The Giants first game at the Polo Grounds October 18, 1925. Jim Thorpe is second from the left.
Hinkey Haines 1925
Ray Flaherty 1929
Steve Owen 1930
Benny Friedman 1931
Bo Molenda, Dale Burnett, Ken Strong, Harry Newman 1933
Mel Hein 1935
Tuffy Leemans 1936
Cal Hubbard 1936
Charlie Conerly 1948
Emlen Tunnell 1948
Len Younce 1948
Tom Landry 1951
Kyle Rote 1952
Arnie Weinmeister 1952
Frank Gifford 1953
Roosevelt Brown 1956
Sam Huff 1957
Andy Robustelli, Roosevelt Greir, Dick Modzelweski, Jim Katcavage 1959
Y.A. Tittle 1961
Alex Webster 1963
Homer Jones 1967
Yay Yay Y-A!
I love the Huff picture. I bet there were very few times in his career that he was in a three point stance.
Thanks for the memories
Huge pads on their thighs and legs to weigh them down. Nothing on their heads or shoulders to protect them.
Huff wore #70 becasue he was an offensive guard in college, and when he came to the Giants he worked there and also middle guard (today known as the nose tackle) in the 5-2 defense. It wasn't until Week 4 or 5 during the 1956 season that was the starting MLB in Landry's "coordinated" 4-3 defense. Ray Beck actually started the season in that position but struggled with an ankle injury while Huff mostly played on special teams.
Who's that guy to standing next to Thorpe on his right. Talk about scary.
I agree with Montreal Man, the guy next to Thorpe is scary looking.
Part of the reason they look so ragged was this was their second game in a row. Because of blue laws, the Frankford Yellow Jackets were not allowed to play on Sundays. So what they would do was play at home on Saturday, then travel and play the same the next day away. That's why Frankford always played more games than anyone else in the league.
So the Giants and Yellow Jackets played at Frankford Saturday afternoon (Giants lost 5-3), then rode the train to New York that night and played again at the Polo Grounds Sunday. They more than likely wore the same dirty uniforms without having even been washed.
The two most feared men from the late 1920's - early 1930's were Hubbard and George Musso of the Chicago Bears.
Not only because of their size, but they both thrived on the violence of the game. They truly enjoyed battering their opponents. Nobody went out of their way to arouse either one of those guys. (And this was an era of gritty two-way players who rarely received rest and frequently played through injury due to small rosters. If you laid out an opponent, he was more than likely going to receive an opportunity for payback over the course of a game.)
1) ... the guy to the left of Thorpe looks like he's 60 years old (the guy to Thorpe's immediate right looks a tough SOB); 2) Steve Owens looks like he's at least 250 pounds and could probably be inconspicuous on a 2015 NFL offensive line; and
3) Hinkey Haines just looks like a player, as does Benny Friedman...Harry Newman? Not so much (I know he was good though).
1) ... the guy to the left of Thorpe looks like he's 60 years old (the guy to Thorpe's immediate right looks a tough SOB); 2) Steve Owens looks like he's at least 250 pounds and could probably be inconspicuous on a 2015 NFL offensive line; and
3) Hinkey Haines just looks like a player, as does Benny Friedman...Harry Newman? Not so much (I know he was good though).
They all looked older in those days..When I look at my parents High School yearbooks the guys all look like Harry Truman and just as old...And they were only 17-18...:)
1) ... the guy to the left of Thorpe looks like he's 60 years old (the guy to Thorpe's immediate right looks a tough SOB); 2) Steve Owens looks like he's at least 250 pounds and could probably be inconspicuous on a 2015 NFL offensive line; and
3) Hinkey Haines just looks like a player, as does Benny Friedman...Harry Newman? Not so much (I know he was good though).
They all looked older in those days..When I look at my parents High School yearbooks the guys all look like Harry Truman and just as old...And they were only 17-18...:)