New York Giants

As you may have noticed, my football card blogs have been even more neglected than my baseball card blogs. I guess there are many reasons:
- So many scans per blog entry.
- Mostly the same half-dozen or so players from one year to the next, so it's hard not to repeat myself.
- Mostly though, I’ve just lost interest in football over the years.

On the other hand, I don’t like to leave things undone. So, I’m going to attempt a reboot of my 4 football card blogs. There are 30 teams remaining to be posted across the 4 blogs. At 9 to 10 cards per team that’s about 300 scans.

Nooooo!

So the format will change a bit for the remaining posts. The cards will be scanned in groups of 8 or 9 to minimize the number of scans. Since football season is starting soon (maybe), I will try to post 1 or 2 teams per week, which will wrap up these 4 blogs by the end of this season. Then I will retire them knowing they are complete.

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In 1966 the Giants finished at 1-12-1, their lone win a result of narrowly beating the Redskins 13-10. (They couldn’t even beat the expansion Falcons, losing 27-16!)

Before the 1967 season they acquired Fran Tarkenton from the Vikings and improved to 7-7, a record they would repeat in 1968.

The Giants would not have a winning record until 1970, when they finished in 2nd place with a 9-5 record. (They would not finish that high in the standings again until 1984.)

Fran Tarkenton played for the Vikings from 1961-66, and 72-78. In between, he spent 5 seasons in the Big Apple. He started all but one game for the Giants. Four of his nine Pro Bowl selections came as a Giant.

Tucker Fredrickson was the first overall pick in the 1965 draft. He was the starting fullback as a rookie, and made the Pro Bowl. After missing 1966 with a knee injury, he was a part-time starting fullback for the rest of his career (1967-71), although starting for most of 1970.

Ernie Koy played for the Giants from 1965-70, and was their starting halfback from 1966-69. He was also the punter from 1965-69, and part of 1970.

Joe Morrison played for 14 years (1959-72), all with the Giants. He was a starter from 1960-61, and 63-69. Depending on the season, he lined up at running back or flanker. He also played safety in the 1961 post-season. Morrison is one of 12 Giants to have his number retired.

Homer Jones played for the Giants from 1964-69. After 2 seasons on the bench, he was the starting split end for 4 seasons, making the Pro Bowl in ’67 and ’68, and leading the NFL with 13 TDs in 1967. After the 1969 season he was traded to the Browns for running back Ron Johnson.

Aaron Thomas was the Giants' starting tight end from 1964-69. After playing for the 49ers in 1961, he was acquired by the Giants in mid-1962 and played through 1970. He made the Pro Bowl in 1964.

Jim Katcavage is the last player remaining from the Giants’ glory years, when they played in 6 championship games in 8 years between 1956-63 (winning in 1956). He played 13 seasons (1956-68) and was a starter every season except his rookie year. After playing right DT in 1957, he moved to left end for the next 11 seasons. He played every game from 1959-68, except for missing half the 1960 season with injuries. He made the Pro Bowl 3 times (1961-1963).

Henry Carr was a track star at Arizona State University, and won 2 gold medals at the 1964 Olympics. The Giants drafted him in 1965, ostensibly so they would have someone who could cover the Cowboys’ Bob Hayes. He was a starting safety for 2 years, then started at right cornerback in 1967. A knee injury ended his career.

Spider Lockhart was a 13th-round pick in 1965, but started almost every game during his 11-year career (1965-75). After 2 seasons at left cornerback, he moved to free safety. He also returned punts most years, and punted a few times during his first 4 seasons. He was a 2-time Pro Bowler.