giants season
The 1987 New York Giants season was the 63rd season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champion but failed to qualify for the playoffs...
finished 10–6, and Taylor recorded 15.5 sacks after his return from the suspension. They surged to a 12–4 record in 1989, but lost to the Los Angeles Rams
1989 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1989 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 52nd year with the National Football League and the 44th season in Los Angeles.-NFL Draft:-Regular season:In week 16, Jerry Gray returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown...
in their opening playoff game when Flipper Anderson
Flipper Anderson
Willie Lee "Flipper" Anderson, Jr. is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Los Angeles Rams , the Indianapolis Colts , the Washington Redskins , and the Denver Broncos...
caught a 47-yard touchdown pass to give the Rams a 19–13 overtime win. In 1990
1990 NFL season
The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period...
, the Giants went 13–3
1990 New York Giants season
The 1990 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their sixth championship—and second Super Bowl—in franchise history...
and set an NFL record for fewest turnovers in a season (14),. They defeated 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...
, who were attempting to win the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
for an unprecedented third straight year, 15–13 at San Francisco and then defeated the Buffalo Bills
1990 Buffalo Bills season
The 1990 Buffalo Bills season was the 31st season for the team in the National Football League. The Buffalo Bills finished the National Football League's 1990 season with a record of 13 wins and 3 losses, and finished first in the AFC East division. The Bills were 8–0 at home for the second time in...
20–19 in Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV was an American football game played on January 27, 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1990 regular season. The National Football Conference Champion New York Giants defeated the American Football Conference ...
.
Following the 1990 season, Parcells resigned as head coach and was replaced by the team's offensive coordinator, Ray Handley
Ray Handley
Ray Handley is a former American football player and coach who is best remembered for his stormy two seasons as head coach of the National Football League's New York Giants in the early 1990s.-Collegiate career:...
. Handley served as coach for two disappointing seasons (1991–92), which saw the Giants fall from Super Bowl champions to 6–10 records. He was fired following the 1992 season
1992 NFL season
The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League.Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots–Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was rescheduled to October 18. Both teams originally had that...
, and replaced by former Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
' coach Dan Reeves
Dan Reeves
Daniel Edward Reeves is a former American football player and head coach. He has participated in more Super Bowls as player/assistant coach/Head Coach than anyone else...
. In the early 1990s, Simms and Taylor, two of the stars of the 1980s, played out the last seasons of their careers with steadily declining production. The Giants
1993 New York Giants season
The 1993 New York Giants season was the 69th season for the club in the National Football League. Following the 1992 season, Ray Handley was replaced by former Broncos coach Dan Reeves, who immediately released Jeff Hostetler and named Phil Simms the team's starting quarterback.-NFL...
experienced a resurgent season with Reeves at the helm in 1993
1993 NFL season
The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new...
however, and Simms and Taylor ended their careers as members of a playoff team.
1994–present
1994 NFL season
The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
, the Giants
1994 New York Giants season
-Schedule:-References:...
won their final six games to finish 9–7 but missed the playoffs. Quarterback Dave Brown
Dave Brown (quarterback)
David Michael Brown is a former professional American football quarterback who played for Duke University and later in the National Football League for the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals....
received heavy criticism throughout the season. Brown performed poorly the following two seasons, and the Giants struggled to 5–11 and 6–10 records. Reeves was fired following the 1996 season
1996 NFL season
The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
, and replaced by Jim Fassel
Jim Fassel
-Professional:-Personal life:Before the 2003 NFL season, Fassel was reunited with a son, John Mathieson, whom he and his wife Kitty gave up for adoption in 1969. The couple was unmarried when he was born....
, former offensive coordinator of the Arizona 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...
. Fassel named Danny Kanell
Danny Kanell
Daniel Paul Kanell is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League, and Arena Football League.-College career:...
the team's starting quarterback, and the team
1997 New York Giants season
The 1997 New York Giants season was the team's 73rd season in the National Football League. On January 15, Jim Fassel was named as the fifteenth coach in club history. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 6–10, winning ten games and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time...
finished 10–5–1 and made the playoffs in 1997
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
. After losing in the first round to the Vikings
1997 Minnesota Vikings season
1997 was the 37th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of nine wins and seven losses. Their record was good enough to qualify for a wild card berth...
in 1997, the Giants
1998 New York Giants season
The 1998 New York Giants season was the team's 74th season in the National Football League. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 10–5–1, winning only eight games and missing the playoffs...
needed to close out the season with four wins to finish 8–8 in 1998
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
. One of the bright spots of that season was a win over the Denver Broncos in week 15, giving the Broncos their first loss of the season after starting 13–0.
Before the 1999 season
1999 New York Giants season
The 1999 New York Giants season was the team's 75th season in the National Football League. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 8–8, winning only seven games and missing the playoffs for the second straight season.-Schedule:...
Kerry Collins
Kerry Collins
Kerry Michael Collins is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, the first choice in the franchise's history...
was brought in to help the team. Collins was the first–ever draft choice of the expansion Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
in 1995
1995 NFL Draft
The 1995 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City...
, and led the Panthers
1996 Carolina Panthers season
-Regular season:-Postseason:-Week 2: at New Orleans Saints:Acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars, quarterback Steve Beuerlein did not throw a single pass, instead rushing three times for a net loss of ten yards; Kerry Collins handled the quarterbacking duties, throwing for 171 yards and one pick...
to the NFC Championship game in his second season. However, problems with alcohol, conflicts with his teammates and questions about his character led to his release from the Panthers. The Giants finished 7–9 in 1999
1999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
.
2000 season
The 2000 season2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
was considered a make-or-break year for Fassel. The conventional wisdom was that Fassel needed to have a strong year and a playoff appearance to save his job. After two back-to-back losses at home against St. Louis
2000 St. Louis Rams season
The 2000 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 63rd year with the National Football League and the sixth season in St. Louis. The Rams finished the regular-season with a record of 10-6 but would go on to lose to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. They led the NFL in...
and Detroit
2000 Detroit Lions season
The 2000 Detroit Lions season was the team's 71st season in the National Football League. The Lions' home attendance was 606,716 while their attendance on the road was 523,383 for a total attendance of 1,130,099. Bobby Ross resigned after the ninth game of the season and was replaced by Gary...
, the Giants fell to 7–4 and their playoff prospects were in question. At a press conference following the Giants' loss to Detroit, Fassel guaranteed that "[t]his team is going to the playoffs". The Giants responded, winning the rest of their regular season games to finish the season 12–4 and earn a bye as the NFC's top seed. The Giants won their first playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles
2000 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 2000 Philadelphia Eagles season resulted in a postseason appearance. The season started in Dallas famously known for the onside kick that the Eagles kicked and recovered to start the game. This game is known as the Pickle Juice Game.-NFL Draft:...
, 20–10, and defeated the Minnesota Vikings
2000 Minnesota Vikings season
-NFC Championship Game:-Awards and records:*Gary Anderson, NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, Week 8 *Mitch Berger, NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, Week 14 *Mitch Berger, NFC Special Teams Player of the Month, December...
41–0 in the NFC Championship game. They advanced to play the Baltimore Ravens
2000 Baltimore Ravens season
The Baltimore Ravens concluded the 2000 NFL season with a 12–4 record, good for second place in the AFC central, and earning them a spot in the playoffs as a wild card entrant...
in Super Bowl XXXV
Super Bowl XXXV
Super Bowl XXXV was played on January 28, 2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 2000 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Baltimore Ravens defeated the National Football Conference champion New York...
. Though the Giants went into halftime down only 10–0, the Ravens dominated the second half. Their defense harassed Kerry Collins all game long, resulting in Collins completing only 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards and 4 interceptions. The Ravens won the game 34–7.
2004 season
In 2004, three years after their last Super Bowl appearance, Fassel was replaced by current coach Tom CoughlinTom Coughlin
Thomas Richard Coughlin is an American football coach who is currently head coach for the New York Giants of the National Football League . Coughlin has led the Giants to victory in Super Bowl XLII. Coughlin was also the inaugural head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, serving from 1995–2002 and...
. Although Collins had several solid seasons as the Giants quarterback, he experienced his share of struggles. In 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
, the Giants
2004 New York Giants season
The 2004 NFL season was the 80th season for the New York Giants. After starting the season 5–2, the Giants finished 6–10, 2nd in the NFC East.-Offseason:...
completed a draft day trade for University of Mississippi
Ole Miss Rebels football
The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...
quarterback Eli Manning
Eli Manning
Eli Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning...
. Manning became the team's starting quarterback in the middle of the 2004 season
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
, taking over for Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner is a retired American football player. He played quarterback for three National Football League teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing...
. The early part of Coughlin's tenure produced inconsistent results (a 25–23 record and two playoff appearances—both losses, before the 2007 season) and spawned intense media scrutiny concerning the direction of the team. During this period in their history, standout players included defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
Michael Strahan
Michael Strahan
Michael Anthony Strahan is a former National Football League defensive end who played his entire career for the New York Giants; a career where he set the record for the most sacks in a single season and won a Super Bowl in his final year. He is currently a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, and...
, who set the NFL single season record in sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
in 2001
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
, and running back Tiki Barber
Tiki Barber
Atiim Kiambu Hakeem-Ah "Tiki" Barber is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia....
, who set a team record for rushing yards in a season in 2005.
2007 season and Super Bowl victory
Going into 20072007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
, the Giants had made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. In 2007, the Giants became the third NFL franchise to win at least 600 games when they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 31–10 on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
. For the 2007 season, the NFL scheduled the Giants' road game against the Miami Dolphins
2007 Miami Dolphins season
The 2007 Miami Dolphins season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and 42nd season overall. The team nearly went winless for the season, but on December 16, the third to last game of the regular season, they beat the Baltimore Ravens, giving them a final record of 1–15...
on October 28 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
; this was the first NFL regular-season game to be played outside of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The Giants defeated the Dolphins, 13–10. The Giants finished 10–6, and became NFC Champions after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2007 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 2007 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the 32nd season for the club in the National Football League. On December 16, 2007, they cliched the NFC South division title, and returned to the playoffs after missing it in 2006....
, Dallas Cowboys
2007 Dallas Cowboys season
The 2007 Dallas Cowboys season was the 48th season for the team in the National Football League. The Cowboys finished the regular season tied for the best record in the NFC , and earned a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs...
, and Green Bay Packers
2007 Green Bay Packers season
The 2007 Green Bay Packers season was the franchise's 89th overall and 87th season in the National Football League. The Packers finished the regular season with an impressive 13-3 record. They received a bye for the first round of the playoffs, won their divisional round playoff game, and lost in...
in the NFC Playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2007–08
The National Football League playoffs for the 2007 season began on January 5, 2008 and led up to Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.-NFC: Seattle Seahawks 35, Washington Redskins 14:...
. They set a record for most consecutive road wins with 10 (a streak which ended with a loss to the Cleveland Browns
2008 Cleveland Browns season
The 2008 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 62nd season as a franchise and was the team's 58th season as a member of the National Football League. The Browns finished with a 4–12 record and failed to qualify for the playoffs. The season marked Romeo Crennel's fourth year as head coach of the...
during week 6 of the 2008 season).
The Patriots
2007 New England Patriots season
The 2007 New England Patriots season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and 48th season overall. They finished with a perfect 16–0 regular season record but lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII....
