Frank Gifford's Career

The 1986 Giants: A championship forged in blue-collar grit and Gatorade showers.

The 1986 New York Giants, led by consensus league MVP Lawrence Taylor and Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms, posted a 14–2 regular season record, won their first division championship since the 1970 merger, and defeated the Denver Broncos 39–20 in Super Bowl XXI.

Quick Facts

Team: New York Giants
Years active: 1952–1964
Accolades: NFL MVP (1956)
Hall of fame: Class of 1977

Lore & Background

The 1986 Giants popularized the 'Gatorade shower' tradition. Their defense, nicknamed the Big Blue Wrecking Crew, finished second in the league in points and yards allowed. The team was ranked #12 on the NFL's 100 greatest teams of all time.

Reader's Guide

The Giants began the season with a 31–28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, then won five straight. After a 17–12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in week seven, they won their final nine regular season games. In the playoffs, they defeated the San Francisco 49ers 49–3 and the Washington Redskins 17–0 before winning Super Bowl XXI.

Did You Know?

The Giants had five selections in the first two rounds of the 1986 NFL draft.
Linebacker Harry Carson scored his first career touchdown on a fake field goal in week six against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Giants' defense held the Los Angeles Raiders to three field goals in week three, ending Marcus Allen's then-NFL record 11-game 100-yard rushing streak.
Coach Bill Parcells won the NFL Coach of the Year Award for the 1986 season.