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John Mendenhall R.I.P.

jeff57 : 3/1/2021 12:46 pm
A good player in a bad era.

Former Giants defensive tackle John Mendenhall passed late last week at the age of 72, according to his family. Mendenhall played eight seasons for the team from 1972-79.
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Was a lone bright spot on crappy teams  
Sec 103 : 3/1/2021 12:47 pm : link
may he RIP.
Bright spot indeed.  
Big Blue '56 : 3/1/2021 12:49 pm : link
On any reasonable contender, he’s a legit all-star, imv.

RIP
RE: Was a lone bright spot on crappy teams  
Trainmaster : 3/1/2021 12:50 pm : link
Agree 100%

RIP
I was really hoping the Giants  
Bill in UT : 3/1/2021 12:51 pm : link
would draft him and was thrilled when they did. RIP
RIP  
US1 Giants : 3/1/2021 12:52 pm : link
A bright spot on some terrible teams

Quote:
Mendenhall played in 116 games over the course of 9 seasons between 1972 and 1980. He had his best year as a pro in 1977, when he recorded 12 sacks and 7 forced fumbles.

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One of the first giants I remember  
Payasdaddy : 3/1/2021 12:53 pm : link
Was solid on bad teams
ugghhh  
Ron Johnson : 3/1/2021 12:54 pm : link
one of my favorites growing up. This one hurts.

RIP Mendy
Mendenhall was absolutely one of the better players  
Jimmy Googs : 3/1/2021 12:58 pm : link
when my Dad started taking me to Giants stadium in late 70s.

Recall Sheppard announcing his name during games a good bit.

RIP...
Excelled  
RetroJint : 3/1/2021 1:01 pm : link
lining up directly over the center , like Curley Culp, but struggled when he lined up otherwise . Very good player, who along with Jack Gregory and Brian Kelly , were pretty much it until Brad Van Pelt and Harry Carson arrived .

Sonny Jurgensen always called John ,”Mendinghall.” RIP John . #64 winning battles with cat-like quickness and leverage .
I had a choice of a few jerseys when I played  
Beezer : 3/1/2021 1:03 pm : link
freshman football. I chose #64 because of Mendenhall.

He was one of my first favorite Giants when I was 10-12, in that range. Man, those teams sucked, but he was always right in there. Tough ball player.

Look up his Pro Football Reference page and it's amazing to see he played DT at 6-1, 255.

Sorry to hear he passed. RIP.

Rest in peace John  
NYRiese : 3/1/2021 1:04 pm : link
RIP
RIP --  
Del Shofner : 3/1/2021 1:06 pm : link
excellent Giant on some bad teams.
Grambling university  
Earl the goat : 3/1/2021 1:08 pm : link
Him and Bob Tucker. We’re my favorites. RIP
That's too bad, he was a hell  
Section331 : 3/1/2021 1:10 pm : link
of a player. The Giants sucked for his entire tenure, so he didn't get the notoriety he deserved.
Very underrated player  
averagejoe : 3/1/2021 1:13 pm : link
loved watching him play. RIP John. Anyone that saw you play will remember you.
RIP  
Tony in Tampa : 3/1/2021 1:13 pm : link
name from childhood. As I was learning the game he was what I learned a DT was. In the 70s all the Giants had was a strong D and he, Kelly, Carson and Van Pelt were the guys that made you feel proud on a woeful team.
My favoriite player  
Stufftherun : 3/1/2021 1:18 pm : link
growing up in fact I wore a #64 jersey in pop warner because of my love for his game. RIP to a terrific and unsung Giant.
One of the  
Rolyrock : 3/1/2021 1:30 pm : link
Lone bright spots I could hold on to as a kid.
that's too bad. good player, what a motor.  
Victor in CT : 3/1/2021 1:32 pm : link
those defenses played their hearts out every week to lose 14-10 or 17-13.
I remember watching him in the college  
Bubba : 3/1/2021 1:33 pm : link
all star game (remember those?) against Dallas. He was dominant.
RIP to a childhood favorite.  
truebluelarry : 3/1/2021 1:39 pm : link
Mendenhall was one of the very first Giant players I noticed and would root for. The defense carried the team in the late 1970s and Mendenhall, along with Harry Carson and Brad Van Pelt were exceptional players stuck on a bad team. In one of my media guides, I can't remember which season, it may have been 1976 or 1977, the Giants unofficially credited Mendenhall with 14 sacks for the year, which is an incredibly high number for an interior lineman. Whether that total is officially recognized or not, that speaks to the high caliber of play he brought to the field every Sunday.
12 sacks and 7 forced fumbles in 1977 at defensive tackle.  
Ira : 3/1/2021 1:44 pm : link
RIP.
So sad  
uconngiant : 3/1/2021 1:52 pm : link
He was my Dad's favorite defensive player as Bob Tucker was his offensive player as was mine. He was tough and made plays. Agree with if he was on a winning team he would have been a Pro Bowler a few times

May he RIP and prayers for his family
Great heart. Excellent player.  
Red Dog : 3/1/2021 1:57 pm : link
Undersized DL was a GIANT surrounded mostly by midgets.

R.I.P. John. We still miss you.
Remember the name well ....  
short lease : 3/1/2021 2:02 pm : link

Just didn't follow the team that close during the 70's. Harry Carson and Mark Haynes(?) got all the headlines for me back then ...