(18–0) entered the Super Bowl undefeated and were 12 point favorites going into game weekend. The Giants defeated the Patriots 17–14 in Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
, capped by the famous "Manning to Tyree" pass. the third biggest upset by betting line in Super Bowl history. (The Baltimore Colts were favored by 17 over the New York Jets in Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III was the third AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, but the first to officially bear the name "Super Bowl". This game is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history...
, and the St. Louis Rams were favored by 14 over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
.) Co-owner John Mara
John Mara
John Kevin Mara is the president, CEO, and co-owner of the New York Giants.Mara was born in New York City and grew up in White Plains, New York. He is the oldest son of Ann and former Giants owner Wellington Mara. He attended Iona Preparatory School in nearby New Rochelle, graduating in 1972. He...
described it as "the greatest victory in the history of this franchise, without question".
Post Super Bowl: 2008-2010
In 20082008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
, the Giants won the NFC East with a record of 12–4 (and also were the number one seed in the NFC after beating the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
for home field advantage
Home Field Advantage
Home Field Advantage is a 2000 independent film starring Tony Award-winning actor Dan Fogler in the role of Charlie....
), but lost 23–11 to the Philadelphia Eagles
2008 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 2008 Philadelphia Eagles season was the team's 76th season as a franchise in the National Football League. The Eagles improved upon their 8–8 record and fourth-place finish in the NFC East in the 2007 season by going 9–6–1 and earning the 6th seed in the NFC Playoffs. The team lost in the...
in the divisional round of the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2008–09
The National Football League playoffs for the 2008 season began on January 3, 2009 and led up to Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.-NFC: Arizona Cardinals 30, Atlanta Falcons 24:...
.
In 2009, the Giants opened a new training complex, the Timex Performance Center, also located in the Meadowlands. After starting 5–0 in the 2009 season
2009 New York Giants season
The 2009 New York Giants season was the 85th season for the team in the National Football League. It was the team's final season in Giants Stadium; In 2010, the Giants moved into New Meadowlands Stadium. The Giants hoped to improve upon their 12–4 record, avenge their divisional round loss to the...
, New York lost to the likewise undefeated New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
at the Superdome 48–27, beginning a four game losing streak, in which they lost to the Arizona Cardinals 24-17, the Chargers 21-20 and the Eagles 40-17. The streakwhich was broken with a 34–31 overtime victory against the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. On Thanksgiving night, they lost to the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
26–6. The Giants next beat the division leading 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...
. A week later, with a record of 7–5, they lost to 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...
, 45–38. On December 27, the Giants lost to the Carolina Panthers 41–9 in their final game at Giants Stadium, and were eliminated from playoff eligibility. The Giants finished the season 8–8.
Third year wideout Steve Smith led the team with 107 receptions (a team record), 1,220 receiving yards (second most in a season for the Giants) and 7 touchdowns.
Following the season, the Giants fired first-year defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, and replaced him with the former Buffalo Bills interim head coach, Perry Fewell
Perry Fewell
Perry Fewell is an American football coach who currently serves as the Defensive Coordinator of the New York Giants. Before that he served as the interim head coach and defensive coordinator of the National Football League's Buffalo Bills...
. The Giants defense finished 13th overall under Sheridan, giving up 324.9 yards per game, and the final two losses of the season against Carolina and Minnesota, in which the Giants gave up 85 points, ultimately led to the firing.
In 2010, the Giants moved from Giants Stadium into MetLife Stadium, then known as the "New Meadowlands Stadium". They won against the Panthers in the first game at the New Meadowlands, but then lost to the Colts in the second "Manning Bowl", so-called due to Eli Manning's brother Peyton playing for the Colts. The Giants dropped one game to the Titans before going on a 5-game winning streak, beating the Bears, Texans, Lions, Cowboys and Seahawks. Before long, the Giants were 6-2, but lost two straight to division foes: to the Dallas Cowboys 33-20 at home, and to the Eagles on the road, putting the G-Men in 2nd place in the NFC East at 6-4. In first place was the Eagles, but at December 19th they were both tied for first place at 8-4, setting up a match for first place. The Giants were at home, and led 24-3 over the Eagles at halftime. The score was 31-10 with 5:40 left in the game, but Michael Vick led the Eagles to three touchdown drives to tie the game up at 31 with 40 seconds left. After a Giants three-and-outs, Matt Dodge punted the ball to Desean Jackson, who returned it for a touchdown, concluding the Giants' epic collapse. The next game, the Giants lost to the Packers 45-17, and at 9-6, they faced the Redskins. They had to win and have the Packers lose in order to get into the playoffs. The Giants won 17-14, but the Packers beat the Bears 10-3, so the Giants missed out on the playoffs again, ending an collapse in which the Giants went 4-4 in their last eight games.
2011 season
2011 saw the renaming of the New Meadowlands to Metlife Stadium. The season also saw the emerging of rookie wide receiver Victor CruzVictor Cruz
Víctor Manuel Cruz Gil was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during five seasons at the major league level for the Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers. He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent in...
and rookie tight end Jake Ballard. On September 11, 2011, the Giants faced the Washington Redskins at Washington for the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, with both New York City and Washington being a target of the attacks. The Redskins upset the Giants 28-14, but the Giants rebounded by winning three straight against St. Louis, Philadelphia and Arizona. The Giants lost their next game at home against the Seattle Seahawks due to a Manning interception late in the game. However, the Giants responded to the adversity by engineering a three game winning streak during which all three games were won due to 4th quarter comebacks orchestrated by Manning. The surge culminated with the Giants upset of the New England Patriots 24-20 in Foxborough thanks to Manning's touchdown pass to tight end Jake Ballard on 3rd and goal, with 15 seconds left in the game; this snapped the Patriots' NFL-Record home-game winning streak. However, the Giants seemed to hit a wall after the midpoint of the season. Marred by inconsistent gameplay, questionable play-calling and injuries, the team struggled the following three games, dropping their record from 6-2 to 6-5 in the process and losing their spot as the NFC East Division leaders to the Cowboys. The skid started Sunday, November 13, as the Giants lost to 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...
by a score of 27 to 20, falling just short of another fourth quarter rally. Following this, they played a universally dispirited game against the Eagles, losing 17-10 at Giants Stadium on Sunday Night Football, which lead head coach Tom Coughlin to question the team's desire. That poor effort was followed by a 49-24 beatdown by the Saints on the November 28, 2011 edition of Monday Night Football, one eerily reminiscent of their meeting during the 2009 season which started Big Blue's collapse during that season. The Giants host the undefeated Green Bay Packers Sunday, December 4, 2011 at 4:15P.M. in Metlife Stadium.
Logos and uniforms
With over 80 years of team history, the Giants have used numerous uniformUniform
A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates...
s and logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
s. Giants' logos include several incarnations of a giant quarterback preparing to throw a football, a lowercase "ny", and stylized versions of the team nickname.
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 three consecutive years; 2005, 2006, and 2007 against 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...
.
Ownerships, financial history and fan base
The Giants have had a long and, at times, turbulent financial history. The Giants were founded by Tim MaraTim Mara
Timothy James "Tim" Mara was the founder and administrator for the New York Giants of the National Football League. The Giants', under Mara, would win NFL championships in 1934, 1938, and 1956 and divisional titles in 1933, 1939, 1941, 1944, 1946, 1958, 1959.-Early life:Mara was born into poverty...
with an investment of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
500 in 1925 and became one of the first teams in the then five-year-old NFL. To differentiate themselves from the baseball team of the same name
History of the New York Giants (NL)
The history of the New York Giants, before the franchise moved to San Francisco, lasted from 1883 to 1957. It featured five of the franchise's six World Series wins and 17 of its 21 National League pennants...
, they took the name "New York Football Giants", which they still use as their legal corporate name.
Although the Giants were successful on the field in their initial seasons, their financial status was a different story. Overshadowed by baseball, boxing, and college football, professional football was not a popular sport in 1925. The Giants were in dire financial straits until the 11th game of the season when Red Grange
Red Grange
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...
and the Chicago Bears
1925 Chicago Bears season
The 1925 Chicago Bears season was their sixth regular season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 9-5-3 record under head coach George Halas earning them a seventh place finish in the team standings, their worst showing to that date...
came to town, attracting over 73,000 fans. This gave the Giants a much needed influx of revenue, and perhaps altered the history of the franchise. The following year, Grange and his agent formed a rival league and stationed a competing team, led by Grange, in New York. Though the Giants lost $50,000 that season, the rival league folded and was subsumed into the NFL. Following the 1930 season, Mara transferred ownership of the team over to his two sons to insulate the team from creditors, and by 1946, he had given over complete control of the team to them. Jack
Jack Mara
John V. Mara was a co-owner of the New York Giants; an American football team which plays in the National Football League. Jack was the son of Tim Mara and brother of Wellington, and served as the team's president for 24 years...
, the older son, controlled the business aspects, while Wellington
Wellington Mara
Wellington Timothy Mara was the co-owner of the NFL's New York Giants from 1959 until his death, and one of the most influential and iconic figures in the history of the National Football League. He was the younger son of Tim Mara, who founded the Giants in 1925...
controlled the on-field operations. After their initial struggles the Giants financial status stabilized, and they led the league in attendance several times in the 1930s and 1940s.
Revenue sharing
Revenue sharing has multiple, related meanings depending on context.In business, revenue sharing refers to the sharing of profits and losses among different groups. One form shares between the general partner and limited partners in a limited partnership...
is still practiced in the NFL today, and is credited with strengthening the league. After their struggles in the latter half of the 1960s and the entire 1970s, the Giants hired an outsider, George Young, to run the football operations for the first time in franchise history. The Giants' on-field product and business aspects improved rapidly following the move.
In 1991, Tim Mara, struggling with cancer at the time, sold his half of the team to Bob Tisch
Preston Robert Tisch
Preston Robert "Bob" Tisch was the chairman, and, with his brother Laurence, part owner of the Loews Corporation. Tisch was born in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn in 1926. On August 16, 1986, he was appointed Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service, serving until February 1988...
for a reported $80 million. This marked the first time in franchise history the team had not been solely owned by the Mara family. In 2005, Wellington Mara, who had been with the team since its inception in 1925 when he worked as a ball boy
Ball Boy
Ball Boy is a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano and also the name of the main character. It first appeared in issue 1735, dated 18 October 1975. It features a five-a-side football team that includes:* Ball Boy - the captain of the team, Ball Boy bears resemblances to The Dandy's Owen Goal...
, died at the age of 89. His death was followed two weeks later by the death of Tisch.
In 2010, MetLife Stadium opened, replacing Giants Stadium. The new stadium is a 50/50 partnership between the Giants and Jets, and while the stadium is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority is an independent authority established by the State of New Jersey in 1971 to oversee the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Originally consisting of Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands Racetrack in 1976, Brendan Byrne Arena was added to the complex in...
on paper, the two teams jointly built the stadium using private funds, and administer it jointly through New Meadowlands Stadium Corporation. The Giants had previously planned a $300 million dollar renovation to the Meadowlands, before deciding in favor of the new stadium which was originally estimated to cost approximately $600 million, before rising to an estimated cost of one billion dollars. One advantage gained by owning the stadium is that the teams saved considerable money in tax payments. The teams leased the land from the state at a cost of $6.3 million per year. The state paid for all utilities, including the $30 million needed to install them.
The Giants are currently owned and operated by John Mara
John Mara
John Kevin Mara is the president, CEO, and co-owner of the New York Giants.Mara was born in New York City and grew up in White Plains, New York. He is the oldest son of Ann and former Giants owner Wellington Mara. He attended Iona Preparatory School in nearby New Rochelle, graduating in 1972. He...
and Steve Tisch
Steve Tisch
Steven "Steve" Tisch is an American businessman. He is the Chairman and Executive Vice President of the New York Giants, the NFL team co-owned by his family, as well as a film and television producer...
