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The New York Giants are a professional American Football team based in the New York City Metropolitan Area . The team is headquartered, trains, and plays its home games at Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in the suburb of East Rutherford, New Jersey . They are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Giants were one of five teams that joined the NFL in 1925, but the only one admitted that year which still exists. The Giants have won a total of Six NFL Titles —four in the pre Super Bowl era (1927, 1934, 1938, 1956) and two since the advent of the Super Bowl ( Super Bowl s XXI and XXV ). During their history the Giants have featured 15 Hall Of Fame players, including NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winners Mel Hein , Frank Gifford , Charlie Conerly , Y. A. Tittle , and Lawrence Taylor . To distinguish itself from the Professional Baseball Team Of The Same Name , the football team was referred to as the New York Football Giants. Although the baseball team moved to San Francisco in 1957, the football team continues to use "New York Football Giants" as its legal corporate name. The team has also gained several nicknames, including "Big Blue", the "G-men", the "Big Blue Wrecking Crew", the "Jersey Giants", and the "Jints", a name seen frequently in the '' New York Post '', originating from the baseball team when they were based in New York. TEAM HISTORY See Also: History of the New York Giants New York Giants seasons Birth and success: 1925–1963 See Also: History of the New York Giants (1925-1978) The Giants played their first game against All New Britain in , 2007 . In just its third season, the team finished with the best record in the league at 11–1–1 and was awarded the NFL title. Championship games 1925-1949 , giants.com, accessed , 2007 . The game raised $100,000 for the homeless, and is often credited with establishing the legitimacy of the professional game.Neft, Cohen, and Korch. pg. 83 In a fourteen-year span from 1933 to 1946, the Giants qualified to play in the NFL championship game 8 times, winning twice. During the period the Giants were led by Hall Of Fame coach Steve Owen , and Hall of Fame players Mel Hein , Red Badgro , and Tuffy Leemans . This period also included the famous " Sneakers Game ", where they defeated the Chicago Bears on an icy field in the 1934 NFL championship game, while wearing sneakers for better traction. The Giants were particularly successful from the latter half of the 1930s until the United States entry into World War II . They were so successful that according to one publication, "From 1936 to 1941 the New York Giants annually fielded a collection of NFL all-stars."Neft, Cohen, and Korch. pg. 113 They added their third NFL championship in 1938 with a 23–17 win over the Green Bay Packers . They did not win another league title until 1956, aided by a number of future event in the history of the NFL.Neft, Cohen, and Korch. pg. 272 The game, which the Giants lost in overtime 23–17, is often considered one of the most important events in furthering the NFL's popularity in America. The following year, they gave up a 16-9 4th quarter lead to again lose to the Colts in the championship game, 31-16. In 1963 led by league MVP Quarterback Y.A. Tittle , who threw an NFL record 36 Touchdown passes, the Giants advanced to the NFL Championship game, where they lost to the Bears 14–10. Wilderness years: 1964–1978 See Also: History of the New York Giants (1925-1978) From 1964 to 1978, the Giants registered only two winning seasons and were unable to advance to the playoffs. With players such as Tittle and Gifford approaching their mid 30s, the team declined rapidly, finishing 2–10–2 in 1964. They rebounded with a 7–7 record in 1965, before compiling a league-worst 1-12-1 record, 1966 NFL Standings, Stats and Awards , databasefootball.com, accessed , 1969 , accessed March 18 , 2007 . and replaced him with former Giants fullback Alex Webster. In 1967, the team acquired quarterback , 1977 , accessed March 21 , 2007 . During this period, due to the renovation of , 1978 , accessed March 18 , 2007 . With the Giants needing only to Kneel the ball to secure a certain victory against the Philadelphia Eagles , they chose to call a running play—which resulted in a fumble that was returned for a game-winning touchdown by the Eagles Herman Edwards . Resurgence: 1979–1993 See Also: History of the New York Giants (1979-1993) has been home to the Giants since 1976.]] In 1979, the Giants began the steps that would, in time, return them to the pinnacle of the NFL. These included the drafting of quarterback , 2007 . to win their first championship since 1956. In addition to Simms and Taylor, the team was led during this period by head coach Bill Parcells , tight end Mark Bavaro , running back Joe Morris , and Hall Of Fame linebacker Harry Carson . The Giants struggled to a 6–9 record in the strike-marred 1987 season, with the running game in particular struggling. After rushing for 1,526 and 1,336 yards in 1985 and 1986 Morris struggled to 658 yards Joe Morris , databasefootball.com, accessed May 3 , 2007 . behind an injury-riddled offensive line in 1987.Neft, Cohen, and Korch. pg. 846 The early portion of the 1988 season was marred by a scandal involving Lawrence Taylor. Taylor had abused cocaine and was suspended for the first four games of the season for his second violation of the league's substance abuse policy. Despite the controversy, the Giants finished 10–6, and Taylor recorded 15.5 sacks after his return from the suspension. They surged to a 12–4 record in 1989, but lost to the Los Angeles Rams in their opening playoff game when Flipper Anderson caught a 47-yard touchdown pass to give the Rams a 19–13 overtime win. In 1990, The Giants Went 13–3 , and set an NFL record for fewest turnovers in a season (14),Neft, Cohen, and Korch. pg. 914 and defeated the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl. Following the 1990 season Parcells resigned as head coach and was replaced by the team's offensive coordinator Ray Handley . Handley served as coach for two disappointing seasons (1991-92), which saw the Giants fall from Super Bowl champions to a 6-10 record. He was fired following the 1992 season, and replaced by former Denver Broncos ' coach Dan Reeves . In the early 1990s, Simms and Taylor, two of the teams' largest figures in the 1980s, played out the last seasons of their career with steadily declining production. The Giants experienced a resurgent season with Reeves at the healm in 1993, however, and Simms and Taylor ended their careers as members of a winning team. Modern era: 1994–present See Also: History of the New York Giants (1994-present) The Giants initially struggled in the post Simms-Taylor era. After starting 3–7 in 1994, the Giants won their final six games to finish 9–7 but missed the playoffs. 