Tag: Ray Flaherty

Rising Giants star has unique pitch for wearing retired numbers

New York Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson has a unique idea that could solve the issue of players wearing previously retired jersey numbers.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that the New York Giants would be unretiring Ray Flaherty’s No.1 for rookie Malik Nabers.

The Giants, of course, did the right thing and got permission from the Flaherty family before making the move and announcement.

Nabers is excited to sport his new number with pride while honoring the Giants legend and NFL Hall of Famer.

Still, the decision has been met with much criticism from the fans and members of the media alike. It has cast people into two entirely separate camps and created a debate on whether such a decision is justified.

Nabers’ fellow wide receiver, Wan’Dale Robinson, has a potential solution that would satisfy both sides.

https://twitter.com/art_stapleton/status/1829499168315867566

Robinson’s idea is certainly an interesting way to bring retired jersey numbers back and make them available for current players while also honoring the player who the number was originally retired for.

Robinson’s idea would also have to be within the NFL’s strict uniform rules.

As the offseason progressed, it was clear Nabers would not be wearing No. 9 in the regular season, which belongs to kicker Graham Gano. The NFL recently loosened up their jersey number rules in recent years, giving wide receivers the opportunity to wear single-digit numbers.

Although the Giants did unretire a number previously in 1961, it likely wasn’t known by many of today’s fans that bringing a number out of retirement was even possible.

However, with the Giants and Nabers bringing the No.1 out of retirement, it will be interesting to see if this is an outlier or if this is going to start a trend for other teams.

The reality is, that as time presses forward, only so many numbers are available. Either teams will eventually have to start issuing triple digits or unretire numbers for players to wear.

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‘Grateful’ Malik Nabers plans to wear Ray Flaherty’s No. 1 ‘with pride’

New York Giants WR Malik Nabers says he’s “grateful” to the Flaherty family and plans to wear Ray Flaherty’s No. 1 “with pride.”

New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers is under a lot of pressure as his first NFL regular season approaches.

First off, Naber is expected to singlehandedly save the Giants’ punchless offense with his extraordinary talent. As a top 10 pick (No. 6 overall) he knows how much is riding on him being successful.

But this week, Nabers did something that most rookies — or even veterans — in this league wouldn’t dare do. He requested to wear a uniform number that is retired.

Giants co-owner John Mara and the family of a man whose number Nabers will be wearing, Ray Flaherty, made that happen. Now even more pressure has been placed on Nabers’ shoulders. He believes he can handle it.

“It shows how much trust they have in me, it shows how much they are really going to go to bat for me,” Nabers said on Thursday. “They say it’s a lot of pressure, but I don’t really feel any pressure… I’ve had pressure my whole life. Made it out of a lot of situations with pressure. I feel like I like pressure. So, I’m happy that it’s on me. I mean, I guess if everybody puts pressure on me, then it’s good.”

Nabers said “the person makes the number,” not the other way around. The number itself has no real significance to him. He’s never worn it, but he knows it means a lot to the Giants, their fans, and especially the Flaherty family.

“I’m grateful and thankful to the family for letting me wear this number. I know this number hasn’t been worn for 80 to 90 years,” Nabers said. “I’m going to try my best to wear it with pride, continue to be who I am. But again, thankful to the family for letting me wear it. But it’s about me right now. I’ve got to go play in that jersey.”

People are finally getting to know Nabers — and Flaherty — through this endeavor. That’s a good thing. Many Giants fans on social media have admitted they knew very little about Flaherty until this week. A new generation of fans are learning about this great player and coach from the past.

They’re about to learn about Nabers as well. He says he doesn’t really like to talk about himself. He’d rather let his talent do the talking.

” I believe, I’m just a dog. When I’m out there on the field, I just want to be a dog, be a difference maker, and be a player that my coaches can count on really,” he said.

The Giants want that, too. Nabers is playing for two legacies now, both his and Flaherty’s. No matter how you slice it, that’s a lot of pressure.

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Giants give Malk Nabers retired No. 1 jersey with permission from family

The GIants unretired the No. 1 jersey for first-round pick Malik Nabers

Everything is a numbers game when it comes to NFL jerseys. And now, we know the digit Malik Nabers will wear as a New York Giant.

The first-round pick out of LSU has gotten permission from the family of the late Ray Flaherty to wear No. 1. Yes, the same digit Big Blue retired in 1935.

Progress? Unsure.

“Thank you to the Flaherty family for allowing me to wear Number 1 for the New York Giants,” Nabers said in a statement released by the team on Wednesday. “I understand the responsibility, and I will do everything in my power to honor the Flaherty family and this organization.

“I will wear the number with great pride. Can’t wait for the season to start.”

Nabers has been wearing No. 9 at practice and in the preseason. However, that number belongs to veteran kicker Graham Gano.

The No. 8 he wore at LSU is QB Daniel Jones’ jersey.

Who is Ray Flaherty, you ask?

Flaherty, who played end, joined the Giants in 1929 and, after two years as the Gonzaga basketball coach, returned from 1931 to ’35. He later became a professional football coach, and is credited with the behind-the-line screen pass and the two-platoon substitution system.

Flaherty was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976. He was the first football player to have his jersey retire. That occured in 1935, 89 years ago.

Giants unretire Ray Flaherty’s No. 1 for Malik Nabers

The New York Giants have unretired Ray Flaherty’s No. 1, with permission from his family, for rookie WR Malik Nabers.

The New York Giants are unretiring uniform No.1 for their priced top draft pick, wide receiver Malik Nabers.

No. 1 has been retired in honor of Hall of Famer Ray Flaherty since 1935. The Flaherty family has granted Nabers and the Giants permission to use the number.

Flaherty was the first professional football player to have his number retired.

Nabers wore No. 9 in trading camp and during the preseason. That number belongs to veteran kicker Graham Gano.

“Everybody else’s number was really taken,” Nabers said, via Giants.com. “I looked into retired jerseys and number one stood out. So, I asked John Mara about it. He was like, ‘We could give it a shot.’ So, we gave it a shot.”

Mara went to the Flaherty family and they granted permission. They were a bit reluctant at first but then Mara explained that the reuse of the number could introduce Flaherty to modern-day fans.

One of Flaherty’s granddaughters also suggested that the number could be lucky for Nabers, who was grateful for the chance to wear it.

“I’m going to represent their family’s retired number well,” Nabers said. “I’m going to try my best. I’m grateful that they chose the opportunity to un-retire the jersey and let me wear it. I’m going to wear it with pride.”

This is not the first time the Giants have recycled a retired number for a star player.

In 1961, then co-owner Wellington Mara allowed recently acquired quarterback Y.A. Tittle to wear No 14, which was retired in honor of Ward Cuff — a five-time All-Pro halfback for the Giants from 1937-45.

That number is now retired for both players.

Other jersey number changes include tight end Theo Johnson (No. 84), wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton (No. 88), and fullback Jakob Johnson (No. 89).

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