GIANTS HISTORY

1925 Tim Mara bought the New York Giants for $500 and changed the name to the New York Football Giants. He did this so his team would not be confused with the New York Giants baseball team that also played in the Polo Grounds. They lost their home opener to the Frankford Yellow Jackets, but ended the season 8-4.

1926 Dr. Joseph Alexander replaced Bob Folwell as head coach. The Giants finished the season with an 8-4-1 record.

1927 New head coach Earl Potteiger led the Giants to their first NFL title with a record of 11-1-1.

1928 The Giants finished the season 4-7-2 and Earl Potteiger was fired along with 18 players.

1929 In a quest to bring New York another championship, Tim Mara bought the Detroit Wolverines and brought to New York their quarterback Benny Friedman along with the rest of their top players. He also hired a new head coach, LeRoy Andrews. The Giants finished the season in second place with a record of 13-1-1.

1930 The Giants finished in second place. The highlight of the season was an exhibition game against a team of Notre Dame alumni that was coached by the legendary Knute Rockne. The Giants won the game, but more importantly over $100,000 was raised to benefit people suffering due to the Great Depression.

1931 Steve Owen became the new head coach and the Giants finished the season with a record of 7-6-1.

1932 The Giants finished the season with a record of 4-6-2.

1933 The Giants finished the regular season with an outstanding record of 11-3. The Bears defeated the Giants 23-21 at Wrigley Field to win the NFL Championship.

1934 The Giants stumbled to an 8-5 record during the regular season. They played outstanding football in the playoffs and reached the NFL title game versus the Bears. At the Polo Grounds in freezing conditions, the Giants switched from cleats to basketball sneakers and overcame a 10 point third quarter deficit to defeat the Bears 30-13 in what is known as the "Sneakers Game."

1935 For the third consecutive year, the Giants played in the NFL title game. Detroit defeated the Giants 26-7. The Giants finished the regular season with a 9-3 record.

1936 For only the third time in team history, the Giants finished below .500, 5-6-1. The first NFL Draft was held and the Giants chose Art Lewis, a tackle from Ohio University.

1937 The Giants rebounded from their poor performance in 1936 to finish with a 6-3-2 record. Management introduced the team's new blue jerseys.

1938 The Giants defeated the Packers 23-17 to win their third NFL title. Their record was 8-2-1.

1939 The Packers overwhelmed the Giants 27-0 in the NFL title game. The Giants finished the season with a record of 9-1-1.

1940 The Giants finished the regular season with a record of 6-4-1. Center Mel Hein was an All-Pro for the tenth consecutive year.

1941 In a miraculous finish, the Giants scored a field goal and a touchdown in the final 50 seconds to overcome a 13-10 deficit to the Redskins in the Eastern Division championship game. Chicago defeated the Giants 37-9 to win another NFL title.

1942 The Giants finished the season with a record of 5-5-1.

1943 Due to World War II, only nine teams were able to field teams. The Giants finished the season with a record of 6-3-1. The Redskins defeated them in the Eastern Division championship game.

1944 The Packers defeated the Giants 14-7 to win the NFL title. The Giants finished the season with a record of 8-1-1.

1945 The Giants finished the season with a record of 3-6-1.

1946 The Giants run for the title was marred by allegations that two Giants were involved in a plan to fix the championship game. The Bears defeated the Giants 24-14 in the NFL title game.

1947 The Giants fell to a record of 2-8-2.

1948 Emlen Tunnell, a defensive back, became the first African-American player to be signed by the Giants. The Giants finished the season with a record of 4-8.

1949 The Giants shared the Polo Grounds with another NFL franchise, the New York Bulldogs, and finished the season with a 6-6 record.

1950 As a result of the Bulldogs and Giants dividing up the talent of the former All-American Football Conference Yankees, Tom Landry became a Giant. The Giants finished the season 10-2 and were defeated in a playoff game by the Browns.

1951 The Giants drafted Kyle Rote, Sr. out of Southern Methodist University. The Giants finished the season with a record of 9-2-1 and Eddie Price won the NFL rushing title.

1952 USC's Frank Gifford was the Giants first selection in the NFL Draft. The Giants finished the season with a record of 7-5.

1953 Steve Owen retired after his 23rd season as head coach of the Giants. His final season ended with a sub-par record of 3-9.