. Forbes magazine estimates the current value of the team at $974 million. This ranks them eighth among the 32 teams in the league in terms of estimated value. The value has steadily increased from $288 million in 1998, to their current value. The magazine estimated their revenue in 2006 at $182 million, of which $46 million came from gate receipts. Operating income was $26.9 million, and player salary was $102 million. Current major sponsors include Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
, Anheuser Busch, Toyota, and Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless
Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
. Recent former sponsors include Miller Brewing
Miller Brewing
The Miller Brewing Company is an American beer brewing company owned by the United Kingdom-based SABMiller. Its regional headquarters are located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the company has brewing facilities in Albany, Georgia; Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; Eden, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas;...
and North Fork Bank
North Fork Bank
North Fork Bank was an American bank from 1950 until 2008 when it became Capital One Bank .In November 2007, it had 365 branches in the New York metropolitan area.-History:...
. Game day concessions are provided by Aramark
Aramark
Aramark Corporation, known commonly as Aramark, is an American foodservice, facilities, and clothing provider supplying businesses, educational institutions, sports facilities, federal and state prisons, and health care institutions. It is headquartered at the Aramark Tower in Center City,...
, and the Giants average ticket price is $72.
The Giants draw their fans from the New York metropolitan area
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
. Since their move to New Jersey in 1976, fans from each state have claimed the team as their own. In January 1987, shortly before the team won Super Bowl XXI, then New York City mayor Ed Koch
Ed Koch
Edward Irving "Ed" Koch is an American lawyer, politician, and political commentator. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and three terms as mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989...
labeled the team "foreigners" and said they were not entitled to a ticker-tape parade
Ticker-tape parade
A ticker-tape parade is a parade event held in a built-up urban setting, allowing large amounts of shredded paper to be thrown from nearby office buildings onto the parade route, creating a celebratory effect by the snowstorm-like flurry...
in New York City. On February 5, 2008, the city, under mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
, threw a ticker tape parade in honor of the Giants' Super Bowl XLII victory at the Canyon of Heroes in lower Manhattan. According to a team spokesman, in 2001, 49 percent of the Giants' season ticket-holders lived in New Jersey. Most of the remaining ticket holders lived in New York State with some coming from other states.
Through the lean years of 1960s and 1970s the Giants, in spite of a 17-year-long playoff drought, still accumulated a 20-year-long waiting list for season tickets. It has been estimated that the Giants have a waiting list of 135,000 people, the largest of any franchise.
Dallas Cowboys
This rivalry runs deep, from the very first game ever played between the Giants and Cowboys, a 31–31 tie on December 4, 1960. Tom Landry had a large part to play, having at one point or another been a fixture in both franchises, as a defensive coordinator with the Giants, to being head coach of the Cowboys. Of all the Giants rivals, while the Eagles are the most maligned, the Cowboys have been the most troublesome to Big Blue. The Cowboys dominated the Giants in the 60's into the 70's, getting off to a 26–9–2 start against New York in their first 37 meetings. While Dallas dominated early the Giants did strike back in the 80's and since then the rivalry has been very even handed with the Giants leading the series 31–30 in games played since 1980. It should be noted that the Giants' defeated Dallas in the only playoff meeting between the two teams in the 2007 playoffs en route to their victory in Super Bowl XLIISuper Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
. Dallas currently leads the all-time series 56–40–2, the only divisional opponent the Giants do not lead the series against, including their former divisional foe the Arizona Cardinals.
Philadelphia Eagles
The rivalry between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles is the oldest rivalry in the NFC East and one of the oldest in the NFL, dating all the way back to 1933. While the Giants have dominated this rivalry for most of their history the Eagles have been in control for the last 20 years or so, winning the series through the 90’s and 2000’s. The Giants currently lead the series 81–72–2.New York Jets
The Giants and Jets have the only intracity rivalry in the NFL, made even more unusual by sharing a stadium. They have met annually in the preseason since 1969. Since 2011, this meeting has been known as the "MetLife Bowl", after the naming sponsor of the teams' stadium.Regular season matchups between the teams have been less frequent, as they follow the NFL scheduling formula for interconference games. The most prominent regular season game was in 1988, when the Giants faced off against the Jets in the last game of the season, needing a victory to make the playoffs. The Jets played spoiler however, beating the Giants 27–21 ruining the latter's playoff hopes. The Giants lead the overall regular season series 7–4.
Washington Redskins
The Redskins have an old and storied rivalry with the Giants. While this rivalry is typically put on the back burner when compared to the Eagles and Cowboys rivalries, there have been periods of great competition between the two. In the 1980s the Giants and Redskins clashed as both struggled against each other for division titles and even Super Bowl Championships. Most notable among these is the 1986 NFC Championship game in which the Big Blue Wrecking Crew defeated the Redskins 17–0 to earn their first ever trip to the Super Bowl. Wellington Mara always felt this was the Giants oldest and truest rival and after passing away in 2005 the Giants honored their longtime owner by defeating the Redskins 36–0 at home. The Giants lead this series 91–64–4.San Francisco 49ers
The rivalry between the Giants and 49ers is rooted in the 1980s when both teams were on the rise. The Giants and 49ers have met in the playoffs 7 times in the last 25 years, the 49ers leading the playoff series 4–3. The Giants beat the Montana led 49ers 49–3 in the divisional round of the 1986 playoffs enrout to winning the first Super Bowl Championship in franchise history. They would again meet in the playoffs in the 1990 NFC Championship game. In one of the most physical football games ever played the Giants upset the 49ers 15–13, ruining their hopes of winning three Super Bowls in a row. The 49ers would exact revenge in 1993 when they would soundly defeat the Giants in the divisional round of the playoffs 44–3 in the last game of Lawrence Taylor’s and Phil Simms’ careers. The series is currently tied at 13–13.Pro Football Hall of Famers
In the Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
, the Giants boast the second-most enshrined members with twenty-seven. Tim Mara
Tim Mara
Timothy James "Tim" Mara was the founder and administrator for the New York Giants of the National Football League. The Giants', under Mara, would win NFL championships in 1934, 1938, and 1956 and divisional titles in 1933, 1939, 1941, 1944, 1946, 1958, 1959.-Early life:Mara was born into poverty...
and Mel Hein
Mel Hein
Melvin Jack Hein was an American Professional Football player for the New York Giants. Hein played fifteen seasons for the Giants and never missed a down due to injury...
were a part of the original class of inductees in 1963, while linebacker Harry Carson
Harry Carson
Harold Donald Carson is a former American football inside linebacker who played his entire professional career for the NFL's New York Giants...
, the most recent Giant inducted, was a part of the Class of 2006. Numerous members, including Larry Csonka
Larry Csonka
Larry Richard Csonka is a former collegiate and professional American football fullback.-Childhood:One of six children, Csonka was born in Stow, Ohio where he was raised on a farm by his Hungarian family...
, Ray Flaherty
Ray Flaherty
Raymond Paul Flaherty was a professional football player in the National Football League from 1926-1935. He was the head coach of the Boston/Washington Redskins from 1936–1942, where he won four division titles and two NFL Championships . Flaherty served in the United States Navy until 1945...
, Joe Guyon
Joe Guyon
Joseph Napoleon Guyon was a professional American football player in the National Football League...
, Pete Henry
Pete Henry
Wilbur Francis "Pete" Henry was a professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. He later worked for more than 20 years as athletic director and occasional football coach at Washington & Jefferson College, his alma mater.Henry attended college at Washington &...
, Arnie Herber
Arnie Herber
Arnold "Arnie" Charles Herber was a professional American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966...
, Cal Hubbard
Cal Hubbard
Robert Calvin Hubbard was a professional American football player and later an umpire in Major League Baseball, and is a member of three major sports halls of fame...
, Don Maynard
Don Maynard
Donald Rogers Maynard is a former American football player who played collegiately for Texas Western College and professionally with the National Football League's New York Giants and the American Football League's New York Jets and the World Football League's Shreveport Steamer.After having been...
, 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...
, and Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
were at one time associated with the New York Giants, however they have been inducted under other teams.
