Glory Days I n 1925 professional football was in grave danger Millions of fans bought tickets each season to witness the daring feats of young college stars However sometimes only a few hundred people would show up for an NFL game For Tim Mara the owner of the New York Giants this was a problem His team played its first season in 1925 and empty seats were causing him to lose money Mara believed that the NFL could and would do well in New York That theory was put to the test in December of 1925 when the Giants hosted Red Grange and the Chicago Bears in New York City Mara was thrilled when he walked onto the field and saw more than 70,000 fans in the stands It was the turning point for the NFL and the Giants Beginning that remarkable day the Mara family built one of the most successful teams in sports history During the 1920s the 6
Giants relied on a strong defense led by linemen Cal Hubbard Al Nesser and Steve Owen who later became the team’s coach In 1927 New York allowed only 20 points all season With running back Jack McBride leading the offense the Giants were crowned NFL champions In the 1930s quarterbacks Benny Friedman and Harry Newman starred for New York Their favorite targets included Ray Flaherty and Red Badgro Ken Strong and Ward Cuff were among the best all-around players in the NFL Another sensational Giant was Mel Hein He was the only offensive lineman ever to be named the league’s Most Valuable Player MVP Hein was joined in the trenches by Frank Cope Len Younce and Al Blozis The Giants won the NFL title in 1934 and 1938 They continued to field strong teams into the 1940s LEFT This program is from the Giants first season ABOVE Coach Steve Owen checks out the NFL rule book with Mel Hein and Ken Strong 7
E GIANTS
in the game During the 1950s and early 1960s the Giants became the NFL’s most glamorous team They had many of the best-known stars including quarterbacks Charley Conerly and Y A Tittle lineman Rosie Brown running backs Frank Gifford and Alex Webster and receivers Don Heinrich Del Shofner and Kyle Rote The roster also included defensive stars Rosey Grier Andy Robustelli Sam Huff Emlen Tunnell and Jimmy Patton The Giants won the NFL title in 1956 and played for the championship five times from 1958 to 1963 After four decades of success the Giants struggled to stay on top From 1964 to 1983 they had just three winning seasons During that time the Giants moved from their longtime home in New York to the Meadowlands Sports Complex in New Jersey The Giants began to win again after the Maras turned to George Young to run the team’s business affairs Young made a great move when he hired Bill Parcells to coach the team Parcells built a strong defense around linebackers Lawrence Taylor Harry Carson and Carl Banks They held opponents in check while quarterback Phil Simms put points on the board He was surrounded by teammates LEFT Lawrence Taylor ABOVE Bill Parcells and quarterback Phil Simms talk over a play 9
