New York Giants

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Lore & Background

The Giants were one of five teams that joined the NFL in 1925, and they are the only one of that group still existing, as well as the league's longest-established team in the Northeastern United States. The team ranks third among all NFL franchises with eight NFL championship titles: four in the pre-Super Bowl era (1927, 1934, 1938, 1956) and four since the advent of the Super Bowl (XXI [1986], XXV [1990], XLII [2007], and XLVI [2011]), along with more championship appearances than any other team, with 19 overall appearances. Their championship tally is surpassed only by the Green Bay Packers (13) and the Chicago Bears (9). Throughout their history, the Giants have featured 29 Hall of Fame players, including NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winners Mel Hein, Frank Gifford, Y. A. Tittle, and Lawrence Taylor. To distinguish themselves from the professional baseball team of the same name, the football team was incorporated as the 'New York National League Football Company, Inc.' in 1929 and then changed to 'New York Football Giants, Inc.' in 1937. While the baseball team moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season, the football team continues to legally use it as its corporate name, which the team is often referred to by fans and sportscasters alike. The team has also acquired several nicknames, including 'Big Blue', the 'G-Men', and the 'Jints', an intentionally mangled contraction seen frequently in the New York Post and New York Daily News, originating from the baseball team when they were based in New York. In addition, the team as a whole is occasionally referred to as the 'Big Blue Wrecking Crew', even though this moniker primarily and originally refers to the Giants defensive unit during the 1980s and early-1990s. Since 2011, the team has struggled to find success in recent years, only having three winning seasons in 2012, 2016, and 2022, as well as two playoff appearances and no division titles. As of 2025, the Giants currently hold the longest active division title drought in the NFC, with a total of 14 seasons. The team's heated rivalry with the Philadelphia Eagles is the oldest of the NFC East rivalries, dating back to 1933, and has been called the best rivalry in the NFL in the 21st century.

In Their Own Story

Despite the rough season, one of the Giants’ highlights of the season included a 34-17 win in Week 6 on Thursday Night Football against their division rival and defending Super Bowl champion, the Philadelphia Eagles — their first win on Thursday Night Football since 2015. This would also be the final season for the New York Giants with All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, as he was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. The New York Giants drew an average home attendance of 80,557, one of the highest of all American football teams in the world.

Reader's Guide

On August 1, 1925, Timothy Mara and Will Gibson were granted a franchise by the NFL for their newly organized team in New York City — the New York Football Giants. The cost of the franchise was $2,500. The Giants played their first game as an exhibition against All New Britain (which was not an NFL team) in New Britain, Connecticut, on October 4. They defeated New Britain 26–0 in front of a crowd of 10,000. The New York Giants' first NFL game was a week later, on October 11, 1925, at the Cycledrome in Providence, Rhode Island, in a 0 to 14 loss to the Providence Steam Roller. The Giants were successful in their first season, finishing in fourth place in a 20-team league with an 8–4–0 record. In its third season, the team finished with the best record in the league at 11–1–1 and was awarded the NFL title. After a disappointing fourth season (1928) owner Tim Mara bought the entire squad of the Detroit Wolverines, principally to acquire star quarterback Benny Friedman, and merged the two teams under the Giants name. In 1930, the Giants played a team of Notre Dame All Stars at the Polo Grounds to raise money for the unemployed of New York City. Knute Rockne reassembled his Four Horsemen along with the stars of his 1924 Championship squad and told them to score early, then defend. But from the beginning it was a one-way contest, with Friedman running for two Giant touchdowns and Hap Moran passing for another. Notre Dame failed to score. The game raised $100,000 for the homeless, and is often credited with establishing the legitimacy of the professional game. It also was the last game the legendary Rockne ever coached; he was killed in an airplane crash on March 31, 1931. In a 16-year span from 1931 to 1947, the Giants qualified to play in the NFL championship game 8 times, winning twice. During this period the Giants were led by Hall of Fame coach Steve Owen, and Hall of Fame players Mel Hein, Red Badgro, and Tuffy Leemans. In 1933 the Giants faced the Chicago Bears in the championship game and were defeated 23–21. The famous 'Sneakers Game' was played in this era where the Giants defeated the Chicago Bears on an icy field in the 1934 NFL Championship Game, while wearing sneakers for better traction. The team would return to the championship game the following year but would fall to the Detroit Lions 26–7. The Giants captured their third NFL championship in 1938

Did You Know?

• The Giants were one of five teams that joined the NFL in 1925, and they are the only one of that group still existing.
• The Giants rank third among all NFL franchises with eight NFL championship titles, surpassed only by the Green Bay Packers (13) and the Chicago Bears (9).
• The 1944 Giants are ranked as the #1 defensive team in NFL history, giving up only 7.5 points per game, a record that still stands.
• The Giants' 1956 championship team had a Hall of Fame coaching staff including Vince Lombardi (offense) and Tom Landry (defense).
• The 1958 NFL Championship Game between the Giants and Colts is often called 'The Greatest Game Ever Played'.