Some good players on mostly bad teams wearing ugly uniforms.
1975: one positive is the Giants were welcomed back to the City of New York and were able to host their home games at Shea Stadium rather than the Yale Bowl in New Haven, CT.
Giants vs Dallas 10/12/75
#44 Doug Kotar
#15 Craig Morton
Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals 10/25/75
#38 Bob Tucker, #26 Joe Dawkins
#56 PAt Hughes, #81 Jack Gregory, #71 Dave Gallagher
Giants at Green Bay 11/21/75
#74 John Hicks, #73 Tom Mullen, #30 Ron Johnson
Giants vs New Orleans 12/14/75
#74 John Hicks, #44 Doug Kotar, #70 Bob Hyland
1976: The Giants move across the Hudson River into a stadium of their own - Giants Stadium. Designed for football, it was universally regarded as the premiere facility for watching a game in person for three decades.
Giants at Washington 9/12/76
#15 Craig Morton, #79 Al Simpson
Giants at Los Angeles Rams 9/26/76
#10 Brad Van Pelt
#81 Jack Gregory
#44 Doug Kotar, #39 Larry Csonka
Giants vs Dallas 10/10/76
First game at Giants Stadium
Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals 12/12/76
#15 Craig Morton, #38 Bob Tucker
Giants vs Jets 9/4/77 preseason
Giants vs Washington 9/18/77
Harry Carson (recovering fumble), #77 Troy Archer
Giants vs Dallas 11/6/77
#9 Joe Pisarcik, #33 Bobby Hammond
Giants at Tampa Bay 11/13/77
#20 Jim Stienke, #10 Brad Van Pelt
Giants vs Chicago Bears 12/18/77
#79 Mike Gibbons, #39 Larry Csonka, #63 Doug Van Horn
#64 John Mendenhall, #55 Brian Kelley
Giants vs Dallas 9/10/78
#64 John Mendenhall, #55 Brian Kelley
Giants at New Orleans 10/29/78
#10 Brad Van Pelt
#53 Harry Carson
Giants at Washington 11/12/78
#53 Harry Carson, #64 John Mendenhall, #10 Brad Van Pelt
April 1979 - two rookies - Head Coach Ray Perkins and QB Phil Simms
Giants vs Tampa Bay 10/7/79
#54 Dan Lloyd, #28 Beasley Reece, #55 Brian Kelley
Giants at Los Angeles Rams 10/28/79
#10 Brad Van Pelt, #75 George Martin
#11 Phil Simms
Giants at Tampa Bay 11/18/79
#24 Terry Jackson
Giants vs Dallas 12/2/79
#11 Phil Simms
Giants at St. Louis Cardinals 12/9/79
#10 Brad Van Pelt, #24 Terry Jackson, #32 Ottis Anderson running the ball for St. Louis
Jack Gregory. Delta St was my first favorite player as a fan
Van Pelt. Kottar Dan Lloyd. RIP
Mendenhall. Grambling st
Carson. South Carolina St
Gregory. Delta St
Al Simpson. Colorado St
All small schools at that time
Thx for posting
As to this:
"1976: The Giants move across the Hudson River into a stadium of their own - Giants Stadium. Designed for football, it was universally regarded as the premiere facility for watching a game in person for three decades."
It was the premiere facility for watching a football game, and why they built a new stadium I'll never understand.
Bob Hyland right there with him.
The Craig Morton trade is infamous because Dallas turned the pick into Randy White.
The Hyland trade, in which the Giants gave up the #3 overall in the '72 draft, hasn't been remembered because the Bears didn't make a great choice with it.
But, in concept, what matters isn't the player the other team happened to pick, but who was on the board that you could have chosen if you kept the pick.
In '72, Franco Harris and Ahmad Rashad were two that were there at #3 and gone by the time the Giants were up at #17 overall. And took Eldridge Small.
In '75, Walter Payton went two picks after Randy White. The Craig Morton trade should just as well be remembered as the Walter Payton trade.
The Hyland trade was yet another example of the brutal mistakes made when you think you are closer than you are.
Yes about Lloyd. My bad. Archer died in a car accident
However, one personal note....I went to college at Wheeling Jesuit in Wheeling, WV and my good college friend, Dan Thomasetti, grew up and lived next door to Doug Kotar in Muc (sp) near Canonsburg, PA.
I never got to meet Doug, but I did where he lived when Dan and a bunch of us would go up for a home cooked meal now and again.
Dan secured me a signed photo of Doug's and told me that Doug felt that Van Pelt was the craziest and toughest teammate he had.
He told me Van Pelt especially hated the Cowboys and was always cursing out their RB's when he would tackle them.
Made me chuckle because up to that point, the players were what you saw on TV or read about in the newspaper.
I remember it started to shape my feelings that what they said in the homogenized interviews was vastly different than what happened out on the field.
Kotar died way to early. RIP
Thank you for the thread!!!! and the memories!
