New York Giants
The history of the New York Giants began when Tim Mara, a bookmaker and successful businessman and promoter, purchased the team for a reported $500 in the 1920s. It was believed that having a football team in a city as popular as New York was what was needed to keep the professional sport alive.
The Giants won their first title in only their third season going 11-1 in 1927. One of the great Giants stories from this era was when in 1934 the Giants beat the Chicago Bears, 30-13, in 9-degree temperatures at the Polo Grounds in a game that has become famous as the “Sneakers Game.” Trailing 10-3 at the half, Giant head coach Steve Owen provided the team with basketball shoes to increase traction on the icy turf. The team responded with four touchdowns in the second half.
The 1950s was a popular time for the Giants when Hall of Famers like Frank Gifford, Sam Huff and Tom Landry graced the roster.
While the 1950s were a popular time in New York, the 1970s saw the team all over the place – literally. They called four different stadiums home, played in three different states and didn’t reach the postseason one time.
Then came the 1980s where the team appeared in three wild card games and won two NFC East division titles. In 1986, the Giants made their first Super Bowl appearance since 1956. They won their second Super Bowl in 1990 outlasting the Buffalo Bills 20-19.
On Jan. 6, 2004, Tom Coughlin, a former Giants assistant, was hired as the 16th head coach in Giants history and in the 2004 NFL Draft, the Giants traded for quarterback Eli Manning. In 2008, Coughlin and Manning led the team to its third Super Bowl victory in dramatic fashion beating the undefeated New England Patriots 17-14. Now they’re in Indianapolis for round two.
African-American Giants in the Hall of Fame
Roosevelt Brown, offensive tackle
Harry Carson, linebacker
Lawrence Taylor, linebacker
Emlen Tunnell, defensive back
New England Patriots
Nearly 350 players attended the first training camp held by the New England Patriots in 1960 after the team was purchased by a group of local businessmen in November 1959.
It wasn’t until 1963 that the Patriots claimed their first division title with a 7-6-1 record. A number of players emerged as stars for the Patriots during the 1960s including Jim Nance, Gino Cappelletti, Bob Dee and Larry Eisenhauer.
After playing in four different locations since 1960, the Patriots settled on Foxborough as their new home and in March 1971, the team was renamed the New England Patriots. The team’s first game at Schaefer Stadium (renamed Sullivan in 1982) in Foxborough? A 20-14 preseason victory over the New York Giants in front of 60,423.
It wasn’t until 1985 that the Patriots won its first AFC Championship game and a trip to Super Bowl XX where they faced the celebrated Chicago Bears and lost 46-10. The team’s fortunes began to change when Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994 saving the team from having to leave Foxborough.
Several things took place during the 1990s. The Patriots became the first sports team to launch its own website in 1995 and the following year returned to the Super Bowl for the second time but were defeated by Bret Farve and the Green Bay Packers 35-21. But it wasn’t until Bill Belichick was hired in 2000 and Tom Brady was drafted in ????. He led the Patriots to the best record in the NFL over a four-year span from 2001-04 (57-16) and won three Super Bowl titles in four seasons. They also became only the seventh franchise to win back-to-back Super Bowls. If the Patriots top the New Giants in The Rematch, they will join the Pittsburgh Steelers as winners of four Super Bowls. Only Dallas and San Francisco have more victories (five).
African-American Patriots in the Hall of Fame
Mike Haynes, cornerback
Andre Tippett, linebacker
