Category: Pro Football Hall of Fame

Giants great Tom Coughlin snubbed for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Retired New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin was snubbed again for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The New York Giants will not have any coach, contributor, or senior finalists for this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.

Former head coaches Tom Coughlin, Dan Reeves, and Bill Arnsparger were all shut out in the coaches’ category while former players, linebacker Carl Banks, running back Ottis Anderson, and quarterback Charlie Conerly, were left off the list for seniors.

The Giants still have one player in the modern-day category, quarterback Eli Manning, who advanced to the semifinals two weeks ago.

There is much debate today on the selection of Mike Holmgren over Tom Coughlin and Mike Shanahan in the coaches’ category.

It was a close call. Coughlin and Shanahan both won the two Super Bowls they appeared in during their careers. Holmgren won one of the three he took his teams to.

Holmgren has a better win-loss record in the regular season (161-111, .592). Shanahan had a record of 170-138 (.552) and Coughlin went 170-150 (.531).

Coughlin was the best in the postseason, going 12-7 (.632), while Shanahan was 8-6 (.571) and Holmgren went 13-11 (.542).

Holmgren took the Green Bay Packers to two Super Bowls, winning one. He later took the Seattle Seahawks to the big game and lost.

That is a fine distinction but he’s not alone in achieving the feat. Dick Vermeil, Dan Reeves, Don Shula, Andy Reid, and Bill Parcells also did that but no coach has ever won the big game with two different teams.

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Giants legend Eli Manning a first-year Hall of Fame semifinalist

Retired New York Giants legend Eli Manning took a step toward the Pro Football Hall of Fame after being named a first-year semifinalist.

Retired New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time since his retirement in 2019.

It’s the first year Manning is eligible and there have been calls for him to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame entrant to the most prestigious community in the NFL.

Hall of Fame voting has been underway for some months, and they’ve narrowed the field down to 17 semifinalists, including six first-time ballot players. Those six are Manning, Luke Kuechly, Terrell Suggs, Earl Thomas, Adam Vinatieri, and Marshall Yanda.

Manning, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, played for the Giants from 2004-2019, and under the tutelage of Tom Coughlin, led the team to two Super Bowl victories.

Manning completed over 60 percent of his passes for 57,023 yards, 366 touchdowns, and 244 interceptions.

By the end of next month, the Modern-Era Players category will be cut to 15 finalists. Reduction voting is still occurring in the Seniors, Coach, and Contributor categories as well.

There will be a group of 20 finalists over the four categories, and while there’s no set number of enshrinees, the Hall of Fame bylaws stipulate four to eight new members will be selected.

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Michael Strahan makes emotional case for Tom Coughlin’s HOF bid

New York Giants legend Michael Strahan penned an emotional letter in support of Tom Coughlin’s Pro Football Hall of Fame bid.

Once upon a time, New York Giants legend Michael Strahan considered retirement because the alternative was playing another season under hard-nosed head coach Tom Coughlin.

Strahan ultimately returned to find that Coughlin was a new man. On the advice of his late wife, Judy, the disciplinarian showed a softer side and his players responded in kind.

Coughlin was still very much an old-school head coach who demanded greatness and accountability from the men he led, but there was a personal bond that formed and a respect that was shared.

What occurred after that is a matter of history. The Giants went on to win two Super Bowl championships — both over the dynasty New England Patriots — and Coughlin now finds himself just a few short steps away from a well-deserved destination: the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Strahan, who is a member of that illustrious group, believes deep in his soul that Coughlin is worthy of joining him, which he expressed in an emotional letter penned for People magazine late last week.

“He quickly went from the coach I didn’t want to play for to the only coach I would ever play for. All the little things that he asked of me made me a better player and ultimately a better man, because guess what: The details matter. Whether you’re setting up a blitz, or setting up an interview, or setting up a cancer treatment plan for your daughter,” Strahan wrote.

“Coughlin didn’t just build teams, he built a culture. He made us responsible to and for each other. He made us completely dedicated to a single goal and that was to play for each other. It sounds so easy, but when you take a bunch of guys with a lot of big egos and ask them to win, it is anything but.”