| New York Giants Hall of Famers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Player | Position | No. | Player | Position |
| 17 | Red Badgro Red Badgro Morris Hiram "Red" Badgro was a professional American football end in the National Football League for the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and the Brooklyn Dodgers... |
TE | – | Tim Mara Tim Mara Timothy James "Tim" Mara was the founder and administrator for the New York Giants of the National Football League. The Giants', under Mara, would win NFL championships in 1934, 1938, and 1956 and divisional titles in 1933, 1939, 1941, 1944, 1946, 1958, 1959.-Early life:Mara was born into poverty... |
Owner and founder |
| 79 | Rosey Brown Rosey Brown Roosevelt "Rosey" Brown, Jr. was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the New York Giants from 1953 to 1965.... |
T | – | Wellington Mara Wellington Mara Wellington Timothy Mara was the co-owner of the NFL's New York Giants from 1959 until his death, and one of the most influential and iconic figures in the history of the National Football League. He was the younger son of Tim Mara, who founded the Giants in 1925... |
Co-owner |
| 53 | Harry Carson Harry Carson Harold Donald Carson is a former American football inside linebacker who played his entire professional career for the NFL's New York Giants... |
LB | 13 | Don Maynard Don Maynard Donald Rogers Maynard is a former American football player who played collegiately for Texas Western College and professionally with the National Football League's New York Giants and the American Football League's New York Jets and the World Football League's Shreveport Steamer.After having been... |
WR |
| 39 | Larry Csonka Larry Csonka Larry Richard Csonka is a former collegiate and professional American football fullback.-Childhood:One of six children, Csonka was born in Stow, Ohio where he was raised on a farm by his Hungarian family... |
FB/RB | 13 | 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... |
RB |
| 1 | Ray Flaherty Ray Flaherty Raymond Paul Flaherty was a professional football player in the National Football League from 1926-1935. He was the head coach of the Boston/Washington Redskins from 1936–1942, where he won four division titles and two NFL Championships . Flaherty served in the United States Navy until 1945... |
Coach | 55 | Steve Owen Steve Owen (football) Stephen Joseph Owen was an American football player and coach who earned a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as head coach of the National Football League's New York Giants from 1930 to 1953... |
T, Coach |
| 6 | Benny Friedman Benny Friedman Benjamin "Benny" Friedman was an American football quarterback who played for the University of Michigan , Cleveland Bulldogs , Detroit Wolverines , New York Giants , and Brooklyn Dodgers .He is generally considered the first great passer in professional football... |
QB | 81 | Andy Robustelli Andy Robustelli Andrew Richard "Andy" Robustelli was an American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Giants. He played college football at Arnold College and was drafted in the nineteenth round of the 1951 NFL Draft... |
DE |
| 16 | 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.... |
HB | 50 | Ken Strong Ken Strong Elmer Kenneth Strong, Jr. was a college and professional American football player. After a college career as multi-year All-American at New York University, he went on to play professional football. As a halfback with a 14-year career he played from 1929–1937, 1939, 1944-1947... |
HB |
| 11 | Joe Guyon Joe Guyon Joseph Napoleon Guyon was a professional American football player in the National Football League... |
RB | 10 | Fran Tarkenton Fran Tarkenton Francis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive.... |
QB |
| 7 | Mel Hein Mel Hein Melvin Jack Hein was an American Professional Football player for the New York Giants. Hein played fifteen seasons for the Giants and never missed a down due to injury... |
C | 56 | Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League... |
LB |
| 55 | Pete Henry Pete Henry Wilbur Francis "Pete" Henry was a professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. He later worked for more than 20 years as athletic director and occasional football coach at Washington & Jefferson College, his alma mater.Henry attended college at Washington &... |
OT | 31 | Jim Thorpe Jim Thorpe Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry... |
RB, DB |
| 38 | Arnie Herber Arnie Herber Arnold "Arnie" Charles Herber was a professional American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966... |
QB | 14 | Y.A. Tittle | QB |
| 41,60 | Cal Hubbard Cal Hubbard Robert Calvin Hubbard was a professional American football player and later an umpire in Major League Baseball, and is a member of three major sports halls of fame... |
T | 45 | Emlen Tunnell Emlen Tunnell Emlen Lewis Tunnell was an American football player. He was the first African American to play for the New York Giants, and was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1967. He played in the National Football League for the Giants and Green Bay Packers... |
DB |
| 70 | Sam Huff Sam Huff Robert Lee "Sam" Huff is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982.... |
LB | 73 | Arnie Weinmeister Arnie Weinmeister Arnold George Weinmeister was an American football defensive tackle. He went to four Pro Bowls, but with only a six-year tenure in the All-America Football Conference and National Football League combined, his career is one of the shortest of any Pro Football Hall of Fame member... |
DE |
| 4 | Tuffy Leemans | FB |
Retired numbers
| New York Giants retired numbers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Player | No. | Player |
| 1 | Ray Flaherty Ray Flaherty Raymond Paul Flaherty was a professional football player in the National Football League from 1926-1935. He was the head coach of the Boston/Washington Redskins from 1936–1942, where he won four division titles and two NFL Championships . Flaherty served in the United States Navy until 1945... |
32 | Al Blozis Al Blozis Albert Charles Blozis was an American football player who died in World War II.-Early life:Blozis was born in Garfield, New Jersey. He attended William L. Dickinson High School in Jersey City, New Jersey where he became well known for throwing the discus and shot put... |
| 4 | Tuffy Leemans | 40 | 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:... |
| 7 | Mel Hein Mel Hein Melvin Jack Hein was an American Professional Football player for the New York Giants. Hein played fifteen seasons for the Giants and never missed a down due to injury... |
42 | Charlie Conerly Charlie Conerly Charles Albert Conerly, Jr. was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the New York Giants from 1948 through 1961. Conerly was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966.-College career:Conerly attended and played college football at the University of... |
| 11 | Phil Simms Phil Simms Phillip Martin "Phil" Simms is a former American football quarterback, and currently a television sportscaster for the CBS network. After a standout career at Morehead State University, Simms was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants of the National Football League with the number... |
50 | Ken Strong Ken Strong Elmer Kenneth Strong, Jr. was a college and professional American football player. After a college career as multi-year All-American at New York University, he went on to play professional football. As a halfback with a 14-year career he played from 1929–1937, 1939, 1944-1947... |
| 14 | Y.A. Tittle | 56 | Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League... |
| 16 | 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.... |
Ring of Honor
The New York Giants unveiled their own Ring of Honor on October 3, 2010 during halftime of their Sunday Night Football matchup with the Chicago Bears. John Mara had long wished to create a Giants Ring of Honor and Hall of Fame to honor Giants who helped the franchise achieve each of their 7 championships, and the building of MetLife Stadium resulted in the realization of that ambition. The organization chose to have an inaugural induction class of 30 including players, coaches, owners and executives that have had a great impact on the organization. While the entire list of inductees was not revealed until the actual induction, the organization did confirm that Phil SimmsPhil Simms
Phillip Martin "Phil" Simms is a former American football quarterback, and currently a television sportscaster for the CBS network. After a standout career at Morehead State University, Simms was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants of the National Football League with the number...
, Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
, Michael Strahan
Michael Strahan
Michael Anthony Strahan is a former National Football League defensive end who played his entire career for the New York Giants; a career where he set the record for the most sacks in a single season and won a Super Bowl in his final year. He is currently a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, and...
, Tiki Barber
Tiki Barber
Atiim Kiambu Hakeem-Ah "Tiki" Barber is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia....
, 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....
and Pete Gogolak
Pete Gogolak
Peter Kornel Gogolak is a retired American football placekicker in the National Football League for the New York Giants and in the American Football League for the Buffalo Bills. He is widely considered the chief figure behind the game's adoption of soccer style placekicking...
would all be inducted about a week prior to the ceremony.
| New York Giants Ring of Honor | |||||
| Name | Position | No. | Years Active | Championships | Year Inducted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jessie Armstead Jessie Armstead Jessie Willard Armstead is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League who played for eleven seasons with the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins between 1993 and 2003. He played college football at the University of Miami.-High school career:Armstead attended... |
Linebacker | 98 | 1993–2001 | none | 2010 |
| Tiki Barber Tiki Barber Atiim Kiambu Hakeem-Ah "Tiki" Barber is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia.... |
Running Back | 21 | 1997–2006 | none | 2010 |
| Al Blozis Al Blozis Albert Charles Blozis was an American football player who died in World War II.-Early life:Blozis was born in Garfield, New Jersey. He attended William L. Dickinson High School in Jersey City, New Jersey where he became well known for throwing the discus and shot put... |
Offensive Tackle | 32 | 1942–1944 | none | 2010 |
| Rosey Brown Rosey Brown Roosevelt "Rosey" Brown, Jr. was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the New York Giants from 1953 to 1965.... |
Offensive Tackle | 79 | 1953–1965 | 1956 1956 New York Giants season The 1956 New York Giants season was a championship season for the Giants. After finishing with an 8–3–1 record, the Giants would win their fourth NFL Championship by defeating the Chicago Bears 47–7.-Transactions:... |
2010 |
| Harry Carson Harry Carson Harold Donald Carson is a former American football inside linebacker who played his entire professional career for the NFL's New York Giants... |
Linebacker | 53 | 1976–1988 | 1986 1986 New York Giants season The 1986 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during... |
2010 |
| Charlie Conerly Charlie Conerly Charles Albert Conerly, Jr. was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the New York Giants from 1948 through 1961. Conerly was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966.-College career:Conerly attended and played college football at the University of... |
Quarterback | 42 | 1948–1961 | 1956 1956 New York Giants season The 1956 New York Giants season was a championship season for the Giants. After finishing with an 8–3–1 record, the Giants would win their fourth NFL Championship by defeating the Chicago Bears 47–7.-Transactions:... |
2010 |
| 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.... |
Running Back/Wide Receiver | 16 | 1952–1964 | 1956 1956 New York Giants season The 1956 New York Giants season was a championship season for the Giants. After finishing with an 8–3–1 record, the Giants would win their fourth NFL Championship by defeating the Chicago Bears 47–7.-Transactions:... |
2010 |
| Pete Gogolak Pete Gogolak Peter Kornel Gogolak is a retired American football placekicker in the National Football League for the New York Giants and in the American Football League for the Buffalo Bills. He is widely considered the chief figure behind the game's adoption of soccer style placekicking... |
Kicker | 3 | 1966–1974 | none | 2010 |
| Mel Hein Mel Hein Melvin Jack Hein was an American Professional Football player for the New York Giants. Hein played fifteen seasons for the Giants and never missed a down due to injury... |
Center/Linebacker | 7 | 1931–1945 | 1934 1934 New York Giants season The 1934 New York Giants season was the tenth season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants denied the Bears a perfect season as the Giants went on to win what would become known as the "Sneakers Game".-Schedule:-Standings:... ,1938 1938 New York Giants season The 1938 New York Giants season was the fourteenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
2010 |
| Jim Lee Howell Jim Lee Howell James Lee Howell was an American football player and coach for the National Football League's New York Giants. Howell was born in Arkansas and played college football and basketball at the University of Arkansas. He was drafted by the Giants in the 1937 NFL Draft and played wide receiver and... |
End/Head Coach | 21,81 | 1937–1942,1946–1947,1954–1960 | 1938 1938 New York Giants season The 1938 New York Giants season was the fourteenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... ,1956 1956 New York Giants season The 1956 New York Giants season was a championship season for the Giants. After finishing with an 8–3–1 record, the Giants would win their fourth NFL Championship by defeating the Chicago Bears 47–7.-Transactions:... |
2010 |
| Sam Huff Sam Huff Robert Lee "Sam" Huff is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982.... |
Linebacker | 70 | 1956–1963 | 1956 1956 New York Giants season The 1956 New York Giants season was a championship season for the Giants. After finishing with an 8–3–1 record, the Giants would win their fourth NFL Championship by defeating the Chicago Bears 47–7.-Transactions:... |
2010 |
| Tuffy Leemans | Running Back | 4 | 1936–1943 | 1938 1938 New York Giants season The 1938 New York Giants season was the fourteenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
2010 |
| 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... |
Defensive Back | 22,25 | 1958–1966 | none | 2010 |
| Jack Mara Jack Mara John V. Mara was a co-owner of the New York Giants; an American football team which plays in the National Football League. Jack was the son of Tim Mara and brother of Wellington, and served as the team's president for 24 years... |
Owner | n/a | 1925–1965 | 1927 1927 New York Giants season The 1927 New York Giants season was the third season for the club in the National Football League, and first under head coach Earl Potteiger. The Giants suffered their own loss and sole tie to the Cleveland Bulldogs. They were ranked first in yards allowed, yards gained, and points allowed. And... ,1934 1934 New York Giants season The 1934 New York Giants season was the tenth season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants denied the Bears a perfect season as the Giants went on to win what would become known as the "Sneakers Game".-Schedule:-Standings:... ,1938 1938 New York Giants season The 1938 New York Giants season was the fourteenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... ,1956 1956 New York Giants season The 1956 New York Giants season was a championship season for the Giants. After finishing with an 8–3–1 record, the Giants would win their fourth NFL Championship by defeating the Chicago Bears 47–7.-Transactions:... |
2010 |
| Tim Mara Tim Mara Timothy James "Tim" Mara was the founder and administrator for the New York Giants of the National Football League. The Giants', under Mara, would win NFL championships in 1934, 1938, and 1956 and divisional titles in 1933, 1939, 1941, 1944, 1946, 1958, 1959.-Early life:Mara was born into poverty... |
Owner | n/a | 1925–1959 | 1927 1927 New York Giants season The 1927 New York Giants season was the third season for the club in the National Football League, and first under head coach Earl Potteiger. The Giants suffered their own loss and sole tie to the Cleveland Bulldogs. They were ranked first in yards allowed, yards gained, and points allowed. And... ,1934 1934 New York Giants season The 1934 New York Giants season was the tenth season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants denied the Bears a perfect season as the Giants went on to win what would become known as the "Sneakers Game".-Schedule:-Standings:... ,1938 1938 New York Giants season The 1938 New York Giants season was the fourteenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... ,1956 1956 New York Giants season The 1956 New York Giants season was a championship season for the Giants. After finishing with an 8–3–1 record, the Giants would win their fourth NFL Championship by defeating the Chicago Bears 47–7.-Transactions:... |
