Tag: Ray Flaherty

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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