Despite all of his on-field accomplishments, awards, recognitions, and titles, it’s what Coughlin has done away from the field that means the most to him. It’s also what means the most to those who played for him.

“Coach always says that God isn’t going to ask him about the Super Bowl rings on his fingers, but rather the impact he has had on the lives of others,” Strahan added. “Watching him and his late wife Judy work so tirelessly for families tackling pediatric cancer in New York, New Jersey, and Jacksonville, Fla., has not been lost on me or any of my teammates. He has inspired many of us to pursue similar paths in how we give back and that’s because he is a leader, a role model, and has our respect.

“Coach, I am so grateful to call you a mentor and a friend. You have made me a better person. There is no doubt in my mind that you belong in the Hall of Fame, but until you get that gold jacket and that bust to talk to the other busts late at night in Canton, please know you are already a Hall of Famer to so many you’ve touched on and off the field.”

Perhaps no one deserves the Hall of Fame more than Tom Coughlin and that has a lot more to do with his shaping of lives, both on the field and through the Jay Fund Foundation, than anything else he’s ever accomplished. He’s not just a champion head coach but a champion human being.

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Justin Tuck strongly backs Eli Manning as first ballot Hall of Famer

Retired New York Giants DE Justin Tuck is strongly supporting teammate Eli Manning’s bid for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is on the ballot for the first time as a nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.

There’s a lot of debate around the football universe about whether Eli is worthy of being inducted in his friar year of eligibility.

His former teammate 11 years, All-Pro defensive end and two-time Super Bowl champion Justin Tuck, thinks it should be a no-brainer.

“Yes. He is first ballot Hall of Famer,” Tuck told host Ryan Clark on The Pivot recently. “I’ll give you a few examples.

“Outside the stats — and I think the stats back up that notion — you think about his longevity, you think about his yards, his touchdowns, his Super Bowls, and the MVPs. I think that alone answers that question.”

Tuck believes that Eli was held to a higher standard due to his last name, which made his climb to success a bit steeper than normal.

“I don’t think a lot of people take into consideration how hard it is to live in Peyton Manning’s shadow and build your own name in the biggest and broadest market in the world,” he said.

But there are other factors. Eli had durability, starting 210 consecutive games — the third-highest total by an NFL quarterback — and played a record 16 seasons in a Giants uniform.

Tuck reminded all that there’s a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to Eli Manning.

“His leadership. He wasn’t a loud leader, but think about him showing up, being at that facility day in and day out. Maybe the first person in and the last person to leave, every day for 16 years. The model of consistency adds to that list,” he said.

While others debate over Eli’s worthiness, Tuck does not doubt whether Eli belongs in Canton.

“I don’t understand why it’s even a question,” said Tuck.

Giants legend Tom Coughlin named semifinalist for Hall of Fame

Retired New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin has been named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame alongside three other ex-Giants.

Former New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, who led Big Blue to two Super Bowl championships, is among nine semifinalists in the coaches’ category for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.

One of the nine candidates will be selected as a finalist for the Class of 2025 on November 19.

Other candidates who advanced on the list, which was cut down from 14 to nine on Thursday, include two other former Giant head coaches — Bill Arnsparger and Dan Reeves, and a former assistant Marty Schottenheimer.

Mike Shanahan, Mike Holmgren, George Seifert, Chuck Knox, and Clark Shaughnessy round out the list.

Along with being a two-time Super Bowl champ, Coughlin was the first head coach of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars, taking them to two AFC Championship Games. His overall NFL record is 182-157 over a span of 20 seasons.

Arnsparger coached the Giants from 1974-76, compiling a 7-28 record but made his name as a coordinator of the Miami Dolphins’ No-Name defense of the early 1970s. He passed away in 2015.

Reeves coached Big Blue from 1993-96, compiling a 31-33 record. He is noted for taking the Denver Broncos to three Super Bowls and the Atlanta Falcons to another. He passed away in 2022.