2010 |
| Wellington Mara Wellington Mara Wellington Timothy Mara was the co-owner of the NFL's New York Giants from 1959 until his death, and one of the most influential and iconic figures in the history of the National Football League. He was the younger son of Tim Mara, who founded the Giants in 1925... |
Ball Boy/Executive/Owner | n/a | 1925–2005 | 1927 1927 New York Giants season The 1927 New York Giants season was the third season for the club in the National Football League, and first under head coach Earl Potteiger. The Giants suffered their own loss and sole tie to the Cleveland Bulldogs. They were ranked first in yards allowed, yards gained, and points allowed. And... ,1934 1934 New York Giants season The 1934 New York Giants season was the tenth season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants denied the Bears a perfect season as the Giants went on to win what would become known as the "Sneakers Game".-Schedule:-Standings:... ,1938 1938 New York Giants season The 1938 New York Giants season was the fourteenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... ,1956 1956 New York Giants season The 1956 New York Giants season was a championship season for the Giants. After finishing with an 8–3–1 record, the Giants would win their fourth NFL Championship by defeating the Chicago Bears 47–7.-Transactions:... ,1986 1986 New York Giants season The 1986 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during... ,1990 1990 New York Giants season The 1990 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their sixth championship—and second Super Bowl—in franchise history... |
2010 |
| George Martin George Martin (American football) George Dwight Martin is a former American football defensive end who played his entire career in the National Football League for the New York Giants... |
Defensive End | 75 | 1975–1988 | 1986 1986 New York Giants season The 1986 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during... |
2010 |
| 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:... |
Wide Receiver/Running Back | 40 | 1959–1972 | none | 2010 |
| Steve Owen | Offensive Tackle/Head Coach | 6,9,12, 36, 44, 50, 55 | 1926–1953 | 1927 1927 New York Giants season The 1927 New York Giants season was the third season for the club in the National Football League, and first under head coach Earl Potteiger. The Giants suffered their own loss and sole tie to the Cleveland Bulldogs. They were ranked first in yards allowed, yards gained, and points allowed. And... , 1934 1934 New York Giants season The 1934 New York Giants season was the tenth season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants denied the Bears a perfect season as the Giants went on to win what would become known as the "Sneakers Game".-Schedule:-Standings:... ,1938 1938 New York Giants season The 1938 New York Giants season was the fourteenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
2010 |
| Bill Parcells Bill Parcells Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006... |
Linebacker Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Head Coach | n/a | 1979,1981–1990 | 1986 1986 New York Giants season The 1986 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during... ,1990 1990 New York Giants season The 1990 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their sixth championship—and second Super Bowl—in franchise history... |
2010 |
| Andy Robustelli Andy Robustelli Andrew Richard "Andy" Robustelli was an American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Giants. He played college football at Arnold College and was drafted in the nineteenth round of the 1951 NFL Draft... |
Defensive End | 81,84 | 1956–1964 | 1956 1956 New York Giants season The 1956 New York Giants season was a championship season for the Giants. After finishing with an 8–3–1 record, the Giants would win their fourth NFL Championship by defeating the Chicago Bears 47–7.-Transactions:... |
2010 |
| Phil Simms Phil Simms Phillip Martin "Phil" Simms is a former American football quarterback, and currently a television sportscaster for the CBS network. After a standout career at Morehead State University, Simms was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants of the National Football League with the number... |
Quarterback | 11 | 1979–1993 | 1986 1986 New York Giants season The 1986 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during... ,1990 1990 New York Giants season The 1990 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their sixth championship—and second Super Bowl—in franchise history... |
2010 |
| Michael Strahan Michael Strahan Michael Anthony Strahan is a former National Football League defensive end who played his entire career for the New York Giants; a career where he set the record for the most sacks in a single season and won a Super Bowl in his final year. He is currently a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, and... |
Defensive End | 92 | 1993–2007 | 2007 2007 New York Giants season The 2007 New York Giants season was the 83rd season for the New York Giants in the National Football League. The Giants finished the regular season 10–6 and in second place in the NFC East, improving upon their 8–8 record in 2006 in which they finished third in their division... |
2010 |
| Ken Strong Ken Strong Elmer Kenneth Strong, Jr. was a college and professional American football player. After a college career as multi-year All-American at New York University, he went on to play professional football. As a halfback with a 14-year career he played from 1929–1937, 1939, 1944-1947... |
Halfback | 50 | 1933–1935,1939,1944–1947 | 1934 1934 New York Giants season The 1934 New York Giants season was the tenth season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants denied the Bears a perfect season as the Giants went on to win what would become known as the "Sneakers Game".-Schedule:-Standings:... |
2010 |
| Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League... |
Linebacker | 56 | 1981–1993 | 1986 1986 New York Giants season The 1986 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during... ,1990 1990 New York Giants season The 1990 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their sixth championship—and second Super Bowl—in franchise history... |
2010 |
| Bob Tisch | Owner | n/a | 1991–2005 | none | 2010 |
| Y. A. Tittle Y. A. Tittle Yelberton Abraham Tittle , better known as Y. A. Tittle, is a former football quarterback in the National Football League and All-America Football Conference who played for the Baltimore Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and the New York Giants... |
Quarterback | 14 | 1961–1964 | none | 2010 |
| Amani Toomer Amani Toomer Amani Toomer is a retired American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan, where he was a fan favorite.Toomer has also been a member of the Kansas... |
Wide Receiver | 81 | 1996–2008 | 2007 2007 New York Giants season The 2007 New York Giants season was the 83rd season for the New York Giants in the National Football League. The Giants finished the regular season 10–6 and in second place in the NFC East, improving upon their 8–8 record in 2006 in which they finished third in their division... |
2010 |
| Emlen Tunnell Emlen Tunnell Emlen Lewis Tunnell was an American football player. He was the first African American to play for the New York Giants, and was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1967. He played in the National Football League for the Giants and Green Bay Packers... |
Defensive Back/Scout/Assistant Head Coach | 45 | 1948–1958,1963–1973 | 1956 1956 New York Giants season The 1956 New York Giants season was a championship season for the Giants. After finishing with an 8–3–1 record, the Giants would win their fourth NFL Championship by defeating the Chicago Bears 47–7.-Transactions:... |
2010 |
| George Young | Executive | n/a | 1979–1997 | 1986 1986 New York Giants season The 1986 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during... , 1990 1990 New York Giants season The 1990 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their sixth championship—and second Super Bowl—in franchise history... |
2010 |
NFL MVP award winners
| Giants MVP winners | |
| Year | Player |
|---|---|
| 1938 | Mel Hein Mel Hein Melvin Jack Hein was an American Professional Football player for the New York Giants. Hein played fifteen seasons for the Giants and never missed a down due to injury... |
| 1956 | 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.... |
| 1959 | Charlie Conerly Charlie Conerly Charles Albert Conerly, Jr. was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the New York Giants from 1948 through 1961. Conerly was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966.-College career:Conerly attended and played college football at the University of... |
| 1963 | Y.A. Tittle |
| 1986 | Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League... |
Super Bowl MVP award winners
| Giants Super Bowl MVP winners | ||
| SB | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| XXI | Phil Simms Phil Simms Phillip Martin "Phil" Simms is a former American football quarterback, and currently a television sportscaster for the CBS network. After a standout career at Morehead State University, Simms was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants of the National Football League with the number... #11 |
Quarterback Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line... |
| XXV | Ottis Anderson Ottis Anderson Ottis Jerome "O.J." Anderson is a former American football running back. He was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979, and the MVP of Super Bowl XXV in 1991 when playing with the New York Giants... #24 |
Running Back Running back A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running... |
| XLII | Eli Manning Eli Manning Eli Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning... #10 |
Quarterback Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line... |
All-time first-round draft picks
| All-time first-round draft picks | |||
| Year | Player | College | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 1936 New York Giants season The 1936 New York Giants season was the twelfth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
Art Lewis Art Lewis Arthur Everett "Pappy" Lewis was an American football player and coach. He played college football as a lineman at Ohio University from 1932 to 1935 and then in the National Football League with the New York Giants in 1936 and the Cleveland Rams from 1938 to 1939... |
Ohio Ohio Bobcats football The Ohio Bobcats football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Ohio University. The team represents the university as a member of the Mid-American Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, playing at the Division 1 Bowl Subdivision level... |
Tackle |
| 1937 1937 New York Giants season The 1937 New York Giants season was the thirteenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
Ed Widseth Ed Widseth Edwin Clarence Widseth was an American football tackle. He was an All-American at the University of Minnesota in 1935 and an All-Pro in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.-University of Minnesota:Widseth was born in... |
Minnesota Minnesota Golden Gophers football The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as... |
Tackle |
| 1938 1938 New York Giants season The 1938 New York Giants season was the fourteenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
George Karamatic George Karamatic George Karamatic, Jr. was an American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Gonzaga University and was drafted in the first round of the 1938 NFL Draft by the New York Giants... |
Gonzaga Gonzaga Bulldogs The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the athletic teams at Gonzaga University; the term applies to any of the school's varsity teams. Gonzaga University is a member of the West Coast Conference, which participates in the NCAA Division I... |
Back |
| 1939 1939 New York Giants season The 1939 New York Giants season was the fifteenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
Walt Neilson | Arizona Arizona Wildcats football The Arizona Wildcats football team is the football team of the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.-Early years:... |
Tackle |
| 1940 1940 New York Giants season The 1940 New York Giants season was the sixteenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
Grenny Lansdell Grenny Lansdell Grenville Archer Lansdell Jr. was an American football halfback who played for the National Football League's New York Giants during the 1940 season.... |
USC | Back |
| 1941 1941 New York Giants season The 1941 New York Giants season was the seventeenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Season recap:The Giants managed to put together a quite respectable team that year. Ed Danowski was lured out of retirement, Tuffy Leemans' back healed, and Mel Hein was talked out of a... |
George Franck George Franck George Henning "Sonny" Franck was an American football halfback in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He was born in Davenport, Iowa and lived in Rock Island, Illinois. He played college football at the University of Minnesota and was drafted in the first round of the 1941 NFL... |
Minnesota Minnesota Golden Gophers football The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as... |
Back |
| 1942 1942 New York Giants season The 1942 New York Giants season was the eighteenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
Merle Hapes Merle Hapes Merle Alison Hapes was a professional American football fullback in the National Football League. He played two seasons for the New York Giants .-External links:... |
Mississippi Ole Miss Rebels football The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs... |
Back |
| 1943 1943 New York Giants season The 1943 New York Giants season was the 19th season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
Steve Filipowicz Steve Filipowicz Stephen Charles "Flip" Filipowicz was a professional American football and baseball player.-Football:... |
Fordham Fordham Rams The 22 Fordham University varsity sports teams are known as the Fordham Rams. Their colors are maroon and white. The Fordham Rams are members of NCAA Division I and compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference for all sports except football. In football, the Rams play in the Patriot League of NCAA... |
Back |
| 1944 1944 New York Giants season The 1944 New York Giants season was the 20th season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
Billy Hillenbrand Billy Hillenbrand William Frank "Billy" Hillenbrand was an American football halfback who played professionally in the All-America Football Conference . He was born in Armstrong, Indiana. He attended Indiana University where he played for the Hoosiers... |
Indiana Indiana Hoosiers football The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:... |
Back |
| 1945 1945 New York Giants season The 1945 New York Giants season was the 21st season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
Elmer Barbour Elmer Barbour Wesley Elmer Barbour II was an American football blocking back and linebacker who played for the National Football League's New York Giants during the 1945 season.... |
Wake Forest Wake Forest Demon Deacons football The Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represents Wake Forest University in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Wake Forest plays its home football games at BB&T Field.... |
Quarterback Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line... |
| 1946 1946 New York Giants season The 1946 New York Giants season was the 22nd season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
George Connor George Connor (American football) George Leo Connor was an American football offensive tackle/linebacker for the Chicago Bears from 1948 to 1955. He was originally a number one draft pick by the New York Giants in 1946. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and of the College Football Hall of Fame. He attended the... |
Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an... |
Tackle |
| 1947 1947 New York Giants season The 1947 New York Giants season was the 23rd season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
Vic Schwall Vic Schwall Victor Henry Schwall was a professional American football running back in the National Football League. He played for four seasons for the Chicago Cardinals.... |
Northwestern Northwestern Wildcats football The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876... |
Back |
| 1948 1948 New York Giants season The 1948 New York Giants season was the 24th season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
Tony "Skip" Minisi Skip Minisi Anthony Salvatore "Skip" Minisi was an American football halfback in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985 based on his college career at the University of Pennsylvania and the United States Naval Academy.-External links:... |
Pennsylvania | Back |
| 1949 1949 New York Giants season The 1949 New York Giants season was the 25th season for the club in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
Paul Page | SMU SMU Mustangs football The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA... |
