Welcome back football!
The first game of the Giants 100th season gives us an opportunity to go almost all the way back to the beginning, to a game against the state of Minnesota's early entry in the NFL - the Duluth Eskimos.
Essentially a traveling team, the Eskimos played 13 of their 14 games on the road, Duluth was built around the renowned triple-threat back Ernie Nevers who could run, pass and kick as well as anyone who had ever played. Nevers was often compared to Jim Thorpe in ability and was almost as well known to the public as Red Grange. They came to New York with a 4-2-2 record, showing they were more than just a one man outfit.
The Giants, who were in a battle for survival with Grange and the upstart AFL playing in Yankee Stadium, were 4-3-1 and in need of an attention getting event as much as a win to keep them above the middle of the standings.
The Giants got just that in a thrilling 14-13 game where Nevers flashed his headline grabbing ability and scored all 13 points for the Eskimos. The difference in the contest was New York's Tillie Voss broke through the line and blocked the extra point that would have tied the game for the visitors in the fourth quarter.
Nevers had left the game in the third quarter with an injury but returned after Hinkey Haines 25-yard run put the Giants ahead 14-13. Nevers lead Duluth on a lengthy 80-yard drave that went into the final period to get his team within one point. Jack McBride and Nevers traded TD runs in the first quarter.
Nevers garnered many headlines the next day with his near heroic effort. The Giants finished the year 8-4-1 with a strong December and capped the year off with a non-league exhibition romping of the AFL's champion Philadelphia Quakers, all but extinguishing the rival league threat that secured New York for the NFL.
The Giants only played Nevers and Duluth one more time, a lopsided 21-0 victory for New York at the Polo Grounds in 1927.
Enjoy!
Go Giants!
New York Times
https://i.imgur.com/8pKOYn3.png
New York Herald Tribune
https://i.imgur.com/HmI4CvW.png
New York Daily News (includes game photos)
https://i.imgur.com/nFhTSs3.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/8Zs17sD.jpeg
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
https://i.imgur.com/dYlBwwv.jpeg
Brooklyn Daily Times
https://i.imgur.com/hv2n1cB.jpeg
The Yonkers Herald
https://i.imgur.com/K4bCTkR.jpeg
The Yonkers Statesman
https://i.imgur.com/07CJATJ.jpeg
The Pittsburgh post
https://i.imgur.com/FwZz5Hx.jpeg
yeah, two daily papers each not just in Brooklyn but in Yonkers - those were the heydays of the daily newspapers
Haines was a TB and sometimes HB. The QB in the Single wing was more of a blocking role.