Schottenheimer compiled a 205-139-1 record over 21 seasons as a head coach for Cleveland, Kansas City, San Diego, and Washington. He was a defensive assistant for the Giants in the mid-1970s where he developed Harry Carson and Brad Van Pelt into Pro Bowl linebackers.

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Giants greats Eli Manning, Tiki Barber advance in Hall of Fame voting

New York Giants greats, QB Eli Manning and RB Tiki Barber, have advanced in voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former New York Giants greats, quarterback Eli Manning and running back Tiki Barber, have advanced with 48 other modern-day players in the voting process for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 presented by Visual Edge IT.

The list will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in approximately four weeks with the Class of 2025 being announced at the NFL Honors in New Orleans, Louisiana, in February and enshrined in August in Canton.

Manning is the Giants’ all-time passing leader and holds most of the franchise’s passing records. He has also played the most seasons and the most games in a New York Giants uniform.

Barber is the Giants’ all-time leading rusher, is second to Hall of Famer Frank Gifford in touchdowns, and is fourth on the Giants’ all-time list in receiving yards.

This announcement comes on the heels of former head coach Tom Coughlin advancing to the next round in the coaches’ category and linebacker Carl Banks, running back Ottis Anderson, and quarterback Charlie Conerly making it to the next round in the senior’s category.

It would be fitting if Manning and Coughlin went into the Hall of Fame together. And it would be incredibly ironic if Barber joined them.

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Steelers’ VP Art Rooney Jr. named a 2025 Hall of Fame candidate

Beloved member of the Rooney family, Steelers’ VP Art Rooney Jr., is one of 25 candidates from the Contributor category for 2025 HOF.

Steelers’ Vice President Art Rooney Jr., son of the Steelers’ founder Art Rooney Sr. and father of Steelers’ owner Art Rooney II, is one of 25 candidates named for the Contributor category in the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Rooney Jr. served as the Steelers’ Personnel Director from 1965 to 1986, before becoming the Steelers’ Vice President in 1987.

Without Rooney Jr., the Pittsburgh Steelers’ generational success might have never come to fruition, as he  and the scouting department was responsible for 10 Hall of Fame caliber players from 1969 to 1974.  Players drafted or signed from his guidance included ‘Mean’ Joe Green, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, and Mel Blount, just to name a few.

The Rooney family is a vital and beloved piece of Steelers history, and in some ways, the heart of Pittsburgh itself.  Rooney Jr. created the tradition of winning for the ‘Steel City’, and much of what we fans love today about our great team is because of him.

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Giants greats Ottis Anderson, Carl Banks inch closer to Hall of Fame

Three former New York Giants, including Ottis Anderson and Carl Banks, have inched closer to induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former New York Giants greats quarterback Charlie Conerly, linebacker Carl Banks, and running back Ottis “O.J.” Anderson are among 60 former NFL players who are advancing to the next stage in the voting process for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 in the Seniors category.

For an individual to be considered, each former player last could have appeared in a professional football game in the 1999 season.

Per the Pro Football Hall of Fame, “the separate nine-person Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee will make additional reductions in increments over the next several weeks. In late fall, this committee will select three Seniors as Finalists for possible election with the Class of 2025 presented by Visual Edge IT.”

Conerly led the Giants to the 1956 NFL Championship and was the league MVP in 1959. He played for Big Blue from 1948-61, had his No. 42 retired, and is a member of the Giants’ Ring of Honor.

Banks, also a Ring of Honoree, was a two-time Super Bowl champion, a First-Team All-Pro (1987), and a member of the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade Team.

Anderson is the St. Louis Cardinals’ all-time leading rusher who was traded to the Giants after six seasons. With New York, Anderson was a manager of two Super Bowl-winning teams and was named MVP of Super Bowl XXV. He is also enshrined in the Giants Ring of Honor.

Former Giants defensive back Everson Walls is also among the 60.

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Giants legends advocate for Ottis Anderson in Hall of Fame bid

Former New York Giants greats and fans of the St. Louis Cardinals are coming forward to advocate for Ottis Anderson’s Hall of Fame bid.