1954 New head coach, Jim Lee Howell, led the Giants to a record of 7-5.

1955 The Giants finished the season with a record of 6-5-1.

1956 Yankee Stadium became the home of the Giants. Defensive end Andy Robustelli played his first season with the Giants. NFL Player of the Year, Frank Gifford, and Rookie of the Year, Sam Huff, led the Giants to a record of 8-3-1 and the NFL title.

1957 The Giants finished the season with a record of 7-5.

1958 The Giants finished the season with a record of 9-3. In 1958, against the Baltimore Colts, the Giants lost in the first sudden death overtime in an NFL championship game. This game has been referred to as, "The Greatest Game Ever Played."

1959 On February 4, assistant coach Vince Lombardi left the Giants organization to become the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. On February 17, the Giants co-founder Tim Mara died. The Giants lost to the Baltimore Colts in the championship game for the second year in a row.

1960 Defensive coach Tom Landry left the Giants to be the head coach of the expansion Dallas Cowboys. After the Giants ended the season with a 6-4-2 record, head coach Jim Lee Howell announced his retirement. Allie Sherman was named his replacement.

1961 The NY logo first appeared on the helmets of players. The Giants, once again, made it to the championship game, only to be beaten by a much better Green Bay team.

1962 In front of 64,892 fans, the Giants and the Packers played for the NFL title. For the second straight year, the Packers were victorious by a score of 16-7.

1963 Quarterback Y.A. Tittle threw for 36 touchdowns, while kicker Don Chandler led the league with 106 points. (52-pat, 18-fg.) The Giants took another trip to the league championship game, this time against the Chicago Bears. The Giants missed another chance at the championship, as the Bears won a close game 14-10.

1964 For the first time in 17 years, the Giants ended their season with the worst record in their conference. Ending with a season record of 2-10-2, players Alex Webster and Frank Gifford announced their retirement.

1965 On June 15, Jack Mara died after being the Giants president for 31 years. Despite all the retirement announcements, the Giants bounce back with a 7-7 record, finishing second in the conference.

1966 The Giants finished the regular season with their worst record ever, 1-12-1. Kicker Pete Gogolak was the first player to switch from the AFL to the NFL.

1967 The Giants acquired quarterback Fran Tarkenton from the Vikings, who threw for 29 touchdowns. He lead the team to a second place finish in the newly named Century Division of the Eastern Conference, with a record of 7-7.

1968 Homer Jones, for his third season in a row, received for more than 1000 yards, leading the team to yet another 7-7 regular season record. Allie Sherman coached his final season for the New York Giants.

1969 With a 6-8 record, the Giants finished second in the Century Division. Lead by former back Alex Webster, the new head coach, the Giants played the first annual pre-season game versus the New York Jets.

1970 Running Back Ron Johnson became the Giants first 1000-yard rusher, but with a 9-5 regular season record, the Giants did not make the playoffs.

1971 With a 4-10 finish to the season, QB Fran Tarkenton was traded back to the Vikings for Norm Snead.

1972 QB Norm Snead lead the league in passing and the Giants finished with an 8-6 record. November 26 marks the date of the Giants all-time, one-game scoring record. They scored 8 touchdowns and two field goals to beat the Eagles 62-10.

1973 After the announcement of Alex Webster's retirement, the Giants finished the season with a record of 2-11-1. The Giants played only two games at Yankee Stadium and the rest of their home games at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut.

1974 After trading Norm Snead to the San Francisco 49ers, the Giants finished fifth in the NFC East, with a 2-12 record.

1975 Playing all their home games at Shea Stadium, the Giants finished the season 5-9.

1976 The Giants moved to their new home at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They re-acquired Norm Snead and obtained Miami running back Larry Csonka while Bill Arnsparger was fired and replaced by John McVay. They finished the season with a record of 3-11.

1977 The Giants finished the regular season with a record of 5-9.

1978 The Giants finished 6-10, fired John McVay as head coach and replaced him with Ray Perkins from the San Diego Chargers.

1979 Defensive tackle Troy Archer was killed in a traffic accident. Phil Simms, a first-round draft pick, took over as quarterback and the Giants finished the season with a record of 6-10.

1980 The Giants end the season with a 4-12 record.

1981 The acquisition of the second-round draft pick Lawrence Taylor and the running back Rob Carpenter from Houston, lead the Giants to a Wild Card game against the Eagles, where they were victorious by a score of 27-21. The Giants lost in the divisional playoffs to the 49ers and finished the season 9-7.

