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The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York City metropolitan area. The team is headquartered, trains, and plays its home games at Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in the suburb of East Rutherford, New Jersey. They are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Giants were one of five teams that joined the NFL in 1925, but the only one admitted that year which still exists. The Giants have won a total of six NFL titles — four in the pre Super Bowl era (1927, 1934, 1938, 1956) and 2 since the advent of the Super Bowl (Super Bowls XXI and XXV). During their history the Giants have featured 15 Hall of Fame players, including NFL MVP (Most Valuable Player) award winners Mel Hein, Frank Gifford, Charlie Conerly, Y. A. Tittle, and Lawrence Taylor.
Throughout a long history, the team has gained several unofficial names, including Big Blue, the G-men, the Big Blue Wrecking Crew, the Jersey Giants, and the Jints, a name seen frequently in the New York Post, presumably making light of the classic New York accent's take on the word giant. Though technically not a nickname, one may stress the football when saying the team's full name, as in New York Football Giants.
Franchise history
Birth and Success: 1925–1963The Giants were founded in 1925 by original owner Tim Mara in the then five-year-old NFL. Mara owned the team until his death in 1959, when it was passed on to his son Wellington. The Giants played their first game against All New Britain in New Britain, Connecticut, on October 5, 1925.[1][2] They defeated New Britain 26–0 in front of a crowd of 10,000.[1] The Giants were successful in their first season, finishing with an 8–4 record in 1925.[3] However, they experienced financial difficulties and Mara had to spend $25,000 of his own money to keep the franchise alive.[4] This struggle continued until the eleventh game of the season when the Red Grange led Chicago Bears came to town attracting over 70,000 fans. This pushed the Giants into financial solvency and perhaps altered the history of the franchise.[5] In just its third season, the team finished with the best record in the league at 11–1–1[3] and was awarded the NFL title.[6] In a fourteen year span from 1933 to 1946, the Giants qualified to play in the NFL championship game 8 times, winning twice.[6] During the period the Giants were led by Hall of Fame 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.[6] The Giants were particularly successful from the latter half of the 1930s until the United States entry into World War II. They were so successful that according to one publication, "From 1936 to 1941 the New York Giants annually fielded a collection of NFL all-stars."[7] They added their third NFL championship in 1938 with a 23–17 win over the Green Bay Packers.[6]
Wilderness years: 1964–1978With players such as Tittle and Gifford approaching their mid 30s, the team declined rapidly, finishing 2–10–2 in 1964.[3] From 1964 to 1978, the Giants registered only two winning seasons and were unable to advance to the playoffs.[3] During this period the team acquired quarterback Fran Tarkenton in 1967. Despite having several respectable seasons with Tarkenton at quarterback, the Giants traded him away to the Vikings 1971.[9] Tarkenton would go on to lead his team to three Super Bowls and create a Hall of Fame resume,[9] while the Giants suffered through one of the worst stretches in their history.[3] Starting in 1973 the Giants compiled 23 wins in 6 seasons.[3] The 1977 season also featured the unusual choice of having three rookie quarterbacks on their roster.[10] During this period the Giants, who had previously shared Yankees Stadium with baseball's the New York Yankees, were forced to play their home games in various stadiums from 1973 through 1975.[5] They finally received their own dedicated state-of-the-art stadium in 1976,[5] when they moved into the Meadowlands. One of the low points during this period was the so-called "Miracle at the Meadowlands", which occurred in 1978.[11] With the Giants needing only to kneel the ball to secure a certain victory against the Philadelphia Eagles,[11] they chose to call a running play—which resulted in a fumble that was returned for a game winning touchdown by the Eagles.[11] Resurgence: 1979–1993In 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.[5] 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.[3][12] From 1981 to 1990, the team made the playoffs seven times in ten seasons, including victories in Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV.[5] In addition to Simms and Taylor, the team was led during this period by head coach Bill Parcells, tight end Mark Bavaro, and Hall of Fame linebacker Harry Carson. In 1986 Taylor was named league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, the Giants finished 14–2,[3] and defeated the Denver Broncos 39–20 in the Super Bowl.[13] In 1990 the Giants went 13–3, set an NFL record for fewest turnovers in a season (14),[14] and defeated the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl.[13] 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 a 6-10 record. 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 teams' largest figures in the 1980s, played out the last seasons of their career with steadily declining production. The Giants experienced a resurgent season with Reeves at the healm in 1993 however, and Simms and Taylor ended their careers as members of a winning team. Modern era: 1994–presentThe Giants initially struggled in the post Simms-Taylor era. Starting in 1994, they missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons under head coach Dan Reeves. After the 1997 season, Reeves was fired and replaced by Jim Fassel, former offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals. During this period, quarterback Kerry Collins (formerly of the Carolina Panthers) was brought in to helm the team. With Fassel and Collins, the Giants experienced success and made the playoffs several times, including an appearance in Super Bowl XXXV. But the team's loss in the Super Bowl and subsequent mediocrity lead to Fassel's dismissal following the 2003 season. Fassel was replaced by current coach Tom Coughlin in 2004. Although Collins had several solid seasons as the Giants quarterback, he also experienced his share of struggles. In response to this the Giants completed a draft day trade in 2004, acquiring Eli Manning out of the University of Mississippi to be their new franchise quarterback.[15] Manning has been the team's starting quarterback since the middle of the 2004 season. Coughlin's tenure has also produced inconsistent results (a 25–25 record and two playoff appearances - both losses)[16] and spawned intense media scrutiny concerning the direction of the team.[17] During this period in their history, standout players include defensive end Michael Strahan, who set the NFL single season record in sacks in 2001,[18] and running back Tiki Barber, who set a team record for rushing yards in a season in 2005.[19] As of 2007, the Giants have made the playoffs in two consecutive seasons. Image:Giants.gif Giants primary logo (1956-1960) Logos and uniformsImage:2005 NYG Unis.jpg The standard home and away uniforms for the Giants since 2005 With over 80 years of team history, the Giants have used numerous uniforms and logos. 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 road uniforms, they wear a white jersey with red block numbering and Northwest 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 have a third jersey which recalls the Giants' solid red home jerseys from the early 50's: a solid red alternate with white block numbers. This design has been fielded twice at home by the team since 2004. Season-by-season records
Players and coaches of noteCurrent playersUpdated Depth Chart
The following is the New York Giants Depth Chart as of March 28, 2007:[20][21] Pro Football Hall of FamersIn the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Giants boast the third-most enshrined members with eighteen.[22] 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.
Retired numbers
*Retired in 1935, this was the first number to be retired by any team in major league sports[citation needed] NFL MVP award winners
Other notable alumniHead coachesAs of January 7 2007. Only regular season and postseason games are counted.
*NFL Championships (1920-1969) and Super Bowl Championships (1970-present) collected during a coaching tenure. Current Staff
Offensive Coaches
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