Back |
| 1950 1950 New York Giants season The 1950 New York Giants season was the 26th season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
Travis Tidwell Travis Tidwell Travis Vaughn Tidwell was a two-time All-America quarterback, who led Auburn to one of their biggest upsets over arch-rival Alabama.- College Football :... |
Auburn Auburn Tigers football Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the... |
Back |
| 1951 1951 New York Giants season The 1951 New York Giants season was the 27th season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
Kyle Rote Kyle Rote William Kyle Rote, Sr. was an American football player and sports announcer.-Early life:Rote attended Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, Texas, where he was an all-state basketball and football player.... |
SMU SMU Mustangs football The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA... |
Back |
| 1951 | Jim Spavital Jim Spavital James J. Spavital was a gridiron football fullback, coach and general manager in six different professional football leagues.- Playing career :... |
Oklahoma A&M Oklahoma State Cowboys football The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as... |
Back |
| 1952 1952 New York Giants season The 1952 New York Giants season was the 28th season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
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.... |
USC | Running back |
| 1953 1953 New York Giants season The 1953 New York Giants season was the 29th season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-New York Giants coaching vacancy:... |
Bobby Marlow | Alabama Alabama Crimson Tide football |TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team... |
Back |
| 1954 1954 New York Giants season The 1954 New York Giants season was the 30th season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
Mark Hazlett | Penn State Penn State Nittany Lions football The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the... |
Back |
| 1955 1955 New York Giants season The 1955 New York Giants season was the 31st season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
Joe Heap Joe Heap Joseph Lawrence Heap was an American football halfback who played for the National Football League's New York Giants during the 1955 season.... |
Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an... |
Back |
| 1956 1956 New York Giants season The 1956 New York Giants season was a championship season for the Giants. After finishing with an 8–3–1 record, the Giants would win their fourth NFL Championship by defeating the Chicago Bears 47–7.-Transactions:... |
No Selection | ||
| 1957 1957 New York Giants season The 1957 New York Giants season was the 33rd season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
No Selection | ||
| 1958 1958 New York Giants season The 1958 New York Giants season was the 34th season for the club in the National Football League.-Transactions:*The Giants obtained Lindon Crow and Pat Summerall from the Chicago Cardinals in exchange for Dick Nolan, Bobby Joe Conrad, and the Giants first round pick.*The Giants acquired Carl... |
Phil King Phil King (American football) Philip Edgar King was an American football running back in the National Football League for the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at Vanderbilt University and was drafted in the first round of the 1958 NFL Draft. Nicknamed "The Chief"... |
Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Commodores football The Vanderbilt Commodores football program is a college football team that represents Vanderbilt University. The team currently competes in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Southeastern Conference... |
Back |
| 1959 1959 New York Giants season The 1959 New York Giants season was the 35th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants' defense became the second defense in the history of the NFL to lead the league in fewest rushing yards, fewest passing yards and fewest total yards. The 1959 Giants scored 284 points... |
Lee Grosscup Lee Grosscup Clyde Lee Edward Grosscup is a former American football player and broadcaster.-Collegiate career:Grosscup was a quarterback for the Washington Huskies in 1955... |
Utah Utah Utes football The Utah Utes football program is a college football team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles... |
Quarterback |
| 1960 1960 New York Giants season The 1960 New York Giants season was the 36th season for the club in the National Football League. The Mara family was opposed to the AFL adding a team in New York, but received an indemnity fee of ten million dollars.-Offseason:... |
Lou Cordileone Lou Cordileone Lou Anthony Cordileone is a former American football offensive lineman, primarily guard, who played nine seasons in the National Football League. He is more famous for being traded from the New York Giants to the San Francisco 49ers for quarterback Y. A. Tittle... |
Clemson Clemson Tigers football The Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference... |
Tackle |
| 1961 1961 New York Giants season The 1961 New York Giants season was the 37th season for the club in the National Football League. After relinquishing the NFL East title the previous season, the Giants reclaimed the title with a 10–3–1 record, only to lose to the Vince Lombardi-coached Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship... |
No Selection | ||
| 1962 1962 New York Giants season The 1962 New York Giants season was the 38th season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:-Awards and honors:* Andy Robustelli, Bert Bell Award... |
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... |
Colorado Colorado Buffaloes football The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,... |
End |
| 1963 1963 New York Giants season The 1963 New York Giants season was the 39th season for the club in the National Football League.-Offseason:A familiar figure on the offensive line, four-time Pro Bowl selection Wietecha, retired after a decade of service, and Greg Larson took over his job at center... |
No Selection | ||
| 1964 1964 New York Giants season The 1964 New York Giants season was the 40th season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:* *... |
Joe Don Looney Joe Don Looney Joe Don Looney was an American football running back in the National Football League for the New York Giants, Baltimore Colts, Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins, and the New Orleans Saints. He attended Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg, Florida and Paschal High School in Ft... |
Nebraska Nebraska Cornhuskers football The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A... |
Back |
| 1965 1965 New York Giants season The 1965 New York Giants season was the 41st season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants finished with a 7–7 record, which placed them in a tie for second in the Eastern Conference with the Dallas Cowboys, four games behind the Cleveland Browns.-Offseason:*January 22, 1965: Y.A... |
Tucker Frederickson Tucker Frederickson Ivan Charles "Tucker" Frederickson was an American football running back for the New York Giants of the NFL... |
Auburn | Back |
| 1966 1966 New York Giants season The 1966 New York Giants season was the 42nd season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants finished in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 1–12–1 record, the worst in franchise history.... |
Francis Peay Francis Peay -External links:... |
Missouri Missouri Tigers football The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996... |
Tackle |
| 1967 1967 New York Giants season The 1967 New York Giants season was the 43rd season for the club in the National Football League.-Offseason:On August 5, Emlen Tunnell, formerly of the Giants, became the first African-American to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.-Notable transactions:... |
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| 1968 1968 New York Giants season The 1968 New York Giants season was the 44th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants finished with a 7–7 record, which placed them second in the Capitol Division, five games behind the Dallas Cowboys.... |
No Selection | ||
| 1969 1969 New York Giants season The 1969 New York Giants season was the 45th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants finished with a 6–8 record, and had one victory less than the previous year... |
Fred Dryer Fred Dryer John Frederick "Fred" Dryer is an American actor and former football defensive end in the National Football League . Dryer played 13 years in the NFL, playing 176 games, starting 166, and recording 104 career sacks with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams... |
San Diego State San Diego State Aztecs football The San Diego State football team represents the San Diego State Aztecs in college football. The Aztecs, a Division I FBS team and a member of the Mountain West Conference, play their home games at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The field is natural grass and has a maximum capacity of... |
Defensive end Defensive end Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years... |
| 1970 1970 New York Giants season The 1970 New York Giants was the 46th season for the professional American football franchise. This was the first season for the Giants after the AFL-NFL merger, in which ten American Football League teams joined the National Football League. The team was led by second-year head coach Alex Webster... |
Jim Files Jim Files James Dale "Jim" Files is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants 13th overall in the 1970 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahoma.... |
Oklahoma Oklahoma Sooners football The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association... |
Linebacker Linebacker A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen... |
| 1971 1971 New York Giants season The 1971 New York Giants season was the 47th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants had a 4–10 record for the season and finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
Rocky Thompson Rocky Thompson (American football) Ralph Gary "Rocky" Symonds-Thompson is a former American football player for the New York Giants in the National Football League.... |
West Texas State West Texas A&M University West Texas A&M University , part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910... |
Wide receiver Wide receiver A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible... |
| 1972 1972 New York Giants season The 1972 New York Giants season was the 48th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants had an 8–6 record and finished in third place in the National Football Conference East Division, three games behind the Washington Redskins.-Schedule:... |
Eldridge Small Eldridge Small Eldridge Small is a former American football defensive back who played with the National Football League's New York Giants from 1972 to 1974.... |
Texas A&I Texas A&M University–Kingsville Texas A&M University–Kingsville is a U.S. national university with a multicultural student body that is 62 percent Hispanic and includes students from 35 states and 43 foreign countries... |
Defensive back Defensive back In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of... |
| 1972 | Larry Jacobson Larry Jacobson Larry Paul Jacobson is a former professional football player, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants of the NFL. A first round selection in the 1972 NFL Draft and starter in his rookie year, his pro career was cut short by major injuries to the leg and foot.-Nebraska Cornhuskers:Jacobson... |
Nebraska Nebraska Cornhuskers football The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A... |
Defensive end |
| 1973 1973 New York Giants season The 1973 New York Giants season was the 49th season for the club in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Regular season:On September 23, the Giants played their final game at Yankee Stadium. The game was played against the Philadelphia Eagles and resulted in a 23–23 tie. The Giants played the... |
John Hicks John Hicks (American football) John Charles Hicks Jr. is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He is best remembered for being the last lineman to be runner-up in the vote for the Heisman Trophy.-College career:... |
Ohio State Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state... |
Offensive guard Guard (American football) In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team.... |
| 1974 1974 New York Giants season The 1974 New York Giants season was the 50th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 2–12 record, the team's worst since 1966.-Schedule:-Standings:... |
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| 1975 1975 New York Giants season The 1975 New York Giants could only muster a 5–9 record as the sub-tenants of the cross-town Jets at Shea Stadium.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:* *... |
No Selection | ||
| 1976 1976 New York Giants season The 1976 New York Giants season was the 52nd season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants had a 3–11 record in 1976 and finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division. The season was highlighted by the opening of the new Giants Stadium at the New Jersey... |
Troy Archer Troy Archer James Troy Archer was an American football defensive tackle who played three seasons in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He began playing football at age six after his father forged his birth certificate to show he was eight years old. He was killed in an auto accident during... |
Colorado Colorado Buffaloes football The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,... |
Defensive end |
| 1977 1977 New York Giants season The 1977 New York Giants season was the 53rd season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants had a 5–9 record in 1977 and finished in a tie for last place with the Philadelphia Eagles.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
Gary Jeter Gary Jeter Gary Michael Jeter is a former professional American football defensive end in the National Football League... |
USC | Defensive tackle |
| 1978 1978 New York Giants season The 1978 New York Giants season was the 54th season for the club in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Regular season:The Miracle at the Meadowlands is the term used by sportscasters and Philadelphia Eagles fans for a fumble recovery by cornerback Herman Edwards that he returned for a... |
Gordon King Gordon King Gordon David King is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the New York Giants and the New York Jets. He played college football at Stanford University and was drafted in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft.... |
Stanford Stanford Cardinal football The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The... |
Offensive tackle |
| 1979 1979 New York Giants season The 1979 New York Giants season was the 55th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants had a 6–10 record in 1979 and finished in fourth place in the National Football Conference East Division.-Offseason:... |
Phil Simms Phil Simms Phillip Martin "Phil" Simms is a former American football quarterback, and currently a television sportscaster for the CBS network. After a standout career at Morehead State University, Simms was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants of the National Football League with the number... |
Morehead State Morehead State University Morehead State University is a public, co-educational university located in Morehead, Kentucky, United States in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County, midway between Lexington, Kentucky, and Huntington, West Virginia. The 2012 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S... |
Quarterback |
| 1980 1980 New York Giants season The 1980 New York Giants season was the 56th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 4–12 record.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
Mark Haynes Mark Haynes Mark Haynes is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League who played in three Pro Bowls as a member of the New York Giants, and in three Super Bowls for the Denver Broncos.... |
Colorado Colorado Buffaloes football The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,... |
Defensive back |
| 1981 1981 New York Giants season The 1981 New York Giants season was the 57th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 18 years with a 9–7 record, which placed them third in the National Football Conference East Division... |
Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League... |
North Carolina North Carolina Tar Heels football The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566... |
Linebacker |
| 1982 1982 New York Giants season The 1982 New York Giants season was the 58th season for the club in the National Football League. The season was shortened to nine games due to the 1982 NFL Players Strike.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-References:* *... |
Butch Woolfolk Butch Woolfolk Harold E. "Butch" Woolfolk is a former American football running back and kick returner who played in college for the University of Michigan and in the National Football League for the New York Giants , Houston Oilers and Detroit Lions . Woolfolk attended Westfield Senior High School in... |