1982 A strike shortened the regular season to only 9 games and the Giants finished with a 4-5 record. Although they did not make it to the playoffs, four Giant players were named to the Pro-Bowl (Carson, Taylor, Haynes and Jennings). Ray Perkins decided to return to Alabama as head football coach, and Bill Parcells was named his replacement.

1983 With a season plagued by injury and the deaths of assistant coach Bob Ledbetter and running back Doug Kotar, the Giants finished the season with a 3-12-1 record. Amidst all these problems, again, four players were named to the Pro-Bowl. (Taylor, Carson, Haynes, and kicker Haji-Sheik)

1984 Lead by a healthy Simms and three-time pro-bowlers Taylor, Haynes, and Carson, as well as Bill Parcells (NFC East Coach of the Year), the Giants finished second in the NFC East with a 9-7 record. Phil Simms set club records during the season with 286-533 completions for 4044 yards passing. Five rookies, Nelson, Reasons, Banks Williams, and Johnson were named to the All-NFL Rookie Team.

1985 A 10-6 regular season record found the Giants in the divisional playoffs once again. Losing to the Bears who went on to become superbowl champions, the Giants had their most impressive season in over 20 years. Setting many club records, Simms, Taylor, Marshall, Carson, and Morris were named to the Pro-Bowl, and were the primary contributors to the two-year streak of winning seasons.

1986 With a record of 17-2, the New York Giants won their first Super Bowl Championship. Phil Simms was named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, Lawrence Taylor was named the league's Most Valuable Player, and Bill Parcells was named Coach of the Year by the NFL. Eight Players were named to the Pro-Bowl: Morris, Simms, Marshall, Taylor, Bavaro, Landetta, Carson, and Burt. The Giants were undefeated at home both in the regular season and in the playoffs. Joe Morris set the Giants single season rushing record at 1,516 yards. This season was the best in Giants Football history.

1987 A horrible season for a championship team, but with injuries and a player's strike, the Giants ended the season with a 6-9 record. Even though they had endured a bad season, four players were named to the Pro-Bowl (Taylor, Banks, Carson, Bavaro).

1988 The Giants made a small comeback and finished the season with a 10-6 record. Despite the winning record, they did not make the playoffs and only two players were named to the Pro-Bowl. Lawrence Taylor went to his eighth consecutive Pro-Bowl, while Terry Kinard went to his first.

1989 Winning the NFC East Championship, the Giants finished up the season with a 12-4 record. Despite what the media had predicted, the team ended a great season with only two Pro-Bowl selections, Lawrence Taylor for his ninth appearance, and rookie Dave Megget.

1990 Finishing the season with a final record of 13-3, the Giants went on to win their second Super Bowl Championship. Under the leadership of Jeff Hostetler, replacing the injured Phil Simms, the Giants had an incredible season and beat the Buffalo Bills in the championship by a score of 20-19. Taylor made his tenth straight appearance in a Pro-Bowl, and was joined by six other Giant players. Ottis Anderson received the Super Bowl's MVP Award, and Bill Parcells announced his retirement with a career coaching record of 85-52-1. Ray Handley was named head coach. Tim Mara sold his 50% ownership of the team to Preston Robert Tisch, who assumed the position as CEO of the New York Giants.

1991 The team finished with an 8-8 record, not good enough for a playoff birth. Center Bart Oates was named to his second consecutive Pro-Bowl, and Jeff Hostetler became the starting QB.

1992 A 6-10 record cost Ray Handley his job, and Dan Reeves from the Denver Broncos was named his replacement. Rodney Hampton earned his first trip to the Pro-Bowl, and Lawrence Taylor was injured for most of the season.

1993 Finishing second in the NFC East with a record of 11-5, the Giants went on to lose in the divisional playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers. Lawrence Taylor announced his plans of retirement and the end of a brilliant 13-year career.

1994 The Giants finished with a 9-7 record, but even with this winning record, they did not go to the playoffs. Dave Brown became the starting quarterback, and Rodney Hampton set a team record with his fourth consecutive 1000 yard rushing season. Lawrence Taylor's jersey, number "56", was retired on October 10, 1994 during a Monday night football game.

1995 The season ended with 5-11 record, but Rodney Hampton recorded incredible numbers with a career high 1,182 yards rushing, to become the Giants all-time leading rusher. On Monday night, September 4, 1995, Phil Simm's jersey, number "11", was retired.

1996 Dan Reeves was fired after a 6-10 season, and Jim Fassel was hired to lead the team in the right direction. Despite having a great defense, the Giants had the worst offense in the NFL.