Giants at Minnesota 10/17/76
1976 season (haven't figured out the exact date yet)
Giants at Los Angeles Rams 10/28/79
Question: did the Giants play any games at Shea in 1976 before the first home game at Meadowlands?
Question: did the Giants play any games at Shea in 1976 before the first home game at Meadowlands?
No, they opened the season with four consecutive road games. All six of their pre season games were away games as well, including the game at Yankee Stadium against the Jets in which the Jets were the designated home team.
GUD - 1976 Giants - ( New Window )
I used to have 2 B/W photos of Fran Tarkenton and Ron Johnson in my room as a kid. Probably taken in Yale Bowl.
These photos also reminded me of my first trip to The Meadowlands. I must've been 7 or 8, and we happened upon free tix to see the NY Cosmos, w/ Chinaglia & Pele. We weren't fans of soccer, but it was a chance to see this big new stadium in person. Awesome. I still remember the smells (dirty water hot dogs, cigar smoke, etc.) Never got to see NYG play there in person until the 28-21 opening day victory vs PHI in '84. Far drive from Long Island, no season tix, etc.
I miss those BIG BLUE WALLS!!!!!
Simms wearing #19 in those two pics with Perkins is weird. I guess someone else had #11 when he was drafted?
Simms wearing #19 in those two pics with Perkins is weird. I guess someone else had #11 when he was drafted?
Yeah, Simms in #19 is a true anomoly. The last Giant to wear #11 prior to Simms was Randy Johnson in 1973. Simms wore #12 in college, so I have no idea.
As they started the season later then, that was Labor Day weekend.
We lived in Vestal, NY and my father and I went camping that weekend at Mongaup Pond in Livingston Manor.
We drove to the stadium early Sat morning for what I believe to be a 1/2 pm kickoff.
Hot as hell and sunny.
We went into Chinatown after the game and then back to the campground after where the weather had dropped to the 40's.
My first live Giants game with my Dad.
As they started the season later then, that was Labor Day weekend.
We lived in Vestal, NY and my father and I went camping that weekend at Mongaup Pond in Livingston Manor.
We drove to the stadium early Sat morning for what I believe to be a 1/2 pm kickoff.
Hot as hell and sunny.
We went into Chinatown after the game and then back to the campground after where the weather had dropped to the 40's.
My first live Giants game with my Dad.
Here's a couple more from that game:
This past Sunday, I was on the golf course with my friends on a par three and each of us were on in one.
Three of the four marked their ball ( Giants marker for me).
Before putting, took my hat off and was shaking the sweat off my hair in the sweltering heat when I noticed my marker was not on my hat.
Made the comment, oh, I think I lost my ball marker...
For sure! Talk about personal connections to the Giants. Dave Jennings was a neighborhood friend of my growing up in Garden City LI, and I played innumerable games of sandlot football with him as a teenager. Dave was a year behind me in HS and didn't gravitate to real contact football until his junior year of HS, where he played WR and punted. But he could play any position - he was a great athlete. I caught many passes and punts from him. We weren't the closest of friends and when I went to college a year before him we lost touch. I knew he went to St Lawrence - hardly a football power - and when he walked on and won the Giants punting job in '74, well that was just amazing.
Was all the more reason to root for the Giants in those days. Dave died young unfortunately - age 61 of Parkinson's.
Arnsparger was a brilliant defensive mind and had some great players on his GIANTS. Unfortunately his offense was just awful, he never had much at QB or on the OL, and when his GIANTS did manage a win, it was due to the defense and special teams.
I've always thought that an Arnsparger defense combined with an Allie Sherman offense would have been unbeatable. Both coaches were really superior with their side of the ball, but helpless with the other side.
And speaking of special teams, Dave Jennings was one of the very best punters the G-men ever had. He was a St. Lawrence University graduate, another place that has not produced NFL players in any numbers.
Bob Tucker lived in my hometown during those years and would come into the Stop and Shop that I worked and checkout at my line at the cash register once in awhile. By this time circa 1980 he was with Minnesota.
Brad Van Pelt spoke at my Senior Spring awards banquet honoring all of the senior athletes. I was a track guy. My dad chatted him up in the lobby after the banquet and had him meet me.He was very tall and really nice! Great memories
I believe my first game at the stadium was that Dec 79 game against the Cardinals
the Spaceman !
As they started the season later then, that was Labor Day weekend.
We lived in Vestal, NY and my father and I went camping that weekend at Mongaup Pond in Livingston Manor.
We drove to the stadium early Sat morning for what I believe to be a 1/2 pm kickoff.
Hot as hell and sunny.
We went into Chinatown after the game and then back to the campground after where the weather had dropped to the 40's.
My first live Giants game with my Dad.
1976 against Seattle.. my first game at the new Stadium I wish they had remodeled it.. met Life sucks
he could dribble a football like a basket ball