Michigan Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history... |
Running back |
| 1983 1983 New York Giants season The 1983 New York Giants season was the 59th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 3–12–1 record, the team's worst record since 1976.-Schedule:... |
Terry Kinard Terry Kinard Alfred "Terry" Terance Kinard , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the New York Giants in the 1st round of the 1983 NFL Draft. A 6'1", 200-lb... |
Clemson Clemson Tigers football The Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference... |
Defensive back |
| 1984 1984 New York Giants season The 1984 New York Giants season was the 60th season for the club in the National Football League. With a 9–7 record, the Giants finished in a tie for second in the National Football Conference East Division and qualified for the playoffs. In the Wild Card round, New York traveled to Anaheim Stadium... |
Carl Banks Carl Banks Carl E. Banks is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League from 1984 to 1995 for the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Browns. He made the Pro Bowl in 1987, had 39.5 career quarterback sacks, and was a member of the NFL's 1980's All-Decade Team... |
Michigan State Michigan State Spartans football The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level... |
Linebacker |
| 1984 | William Roberts | Ohio State Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state... |
Offensive tackle |
| 1985 1985 New York Giants season The 1985 New York Giants season was the 61st season for the club in the National Football League. At the time, the team set a record for most rushing yards in one season by a Giants team.-Regular season:... |
George Adams George Adams (American football) George Wallace Adams is a former professional American football running back.Adams played college football at Kentucky and was a first round pick in the 1985 NFL Draft.... |
Kentucky Kentucky Wildcats football The Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era... |
Running back Running back A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running... |
| 1986 1986 New York Giants season The 1986 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during... |
Eric Dorsey Eric Dorsey Eric Hall Dorsey is a retired American football defensive end for seven seasons in the National Football League. He started in Super Bowl XXV for the New York Giants. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame and was drafted in the first round of the 1986 NFL Draft... |
Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an... |
Defensive end |
| 1987 1987 New York Giants season The 1987 New York Giants season was the 63rd season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champion but failed to qualify for the playoffs... |
Mark Ingram | Michigan State Michigan State Spartans football The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level... |
Wide receiver |
| 1988 1988 New York Giants season The 1988 New York Giants season was the 64th season for the club in the National Football League. The team would finish with 10 wins and 6 losses, but a loss to the New York Jets in the season finale would keep them out of the NFL playoffs for the second consecutive season... |
Eric Moore Eric Moore (offensive lineman) Eric Patrick Moore is a former American football guard who played for the New York Giants , the Cincinnati Bengals , the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins . Moore was drafted in the first round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He was a starter for the Giants in their Super Bowl XXV triumph... |
Indiana Indiana Hoosiers football The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:... |
Offensive tackle |
| 1989 1989 New York Giants season The 1989 New York Giants season was the 65th season for the club in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:-Playoffs:... |
Brian Williams Brian Williams (center) Brian Scott Williams is a former American football center in the National Football League who played for the New York Giants from 1989 to 1999... |
Minnesota Minnesota Golden Gophers football The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as... |
Center |
| 1990 1990 New York Giants season The 1990 New York Giants season was one of the most successful seasons in the professional American football franchise's history. The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference of the National Football League , won their sixth championship—and second Super Bowl—in franchise history... |
Rodney Hampton Rodney Hampton Rodney Craig Hampton born April 3, 1969 in Houston, Texas, is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft. A 5'11", 215 lbs. running back from the University of Georgia by way of Kashmere High School in... |
Georgia Georgia Bulldogs football The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54... |
Running back |
| 1991 1991 New York Giants season The 1991 New York Giants season was the 67th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champion but failed to qualify for the playoffs. They were the eighth team in NFL history to enter a season as the defending Super Bowl... |
Jarrod Bunch Jarrod Bunch Jarrod Ray Bunch is a former American football running back in the National Football League who played for the New York Giants from 1991 to 1993 and the Los Angeles Raiders in 1994... |
Michigan Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history... |
Running back |
| 1992 1992 New York Giants season The 1992 New York Giants season was the 68th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants finished in fourth place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 6–10 record. Ray Handley was fired after this season, when the Giants finished 1–6 after starting the season... |
Derek Brown Derek Brown (tight end) Derek Vernon Brown is a former American football tight end in the National Football League. He was drafted 14th overall in the 1992 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. He also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Oakland Raiders, and the Arizona Cardinals. He was selected by the Jacksonville... |
Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an... |
Tight end Tight end The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be... |
| 1993 1993 New York Giants season The 1993 New York Giants season was the 69th season for the club in the National Football League. Following the 1992 season, Ray Handley was replaced by former Broncos coach Dan Reeves, who immediately released Jeff Hostetler and named Phil Simms the team's starting quarterback.-NFL... |
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| 1994 1994 New York Giants season -Schedule:-References:... |
Thomas Lewis | Indiana Indiana Hoosiers football The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:... |
Wide receiver |
| 1995 1995 New York Giants season The 1995 New York Giants season was the 71st season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants finished in fourth place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 5–11 record.-NFL Draft:-Staff:-Schedule:-References:... |
Tyrone Wheatley Tyrone Wheatley Tyrone Anthony Wheatley is the running backs coach at Syracuse University and a former professional American football player who played 10 seasons in the National Football League and was one of the most successful high school and collegiate athletes in Metropolitan Detroit history... |
Michigan Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history... |
Running back |
| 1996 1996 New York Giants season The 1996 New York Giants season was the 72nd season for the club in the National Football League. With a 6–10 record, the Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division.-NFL Draft:-Staff:-Schedule:-References:... |
Cedric Jones Cedric Jones (defensive lineman) Cedric Lewis Jones is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the New York Giants, who played in Super Bowl XXXV. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma and was drafted in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft... |
Oklahoma Oklahoma Sooners football The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association... |
Defensive end |
| 1997 1997 New York Giants season The 1997 New York Giants season was the team's 73rd season in the National Football League. On January 15, Jim Fassel was named as the fifteenth coach in club history. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 6–10, winning ten games and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time... |
Ike Hilliard Ike Hilliard Isaac Jason "Ike" Hilliard is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver for twelve seasons in the National Football League during the 1990s and 2000s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for... |
Florida Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference... |
Wide receiver |
| 1998 1998 New York Giants season The 1998 New York Giants season was the team's 74th season in the National Football League. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 10–5–1, winning only eight games and missing the playoffs... |
Shaun Williams Shaun Williams Shaun LeJon Williams is a former American football safety, most recently for the Carolina Panthers, of the National Football League. Williams attended Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California and played both tailback and safety. He won All-CIF Division I and Del Rey League MVP in his... |
UCLA UCLA Bruins Football The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll... |
Defensive back |
| 1999 1999 New York Giants season The 1999 New York Giants season was the team's 75th season in the National Football League. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 8–8, winning only seven games and missing the playoffs for the second straight season.-Schedule:... |
Luke Petitgout | Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an... |
Offensive tackle |
| 2000 2000 New York Giants season The 2000 New York Giants season was the 76th season for the club in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Preseason:-Regular season:The giants began the 2000 season hoping to get over the hump of coming short the past two seasons.... |
Ron Dayne Ron Dayne Ron Dayne is a former American football running back who is currently a free agent. He holds the NCAA record for career rushing yards, and he won the 1999 Heisman Trophy.-Early life:... |
Wisconsin Wisconsin Badgers football The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football... |
Running back |
| 2001 2001 New York Giants season The New York Giants' 2001 season saw them return as Super Bowl runners-up, after losing Super Bowl XXXV to the Baltimore Ravens. The Giants finished with a 7–9 record and failed to qualify for the play-offs.-NFL Draft:-Season:... |
Will Allen | Syracuse Syracuse Orange football The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision... |
Defensive back |
| 2002 2002 New York Giants season The 2002 New York Giants season was the team's 78th season in the National Football League. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 7–9, winning ten games and making a playoff appearance. They ended the season on a four game winning streak.... |
Jeremy Shockey Jeremy Shockey Jeremy Charles Shockey is an American football tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants 14th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft... |
Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes football The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships... |
Tight end |
| 2003 2003 New York Giants season The 2003 New York Giants season was the team's 79th season in the National Football League. The team was unable to duplicate their 2002 season's playoff appearance, instead only winning four games and finishing the season on an eight game losing streak which cost head coach Jim Fassel his... |
William Joseph | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes football The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships... |
Defensive tackle |
| 2004 2004 New York Giants season The 2004 NFL season was the 80th season for the New York Giants. After starting the season 5–2, the Giants finished 6–10, 2nd in the NFC East.-Offseason:... |
Philip Rivers Philip Rivers Philip Rivers is an American football quarterback for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League . He was one half of the Manning-Rivers draft trade which sent him to San Diego and the 1st overall pick, Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning, to the New York Giants. Rivers played college... * |
North Carolina State | Quarterback |
| 2005 2005 New York Giants season -Offseason:In the 2005 off–season the Giants acquired former Steelers' wide receiver Plaxico Burress as a free agent. Also, during the 2005 Draft, the Giants used their first pick on Louisiana St. Cornerback Corey Webster. They then used their next pick on Notre Dame Defensive End Justin Tuck. ... |
No Selection | ||
| 2006 2006 New York Giants season The 2006 New York Giants season began with the team trying to improve on their 11–5 record in 2005, which saw them win the NFC East. They did not win the NFC East or improve on that record, falling to 8-8 on the season after starting 6-2... |
Mathias Kiwanuka Mathias Kiwanuka Mathias Kagimu Kiwanuka is an American football linebacker for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was originally drafted 32nd overall in the 2006 NFL draft. He played college football at Boston College. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.-Early... |
Boston College Boston College Eagles football The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division... |
Defensive end |
| 2007 2007 New York Giants season The 2007 New York Giants season was the 83rd season for the New York Giants in the National Football League. The Giants finished the regular season 10–6 and in second place in the NFC East, improving upon their 8–8 record in 2006 in which they finished third in their division... |
Aaron Ross | Texas Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National... |
Defensive back |
| 2008 2008 New York Giants season The 2008 New York Giants season was the franchise's 84th season in the National Football League as the team looked to defend its Super Bowl XLII title. They improved upon their 10–6 record from 2007, becoming NFC East champions and finished with the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs with a 12-4 record... |
Kenny Phillips Kenny Phillips -New York Giants:Phillips was expected to compete for the vacant free safety position left by Gibril Wilson, who left for free agency to the Oakland Raiders in the 2008 offseason... |
Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes football The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships... |
Defensive back |
| 2009 2009 New York Giants season The 2009 New York Giants season was the 85th season for the team in the National Football League. It was the team's final season in Giants Stadium; In 2010, the Giants moved into New Meadowlands Stadium. The Giants hoped to improve upon their 12–4 record, avenge their divisional round loss to the... |
Hakeem Nicks Hakeem Nicks -New York Giants:On August 1, 2009, Nicks signed a five-year, $12.54 million contract. The deal includes a $6.5 million signing bonus. During training camp, Nicks vied for a starting position with the Giants other receivers, most notably Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith.2009Nicks made his first career... |
North Carolina North Carolina Tar Heels football The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566... |
Wide receiver |
| 2010 2010 New York Giants season The 2010 New York Giants season was the 86th season for the team in the National Football League and the team's inaugural season in New Meadowlands Stadium. The Giants improved on their 8–8 2009 record by finishing 10–6 and second place in the NFC East... |
Jason Pierre-Paul Jason Pierre-Paul Jason Pierre-Paul is an American football defensive end for the New York Giants of the National Football League. His nickname is JPP. He was drafted by the Giants in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft... |
South Florida South Florida Bulls football The South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus... |
Defensive end |
| 2011 2011 New York Giants season The 2011 New York Giants season is the 87th season for the team in the National Football League. The Giants finished with a 10–6 record in 2010 however they missed the playoffs... |
Prince Amukamara Prince Amukamara -College career:After arriving at Nebraska, Amukamara contemplated playing basketball on top of football, but dropped those plans after fall football practices began. As a freshman in 2007, Amukamara was described as being a newcomer "with a lot of personality" by senior linebacker Corey McKeon. He... |
Nebraska Nebraska Cornhuskers football The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A... |
Defensive back |
- Traded on draft day2004 NFL DraftThe 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
with the San Diego ChargersSan Diego ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
for Eli ManningEli ManningEli Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning...