But, once a Giant always a Giant.


RIP Mr. Mendenhall
NOooo - One of my childhood hero's  
PatersonPlank : 3/1/2021 2:06 pm : link
Very good player, underrated because the the players around him. So young.
He gave many joy in the midst of much pain  
Hammer : 3/1/2021 2:12 pm : link
Godspeed.
Very Sad  
jintman : 3/1/2021 2:12 pm : link
Absolute crime he's not in Ring Of Honor....I remember he was the best defensive Player they had for years.
A lot of us must be the same age  
Pork Chop : 3/1/2021 2:30 pm : link
he was my first favorite Giant. I wore #64 whenever I had the chance on different football teams.
Hey Mendenhall, i heard you got traded  
cjac : 3/1/2021 2:30 pm : link
I just called sports phone suckah....


Best commercial of all time
RIP # 64  
Chris in San Diego : 3/1/2021 2:30 pm : link
One of my all time favorite players.
RE: Bright spot indeed.  
ColHowPepper : 3/1/2021 2:32 pm : link
In comment 15164162 Big Blue '56 said:
Quote:
On any reasonable contender, he’s a legit all-star, imv.
RIP
God, yes. Team guy, first and foremost, a mini-Donald who played much, much bigger than his size. Stellar
RIP
A favorite of mine, also...  
GA5 : 3/1/2021 2:34 pm : link
Always enjoyed watching him play.
My memory of John  
KeoweeFan : 3/1/2021 2:50 pm : link
was him anchoring the center of the line yet traveling sideline to sideline with deceptive speed to make the tackle.
Dexter is the first Giant to duplicate that ability.
Very sorry to learn.  
TC : 3/1/2021 3:01 pm : link
LOVED his style of play! Cat quick, shed blockers, crunched ball carriers.
RE: I remember watching him in the college  
GiantEgo : 3/1/2021 3:28 pm : link
In comment 15164231 Bubba said:
Quote:
all star game (remember those?) against Dallas. He was dominant.

Yes, I remember that game he almost won it on his own.
#64 gone,  
section125 : 3/1/2021 3:38 pm : link
Was one of my favorite guys. Loved his play.
RIP #64  
JohnG in Albany : 3/1/2021 3:54 pm : link
Say one thing for those dreadful Giants teams of the 70's.

They taught you how to watch defense because, well, there was nothing else of value to watch in those years.
John Mendenhall  
pa_giant_fan : 3/1/2021 4:01 pm : link
He was small for a DT but had a big heart.
John Mendenhall  
pa_giant_fan : 3/1/2021 4:02 pm : link
He was small for a DT but had a big heart.

RIP #64
RIP Mendy  
arniefez : 3/1/2021 4:17 pm : link
an excellent player on terrible teams. But he was far from the lone bright spot on those defenses. Van Pelt, Carson, Martin, Kelly, Gregory, Archer, Spider all played with Mendenhall. He was as good a NT/DT as Burt and Howard if not better. He was just born 10 years too soon.
RE: Hey Mendenhall, i heard you got traded  
Rico : 3/1/2021 4:20 pm : link
In comment 15164296 cjac said:
Quote:
I just called sports phone suckah....


Best commercial of all time


I remember that commercial, too. It was very well done and very funny!
3rd round pick in 1972.  
Victor in CT : 3/1/2021 4:40 pm : link
2 first rounders, Larry Jacobson and Eldridge Small were busts. Mendy was the only player in that draft who made it with the Giants. They drafted a C from Lehigh, John Hill, in the 6th round. He became a 10+ yr starter with the Saints.
Saw him in 1974 at the Yale Bowl,  
BigBlueNH : 3/1/2021 4:50 pm : link
my first Giants' game, and also Craig Morton's first game as a Giant. He was a beast. I remember watching the team load onto a bus in their full uniforms at games end (who knows where they had to go for showers), and remember thinking he was the widest human being I had ever seen.

Also, he really was one of the few bright spots on that 74 D. A lot of the names set forth above came later.
He was awesome when the Giants didn't have a lot going for them  
steve in ky : 3/1/2021 4:52 pm : link
I don't think he gets as much credit as he deserves in Giants history
Was a Special Player  
Samiam : 3/1/2021 5:19 pm : link
Its true as mentioned above that he did play with some pretty good players but that was at the end of his career here. For most of his career, he played for the Giants when they were a laughingstock franchise; in my opinion, definitely worse than what we have been experiencing these past few years. For most of his career, he was pretty much the only talent on the defense,

I have no recollection of him playing elsewhere but i just read that his last year in the league was with the Lions. How did that happen?
too  
Peter from NH (formerly CT) : 3/1/2021 5:27 pm : link
young to be gone
My favorite player from mid to late 70s.  
.McL. : 3/1/2021 6:02 pm : link
Before him it was Spider Lockhart, now they are both gone. Sad day.

RIP to a great player who was severely underrated by the rest of the league.
RIP #64  
Devour the Day : 3/1/2021 6:08 pm : link
My first favorite player when I was 10 years old and just starting to get into NYG football.
RIP John  
SomeFan : 3/1/2021 6:26 pm : link
He was very good. Two other bright spots on those teams were Bob Tucker and Ron Johnson. Pretty much that was it.
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