Two weeks ago, the Pro Football Hall of Fame released a list of 167 senior nominees for consideration on their Class of 2025 ballot.

Under the new format, three players from the list will nominated for induction.

14 former New York Giants were on the list, including running back Ottis “O.J.” Anderson, who we have been advocating for enshrinement for some time now.

Anderson effectively had two careers — one with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1979-86 and another with the Giants from 1986-92.

With St. Louis, Anderson was a force, bursting on the scene with two monster Pro Bowl seasons for the Cardinals en route to becoming their all-time leading rusher.

With the Giants, Anderson played a key role on two Super Bowl championship teams and Bill Parcells’ smashmouth offense.

It’s been 33 years since Anderson left the game and many of his old adversaries and teammates are advocating for his induction into Canton.

Former Giants great Harry Carson, a Hall of Fame linebacker who played against and with Anderson, believes O.J. deserves enshrinement.

“I think he’s one of the best running backs I’ve ever faced,” Carson told Steve Serby of the New York Post. “You could see him get the ball and he ran counter to where he was supposed to run, but he got yards on his own because he was running for his life. . . He deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

Another great Giants linebacker, Lawrence Taylor, agrees. Players with lesser legacies and thinner resumes than Anderson are in Canton.

“I look at a lot of guys that are in the Hall of Fame right now,” Taylor said, “and I’m saying, ‘This guy ain’t as good as O.J. Anderson.’ Back in that day, his stats spoke for themselves.”

When Anderson retired in 1992, only seven players had amassed more rushing yards in NFL history. He also scored touchdowns in both of the Giants’ Super Bowl wins and was named the MVP of Super Bowl XXI.

When players such as Taylor and Carson speak, perhaps the Hall voters should listen.

“I played against him and I played with him,” Taylor told Serby. “He’s a helluva player. When I was playing against him, he was one of the guys I had to look out for every daggone time we played him.

“He had that little movement where he could jump from one gap to another gap. … He’s physical … not as fast as some running backs, but he’s going to pound it out, 8 yards, 7 yards at a time. And by the time you done finished four quarters, you’re tired of hitting O.J. Anderson.”

Anderson is grateful that his old teammates are coming to bat for him and also the fans of his former team, the Cardinals. Serby asked him why he felt he has been overlooked.

“I think because St. Louis left and went to Arizona. I also think that the people who had a voice when I was the eighth-leading (all-time) rusher passed away, and there’s no one there to validate what I accomplished,” he said.

To this day, the Cardinals have yet to recognize Anderson’s contributions to their franchise. Perhaps if they stepped up and did that, Anderson’s profile would be raised and more people would realize what a special player he was.

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Giants legend Eli Manning officially nominated for Hall of Fame

New York Giants legend Eli Manning is one of 16 first-time players nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.

Two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Eli Manning and seven other former New York Giants are among 167 modern-era players nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.

From the Giants:

Manning, who ranks top 10 in career passing yards, completions and touchdown passes, is joined by seven other Giants legends on this year’s ballot: running back Tiki Barber, tight end Jeremy Shockey, guard Chris Snee, defensive end Justin Tuck, linebacker Jessie Armstead, and punters Jeff Feagles and Sean Landeta.

Manning retired after the 2019 season after 16 seasons with Big Blue and is one of 16 first-year nominees on this year’s ballot.

https://twitter.com/YahooSports/status/1836428936751763560

Manning is a two-time Super Bowl winner and MVP (XLII, XLVI), a four-time Pro Bowl selection, and the 2016 Walter Payton NFL Man of Year recipient.

Manning is enshrined in the Giants’ Ring of Honor and his No. 10 has been retired by the Giants.

Eli holds almost all of the Giants’ franchise passing records — both career and single-season — and played in a franchise record 236 games, including 222 consecutive starts, fourth-most by a quarterback in NFL history.

Manning also holds the records for the most passing yards in a single postseason (1,219 yards) and completions and attempts in a single postseason (103 completions and 163 attempts) both set in 2011.

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