Top 10 All Time Giants
Following Frank Gifford’s death last year, many people mourned the passing of a great TV announcer and the husband of a famous talk show host. His playing career was certainly not overlooked, but the impact Gifford had on the marketability of football and its athletes, as well as his versatility on the field, was somewhat overshadowed by his popular post playing career. He not only excelled as a two way player, making the Pro Bowl at three different positions, he was also one of the winningest players in Giants history and a key factor in the popularization of football.
After attending Bakersfield Junior College in California for a year, Gifford transferred to USC in 1949 and was named All-American in his 1951 senior year. The Giants selected him in the first round in 1952 and he made his first Pro Bowl a year later. He would make the Pro Bowl every year from 1953-59, be named All-Pro from 1955-57 and again in 1959, and was awarded league MVP during his 1956 championship season.
That season would be Gifford’s greatest; the Giants would win the NFL Championship over the Chicago Bears by a score of 47-7. Gifford also won league MVP, gaining 819 yards on the ground and another 603 receiving. His 1,422 yards from scrimmage led the league, and during a 12 game season, that averages out to almost 119 yards per game. He also threw two touchdown passes and kicked 8 extra points and one field goal. He truly did it all for the Giants, and during the championship game, he had 4 receptions for 131 yards and one score. He was the best player on the best team in the world.
Two years later, Gifford and the Giants would play in arguably the most important football game of all time. Dubbed “The Greatest Game Ever Played”, the Giants and Colts played for the NFL Championship at Yankee Stadium on December 28, 1958. It would be the first post season game to go to sudden death overtime and it officially marked the beginning of football as America’s most popular sport. Between the two teams there were 17 future Hall of Fame members, easily the greatest number ever to participate in a single game.
The Giants would lose the game, but its’ impact on the sport can not be understated. 45 million people watched the game on television and witnessed the evolution of the sport, with many features that still resound today: the two minute drill, overtime thrillers, and the advent of an entire, separate league are all rooted in the popularity generated from this one game.
Gifford was on the losing end, but he played well, carrying 12 times for 60 yards and catching 3 passes for 15 yards and one score. This would be the second of five championship games Gifford would play in, but his only victory would be in the 1956 contest.
In the 1960 season, following another loss to the Colts in the 1959 championship game, Gifford suffered a hit from the Eagles Chuck Bednarik that would knock him out of the game and force him to temporarily retire. He would miss the rest of the 1960 season and all of 1961. The Giants would reach the championship in ’61 despite missing one of their best players but lost to the Packers 37-0.
Gifford returned in 1962 and played almost exclusively at wide out. He started all but one game until his retirement in 1964 at the age of 34. He made his last Pro Bowl following the 1963 season while also helping the Giants reach two more championship games in ’62 and ’63. He ended his illustrious career with 3,609 rushing yards, 5,434 receiving yards and still holds the Giants record for total touchdowns with 77. He also threw for 14 touchdowns and recorded two interceptions during his career.
The greatness of Frank Gifford is unquestioned; he thrived in an era where facemasks were only recommended and cheap shots were the norm. He was part of a team that went to 6 championship games in an eight year span and returned from a catastrophic hit to make the Pro Bowl at a new position. Gifford showed to be one of the greatest winners the Giants have ever had as well as the definitive example of a truly distinguished player.
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