The New York Giants are one of the earliest members of the NFL. Joining in 1925, the Giants are the fourth-oldest franchise in the league.
New York has won four Super Bowls and eight combined championships. The Giants have also sent 32 players to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is tied for third.
Here are the 10 greatest Giants of all time.
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10. QB Phil Simms (1979-93)
Simms was under center for the bulk of New York’s golden age in the Super Bowl era. For starters, in the 1986 season, Simms set the Super Bowl record for passer rating (150.9) and completion percentage (22 of 25/88%), while throwing for 268 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI; those two records still stand today. Simms also led the Giants to an 11-3 start in 1990 before going down for the year with a broken foot, a season which saw them win Super Bowl XXV. Simms, a two-time Pro Bowler, became the first player in Giants history to surpass 4,000 passing yards in 1984 and is second in franchise history with 33,462 passing yards and 199 passing touchdowns.
9. DE Andy Robustelli (1956-64)
After spending the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams, Robustelli came to the Giants in 1956, helping them win the NFL Championship in a game that saw him recover a fumble in a 47-7 victory over the Chicago Bears. A six-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, Robustelli averaged 14 sacks per season with the Giants from 1961-63. Robustelli did such while serving as the team’s defensive coordinator from 1962-64, with the Giants making the NFL Championship Game in the first two years. Furthermore, he served as New York’s general manager from 1974-78. As a player, Robustelli only missed one game, and it came in his rookie season.
8. C Mel Hein (1931-45)
Hein spent his entire career with the Giants, with whom he was the team’s starting center. The Washington State product was the team’s starting center for their 1934 and 1938 title teams. Hein was a first-team All-NFL center for eight years and won Carr Trophy honors (MVP) in 1938. A five-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, Hein made 153 regular-season starts, eight postseason starts and was part of eight playoff teams. Hein was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963.
7. LB Harry Carson (1976-88)
Carson spent his whole career with the Giants and is arguably the best linebacker in franchise history. A nine-time Pro Bowler, Carson was a linchpin for New York’s defense in the 1980s and started on its Super Bowl XXI unit. In that game, Carson logged five combined tackles and was one of multiple New York defenders to stuff Denver ball-carriers near the goal-line on a first-half drive that ended with a missed field goal. Carson led the Giants in tackles in five seasons, recorded a combined 19 career sacks, 14 fumble recoveries, 11 interceptions and also ran back a pick-six in New York’s 1984 NFC Divisional round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
6. OT Roosevelt Brown (1953-65)
A mere 27th round draft pick, Brown became one of the best offensive linemen in league history, serving as New York’s left tackle across his 13-year career. A six-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler, Brown started at left tackle in the Giants’ 1956 championship season, as well as five other seasons where the Giants appeared in the NFL Championship Game. Brown was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975.
5. DB Emlen Tunnell (1948-58)
Tunnell spent the majority of his career in New York, where he was a menace to opposing quarterbacks. Across his 11-year stint with the Giants, which included starting on their 1956 championship team, Tunnell averaged seven interceptions per season, including a 10-pick season — two of them being returned for touchdowns — in 1949. He also recovered a league-high six fumbles in 1952. A four-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler, Tunnell is first in Giants history with 74 interceptions, 1,240 yards after the interception and tied with four pick-sixes. He’s also tied for third among Giants defenders with 15 fumble recoveries.
4. WR/RB Frank Gifford (1952-64)
Gifford is one of the best offensive playmakers in league history and has a case for being the Giants’ best all-time playmaker. A four-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler, Gifford served as both a running back and wide receiver for New York. As a rusher, Gifford is ninth in Giants history with 3,609 yards and eighth with 34 touchdowns. As a pass-catcher, Gifford is third with 5,434 yards and fifth with 43 touchdowns. In the Giants’ 1956 title game victory over the Bears, Gifford totaled four receptions for 131 yards and one touchdown, while tallying 30 rushing yards. Meanwhile, Gifford also lined up in New York’s secondary — which is where one of his Pro Bowl nods came from — and kicked and threw passes throughout parts of his career.
3. DE Michael Strahan (1993-2007)
Strahan was an overwhelming force up front for the Giants. A four-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, Strahan led the NFL in sacks twice, had six 11-plus-sack seasons and is tied for the NFL record with 22.5 sacks in a single season (2001). In 10 career playoff games, Strahan logged 9.5 sacks, including one in New York’s Super Bowl XLII victory over the New England Patriots, which was his final season. Strahan is second in Giants history with 141.5 sacks and first with 666 solo tackles and 131 tackles for loss. He’s also second in Giants history with 24 forced fumbles and 216 games played.
2. QB Eli Manning (2004-19)
Manning is the most productive quarterback in Giants history with 57,023 passing yards, 366 passing touchdowns and 236 games played, which included making 210 consecutive starts. A four-time Pro Bowler, Manning posted 4,000-plus passing yards in seven seasons and 30-plus passing touchdowns in three seasons. He helped New York win two Super Bowls in five years (2007 and 2011 seasons), claiming MVP honors in both games. Manning was part of two of the greatest plays in NFL history, evading a sack and completing a 32-yard pass to David Tyree, who reeled in the pass with his helmet in Super Bowl XLII, and completing a contested, 38-yard pass to Mario Manningham, who just got two feet in-bounds, in Super Bowl XLVI; both drives ended in the eventual game-winning touchdown.
1. Lawrence Taylor (1981-93)
The one they call “L.T.” was a one-of-one. An overwhelming force off the edge, Taylor is first in Giants history with 142.0 sacks. An eight-time All-Pro and 10-time Pro Bowler in just 13 seasons, Taylor won NFL MVP honors in 1986 — when he led the sport with 20.5 sacks — and started for the Giants’ Super Bowl XXI and XXV teams. Taylor had seven 10-plus-sack seasons and a pair of standout pick-sixes, as well, running one back 97 yards in 1982 and returning another 34 yards in the Giants’ 1986 Divisional round thrashing of the 49ers. He had 8.5 career postseason sacks in 15 combined games.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
- RB Tiki Barber
- LB Sam Huff
- LB Carl Banks
- WR Amani Toomer
- LB Jessie Armstead
- OG Chris Snee
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