1994 New York Giants , databasefootball.com, accessed , 1994 , accessed March 29 , 2007 . Brown performed poorly the following two seasons, and the Giants struggled to 5–11 and 6–10 records. Reeves was fired following the 1996 season, and replaced by Jim Fassel , former offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals . Fassel named Danny Kanell the team's starting quarterback, and the team finished 10–5–1 and made the playoffs in 1997. After losing in the first round to the Vikings in 1997, the Giants needed four wins to close out the season to finish 8–8 in 1998. Before the 1999 season , 2000 , accessed May 12 , 2007 . The Giants responded, winning the rest of their regular season games to finish the season 12–4 and earn a bye as the NFC's top seed. The Giants won their first playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles, 20–10, and defeated the Minnesota Vikings 41–0 in the NFC Championship game. They advanced to play the , 2007 . the Ravens dominated the second half. Their defense harassed Kerry Collins all game long, resulting in Collins completing only 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards and 4 interceptions. The Ravens won the game 34–7. The Giants struggled after their Super Bowl loss and Fassel was replaced by current coach , 2007 , accessed March 22 , 2007 . As of 2007, the Giants have made the playoffs in two consecutive seasons. LOGOS AND UNIFORMS See Also: Logos and Uniforms of the New York Giants With over 80 years of team history, the Giants have used numerous Uniform s and Logo s. Giants' logos include several incarnations of a giant quarterback preparing to throw a football, a lowercase "ny", and stylized versions of the team nickname. Giants' jerseys are traditionally blue or red (or white with blue or red accents), and their pants alternate between white and gray. Currently, the Giants wear home jerseys that are solid blue with white block numbering, gray pants with red and blue stripes on the pant legs, and solid blue socks. For road uniforms, they wear a white jersey with red block numbering and Northwest stripes on the sleeves, gray pants with blue and red stripes, and solid red socks. The Giants' current helmet is metallic blue with white block numbers, frontally mounted on either side of a red stripe running down the center. The helmet is adorned on both sides with the lower case "ny" logo and features a gray facemask. Additionally, the Giants have a third jersey which recalls the Giants' solid red home jerseys from the early 50's: a solid red alternate with white block numbers. This design has been fielded three times at home by the team since 2004. FINANCIAL HISTORY AND FAN BASE See Also: Financial history of the New York Giants The Giants have had a long, and at times turbulent financial history. The Giants were founded by businessman and , 2007 . To differentiate themselves from the baseball team of the same name, they took the name "New York Football Giants", which they still use as their legal corporate name. Although the Giants were successful on the field in their initial seasons, their financial status was a different story. Overshadowed by baseball, boxing, and college football, professional football was not a popular sport in 1925. The Giants were in dire financial straits until the 11th game of the season when , 1943 , accessed June 4 , 2007 . By the early 1960s, the Giants had firmly established themselves as one of the league's biggest attractions. However, rather than continue to receive their higher share of the league television revenue, the Mara sons pushed for equal sharing of revenue for the benefit of the entire league. '', January 25 , 1987 , accessed April 2 , 2007 . The Giants on-field product and business aspects improved rapidly following the move. In 1991, Jack Mara's son, Tim, struggling with Cancer at the time, sold his half of the team to , 2005 , accessed June 4 , 2007 . His death was followed two weeks later by the death of Tisch. During the 2005 season, it was announced that the New York Giants, New York Jets and the New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority had , 2007 . The Giants are currently owned and operated by , 2007 . The Giants draw their fans from the , 1987 , accessed June 4 , 2007 . In 2001, when the Giants advanced to Super Bowl XXXV there was debate again over where the team would hold their parade in the event they won the Super Bowl. According to a team spokesman, in 2001, 52 percent of the Giants' season ticket-holders lived in New Jersey. Most of the remaining ticket holders lived in New York State, with some traveling from Connecticut and other states. Their fans have referred to them by various nicknames over the years such as "Big Blue", the "G-men", the "Big Blue Wrecking Crew", the "Jersey Giants", and the "Jints", a name seen frequently in the ''New York Post'', presumably making light of the New York Dialect . Although not technically a nickname, often the Football is stressed when referring to the team, as in the "New York ''Football'' Giants". PLAYERS OF NOTE See Also: List of New York Giants players Current roster Pro Football Hall of Famers In the , 2007 . Tim Mara and Mel Hein were a part of the original class of inductees in 1963, while linebacker Harry Carson , the most recent Giant inducted, was a part of the Class of 2006. Retired numbers
NFL MVP award winners Other notable alumni All-time first-round draft picks COACHES OF NOTE Head coaches ''As of January 7 2007 . Only regular season and postseason games are counted.
Current staff RADIO AND TELEVISION As Of 2006 , the Giants' flagship radio station is WFAN 660 AM, the oldest all-sports radio station in the United States. Some games in August and September are moved to WBBR 1130 AM Bloomberg Radio or WXRK 92.3 FM due to conflicts with the New York Mets Baseball team. The play-by-play announcer is Bob Papa . Preseason telecasts not seen nationally air in the area on WNBC , "NewsChannel 4." NOTES SOURCES
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