1997 Jim Fassel lead the team to 12-5-1 record in his first season as head coach. A dramatic improvement from a year earlier, the Giants became the NFC East Champions. Jesse Armstead and Michael Strahan were named to the Pro Bowl, and the Giants became the 15th team in history to go from worst in the league to first in the league. Danny Kanell was named the starting quarterback, the defense was rated best in the league, and Fassel received top coaching honors from many major publications and polls as the coach of the year. The Giants general manager George Young announced that he was leaving the Giants to take a job with the NFL, and Ernie Accorsi was named as his replacement. Giants Co-owner Wellington Mara was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1998 The Giants finished the regular season with a record of 8-8. They played in their 1000th game, and Head Coach Jim Fossel was named Coach of the year by various publications.

1999 Lawrence Taylor was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after 13 seasons with the Giants. The Giants finished the season with a 7-9 record.

2000 Finishing the regular season as the NFC East Divisional Champions with a record of 12-4, the New York Giants earned a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. They began their Championship run in a divisional playoff game on January 7th, beating their long-time rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 20-10. With the victory, the Giants advanced to the NFC Championship game where they dominated the Minnesota Vikings at Giants Stadium by a score of 41-0. Upon winning the NFC Championship, the Giants went on to face the AFC Champion Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV. The game took place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on January 28th. However, the Ravens' top defense proved to be too tough for the Giants as they fell to Baltimore by a score of 34-7.

2001 With two of their core players re-signed for seasons to come, Tiki Barber and Jason Sehorn, the Giants appeared poised to be one of the top teams in the NFL again. After opening the season with a 3-1 record, the Giants lost eight of their last ten games to finish with a 7-9 record. It was the third time in as many tries that they failed to make the playoffs in a season following a Super Bowl appearance. Despite their disappointing final record, the season included many highlights, notably the brilliant play of defensive end Michael Strahan. Strahan set a NFL record by recording 22.5 sacks, was named defensive player of the year, and was selected to the 2002 Pro Bowl along with Linebacker Jessie Armstead and Offensive Guard Ron Stone. The Giants defense kept the Giants in many close games and proved to be one of the best in the NFL. With their defensive standouts remaining in place, the Giants will surely contend next season among the NFC’s elite.

2002 The Giants were lightly regarded entering the 2002 season. But a blend of seasoned veterans and talented youngsters came together to win their final four regular season games and clinch a playoff berth. One of the main reasons for the Giants’ success this season can be attributed to the stellar play of rookie Jeremy Shockey who nabbed 74 receptions for 894 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games to lead all NFL tight ends this season. Shockey was the only rookie selected to the Pro Bowl and also finished second to Denver's Clinton Portis for the AP Rookie of the Year Award. Shockey was not the only star in the Giants’ rejuvenated offense, which averaged 30.8 points a game in the final six weeks of the season. Kerry Collins led the NFC in passing yardage by throwing for 4,073 yards and 19 touchdowns making this one of the most productive seasons for a quarterback in Giants’ history. Tiki Barber led the NFC with 1,984 total yards from scrimmage and Amani Toomer put up a career-high 1,343 receiving yards. The defense was led by Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan who amassed 11 sacks and 55 tackles while terrorizing quarterbacks throughout the league despite constantly drawing double coverage. With most of the older players still in their prime, the expected improvement of the younger players, and the offseason additions expected to come from the draft and free agency, the Giants believe they can build on the season's success and advance further into the playoffs next year.

2003 The New York Giants finished out the 2003 season with eight consecutive defeats and a 4-12 record, the franchise's worst mark in 20 years. Most players are now looking ahead to 2004 with the hope that next season will be far more successful. With plenty of talent on the Giants roster such as 2004 Pro Bowlers Mike Strahan and Jeremy Shockey, New York hopes to be a serious playoff contender next season. The Giants have the fourth pick in the draft, which will give them an opportunity to fill a need with one of the very best players available. After seven years, the Giants will develop their draft plans without the input of outgoing head coach Jim Fassel. Fassel's replacement will likely make significant roster alterations that will compliment the quality players that remain.