Radio and television
As of 2010, the Giants' flagship radio station is WFANWFAN
WFAN , also known as "Sports Radio 66" or "The FAN", is a radio station in New York City. The station broadcasts on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio...
660 AM, the oldest all-sports radio station in the United States. Some games in August and September are moved to WXRK or WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM is a CBS-owned radio station in New York City. The station's studios are in the combined CBS Radio facility at 345 Hudson Street in Manhattan, and its transmitter is located on the Empire State Building....
due to conflicts with the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
baseball team.
Bob Papa
Bob Papa
Bob Papa is an American sportscaster. Papa is employed by NFL Network, HBO, and the New York Giants.-Biography:Papa grew up in Dumont, New Jersey and graduated from Bergen Catholic High School in nearby Oradell...
on play-by-play and Carl Banks
Carl Banks
Carl E. Banks is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League from 1984 to 1995 for the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Browns. He made the Pro Bowl in 1987, had 39.5 career quarterback sacks, and was a member of the NFL's 1980's All-Decade Team...
on color commentary are the Giants' radio broadcast team, with Howard Cross
Howard Cross
Howard Edward Cross, Jr. is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League. Cross was drafted out of the University of Alabama in the 1989 NFL Draft by the New York Giants in the sixth round...
as the sideline reporter. When Papa is unavailable to call games Chris Carrino
Chris Carrino
Chris Carrino is an American sports play-by-play announcer. He currently serves at the lead radio play by play announcer for the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association, a position he has held for nearly a decade, and as one of Compass Media Networks' NFL play-by-play...
, WFAN's lead broadcaster for the New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, substitutes for him. Games are carried over the New York Giants Radio Network
New York Giants Radio Network
The New York Giants Radio Network is a broadcast radio network based in New York City, the official radio broadcaster of the New York Giants. The network's radio broadcasts are currently flagshipped at WFAN, a station owned by CBS Radio....
over various stations in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and (as of 2010) Mississippi.
Preseason telecasts not seen nationally air in the area on WNBC
WNBC
WNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
, "4 New York". National cable broadcasts carried over the local airwaves aired on WPIX in 2009; Giants and Jets regular season games broadcast on cable are usually carried by either WPIX or WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
with rare exceptions.
The Current Public Address Announcer for the Giants home games is Jim Hall
Past
WFAN has produced the Giants' radio broadcasts since the mid '90s, but has not always aired them on the station. The first year of production saw the games airing on the team's flagship station at the time, WOR, as WFAN was already the radio flagship for the New York JetsNew 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...
and continued to be so for several years after the station acquired the radio rights to the Giants. For the following season the radiocasts aired simultaneously on both WOR and WFAN, with the games moving solely to the latter the next year. In 1997 the Giants radio broadcast was moved to WNEW-FM and stayed there for the next three seasons so as not to interfere/overlap with the Jets coverage airing on the station. After the Jets moved to WABC
WABC (AM)
WABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
in 2000, the Giants returned to WFAN and have been there since.
The Giants' longtime radio home was WNEW-AM
WBBR
WBBR is a radio station broadcasting at 1130 AM in New York City. It airs Bloomberg Radio, a service of Bloomberg L.P. WBBR's format is general and financial news, offering local, national and international news reports along with financial market updates and interviews with corporate executives,...
, where games aired from the mid-1950s until 1993 when the station was bought by Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
and changed its format. Marty Glickman
Marty Glickman
Martin "Marty" Glickman was a Jewish American track and field athlete and sports announcer, born in The Bronx, New York. His parents, Harry and Molly Glickmann, immigrated to the United States from Jassy, Romania....
teamed with Al DeRogatis
Al DeRogatis
Albert John "Al" DeRogatis was an American football player and television and radio sportscaster.-Biography:...
for a long stretch beginning in the early 1960s on WNEW-AM. Chip Cipolla
Chip Cipolla
Chip Cipolla was a radio announcer for the New York Football Giants and other professional sports teams in the New York City area....
joined Glickman after DeRogatis left to join Curt Gowdy
Curt Gowdy
Curtis Edward "Curt" Gowdy was an American sportscaster, well known as the longtime "voice" of the Boston Red Sox and for his coverage of many nationally-televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:The son of a manager for the Union Pacific railroad,...
on NBC. After the WNEW split, games began airing on WOR. Glickman moved to the crosstown Jets in 1973 and was succeeded by Marv Albert
Marv Albert
Marv Albert is an American television and radio sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he is commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball." From 1967–2004, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks."Including Super Bowl XLII, Marv has called...
. Jim Gordon
Jim Gordon (sportscaster)
Jim Gordon was an American television and radio newscaster and play-by-play sportscaster in the New York City area for nearly 40 years....
succeeded Albert in 1977, beginning an 18-year tenure as the Giants' play-by-play voice. Meanwhile, 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...
succeeded Cipolla as color analyst in 1976 and continued in that role through 2007, with his last game being Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
, and retired following the season due to his advancing leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
, which took his life in September 2008.
Eventually Gordon and Lynch were joined by Karl Nelson
Karl Nelson
Karl Stuart Nelson was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He was a member of the 1986 Giants team that won Super Bowl XXI. He missed the 1987 season due to illness . Nelson played college football at Iowa State University...
, a former lineman for the Giants. Gordon and Nelson were fired after the 1994 season, after which Papa took over the play-by-play (after being studio host) and led a two-man booth with Lynch. Dave Jennings
Dave Jennings (American football)
David Tuthill Jennings is a former American football punter with a 14 year career from 1974 to 1987 in the National Football League. He played for the New York Giants and the New York Jets. He worked as a radio color commentator for Giants games from 2002 until 2007, when he was replaced by former...
joined the broadcast team in 2002 following his firing by the 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...
, with whom he had worked since his 1987 retirement from the NFL. Jennings was moved to the pregame show after the 2006 season and was replaced by Carl Banks
Carl Banks
Carl E. Banks is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League from 1984 to 1995 for the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Browns. He made the Pro Bowl in 1987, had 39.5 career quarterback sacks, and was a member of the NFL's 1980's All-Decade Team...
.
After WFAN began airing games Richard Neer
Richard Neer
Richard Neer is an American disc jockey and sports radio personality who has been involved in, and has chronicled, key changes in both music and sports radio.- Biography :...
served as pregame and postgame host. Eventually, Sid Rosenberg
Sid Rosenberg
Sidney Arthur Rosenberg is an American radio personality currently heard weekday mornings on 1010 WINS in New York City, and afternoons on WQAM in Miami, Florida....
served as pregame and postgame host for home games. They were replaced by Chris Carlin
Chris Carlin
Chris Carlin is an American television and radio personality. Along with on-air partner Bob Ojeda, co-hosts pre- and post-game telecasts for New York Mets games on local New York television station SNY...
, who in turn was replaced by WWOR and WNYW sports reporter Russ Salzberg for 2008.
The Giants were carried on the DuMont Network, then CBS (New York's Channel 2) in the early TV days of the NFL, when home games were blacked out within a 75-mile radius of New York City. Chris Schenkel
Chris Schenkel
Christopher Eugene "Chris" Schenkel was an American sportscaster. Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and baritone voice.-Early life and career:Schenkel began his broadcasting career at radio...
was their play-by-play announcer in that early era when each team was assigned its own network voice on its regional telecasts. At the time, there were few if any true national telecasts until the NFL championship game, which was carried by NBC. Schenkel was joined by Jim McKay
Jim McKay
James Kenneth McManus , better known by his professional name of Jim McKay, was an American television sports journalist....
, later Johnny Lujack
Johnny Lujack
John Christopher Lujack Jr. is a former American football quarterback and 1947 Heisman Trophy winner.Lujack was born on January 4, 1925, in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame, and professionally for the Chicago Bears. Lujack was the first of...
through the 1950s and the early 1960s. As Giants players retired to the broadcast booth in the early and 1960s, first Pat Summerall
Pat Summerall
George Allen "Pat" Summerall is a former American football player and television sportscaster, having worked at CBS, Fox, and ESPN.Summerall is best known for his work with John Madden on NFL telecasts for CBS and Fox.-High school:...
, then 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....
took the color analyst slot next to Schenkel. As the 1970 merger of the NFL and AFL approached, CBS moved to a more generic announcer approach and Schenkel was off the broadcasts.
Giants regular-season Sunday telecasts moved to Fox when that network took over NFC telecasts in 1994 and are carried locally by WNYW
WNYW
WNYW, virtual channel 5 , is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. The station's transmitter is atop the Empire State Building and its studio facilities are located in the Yorkville section of Manhattan...
.
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
and WPIX were previously home to Giants preseason telecasts in the 1990s. After the NFC rights were lost by CBS, the Giants followed the conference's broadcast rights to WNYW. WWOR became the Giants' flagship TV station in the late '90s, and stayed so up until WNBC took over rights in 2005.