2004 The Giants finished their injury-plagued season with a disappointing 6-10 record and second place in the NFC East. After a 5-2 start, the Giants went into a tailspin and lost eight of their last nine games, missing the playoffs for the second-straight year and the third time in four years. After an injury-riddled season in 2003, the Giants were forced to suffer a similar fate in 2004. Sixteen players, including defensive end Michael Strahan, were placed on injured reserve, and Rich Seubert spent the year on the physically unable to perform list. However, there were some bright spots in the Giants season, most notably the emergence of Eli Manning as the team’s propable quarterback for the future. After rocky outings at Washington and Baltimore, Manning rebounded with three strong games to end the season. He concluded his rookie year by completing 18 of 27 passes for 144 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in the last game of the season against the Cowboys.

Although Manning showed great potential at quarterback, the season belonged to running back Tiki Barber who had one of the best individual years in Giants history and was selected to his first Pro Bowl. Barber broke three important franchise records during the last game of the season on January 2nd. On a game-winning touchdown, Barber set a single-season record of 1,518 yards—two more than Joe Morris had in 1986. Earlier in the game, he had become the franchise’s new career rushing leader. He ended the night with 6,927 yards, which tops Rodney Hampton’s old standard of 6,897 yards. Barber finished the season with an NFL-best 2096 yards from scrimmage, which is also a new Giants record. Barber set the old mark of 2,085 yards in 2000.

The Giants should be able to bounce back in 2005 as they have many talented young players who gained invaluable experience this season, notably quarterback Eli Manning. The Giants will also return several of the 17 players on the injured reserve next season.

2005 In 2005, Eli Manning (3,762 yards, 24 TD's) emerged as one of the brightest young quarterbacks in the NFL and helped propel the Giants to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. The season began with uncertainty following last season’s disappointing 6-10 record; however, it quickly became apparent that the ’06 version of Big Blue would emerge as a proud, winning franchise under the guidance and leadership of head coach Tom Coughlin.

The Giants won three of their first four contests, twice eclipsing the 40-point mark in wins over Arizona (42-19) and St. Louis (44-24), and headed into an early bye-week (week four) as a contender for the NFC East Title. Following a difficult 3-point loss to the Cowboys after the break, the Giants strung together a three-game win streak, managing impressive victories over the Broncos, Redskins and 49ers, with the latter two wins coming by a combined score of 60-6 (36-0; 24-6). Following a minor slide in late November, the Giants finished the campaign on a high note, winning four out of their final five match-ups to clinch their first division title since the 2001 season with an impressive 11-5 record.

Although the Giants succeeded on the field with a team-first approach to winning, they received several fantastic individual performances from marquee players in 2005. Tiki Barber, a nine-year veteran, had the best season of his pro career, finishing second in the NFL in overall rushing yards (1,860), averaging over five yards per carry (5.2) and reaching the end zone nine times for touchdowns. The 30-year-old eclipsed the 1,500 yard mark for the second time in his NFL career (1,518 in 2004) and fumbled just once on 357 carries. Barber, named to the AP All-Pro Team along with teammate and defensive-end Osi Umenyiora (14.5 sacks to lead the NFC), was invited to his second Pro Bowl (2004). Michael Strahan (DE), Jeremy Shockey (TE), David Tyree (ST), Barber and Umenyiora were all selected to represent the NFC in the 2006 Pro Bowl.

2006 Coming off a superb 2005 season in which the Giants were 11-5 and NFC East Champions, expectations were extremely high. After starting the season 6-2, the Giants seemed poised to repeat, if not exceed their 2005 campaign. However, the team’s season crumbled down the stretch after season-ending injuries to Michael Strahan, Amani Toomer and LaVarr Arrington decimated their lineup causing the Giants to lose six of their final eight games. The team limped into the playoffs with the #6 seed, but lost a spirited game against their rival Philadelphia Eagles by a score 23-20.

2006 also marked the end of Tike Barber’s illustrious career as a Giant. Barber played one of his finest seasons as he finished the season with 1,662 yards rushing, five touchdowns and his third Pro Bowl selection. He also added 58 receptions for 465 yards receiving. Barber ended his career as the Giants all-time leader in rushing yards, rushing for an astonishing 10,449 yards. Barber also holds Giants records for most career rushing touchdowns (55), most career receptions (586), and most total yards in a single season (2,390).

Besides Barber, many other players had standout seasons such as Plaxico Burress who led the Giants in receiving with 63 receptions for 988 yards and 10 touchdowns. Tight end Jeremy Shockey also garnered a Pro-Bowl selection after a solid season with 66 receptions, 623 yards and 7 touchdowns. Defensively, Osi Umenyiora led the team with six sacks and Antoinio Pierce led with 110 tackles.