Tag: Wellington Mara

Late Giants owner Wellington Mara nominated for 2024 Salute to Service Award

Late New York Giants co-owner Wellington Mara is being recognized for his lifelong dedication to out nation’s armed forces.

Wellington Mara, the late co-owner of the New York Giants, has been named as the team’s nominee for the 2024 Salute to Service Award.

The Salute to Service Award, presented by USAA, “acknowledges the exceptional efforts by members of the NFL community to honor and support U.S. service members, veterans, and their families.”

Mara, who passed away in 2005, has recently been in the news after the NFL Network aired a documentary about his life last week.

A World War II Navy veteran, Mara “spent his life honoring, empowering and connecting with service members, veterans and their families.”

Mara’s father, Tim, founded the New York Giants in 1925 and he and his brother, Jack, took control of the team upon their father’s death in 1959. The Mara family still owns 50 percent of the franchise to this day.

All 32 NFL teams are represented by a nominee for the award in which three finalists will be announced in January. The recipient will be announced at the NFL Honors primetime awards special to air nationally in February during the week of Super Bowl LIX.

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NFL Network to air new documentary on late Giants owner Wellington Mara

NFL Network will air a new documentary chronicling the incredible life of late New York Giants owner Wellington Mara, “The Duke.”

NFL Network will chronicle the incredible life of late New York Giants owner Wellington Mara with “The Duke: The Giant Life of Wellington Mara” on Friday, October 25 at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

Based on the trailer, it’s not only a must-watch for Giant fans but for NFL fans as well.

From NFL Network:

The one-hour show examines Mara’s 80 years in the NFL, showcasing the decisive role he played in shaping the Giants and the NFL into the flagship institutions they are today.

Mara was a pioneer of scouting, worked with Vince Lombardi to bring Polaroids to the NFL for in-game adjustments, discovered Tom Landry, Emlen Tunnell and Frank Gifford, shaped the NFL’s business model by sharing television revenues with the rest of the league, and was the kingmaker who made Pete Rozelle commissioner.

Throughout his entire football tenure, Mara developed close and lasting relationships through his philosophy of “Once a Giant, Always a Giant.”

Mara was more than just the owner of a football team. He was a curator of a public trust; a steward who cared for the sport and its business but mostly, he loved the Giant fans.

Mara would often refer to the fans as “customers” and would take the time to personally respond to letters sent in by the Big Blue faithful.

Very few had a cross word about Mara, even after he made the decision to yank his team out of New York for the barren confines of The Meadowlands. Many knew he had no choice with New York City in the throes of financial default and social decline.

Provided below are select quotes from “The Duke.”

  • “He’s one of the patriarchs. There’s only about four or five of them – he’s one of them.” – Bill Parcells
  • “He was like the Forrest Gump of the NFL. It seemed like whenever something major happened in the league, he was a part of it.” – Michael Strahan
  • “He was a Giant in more ways than one. He saw the entire development of the league.” – Roger Goodell
  • “[Pete Rozelle] was a young general manager of the Rams who had not done anything to distinguish himself. Wellington Mara saw something in him.” – Ernie Accorsi
  • “You can’t drive until you’re 17 years old and he was running a football team.” – Eli Manning
  • “The Giants were in the 50s the cradle of coaches. Two of the greatest coaches of all-time: Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi.” – Peter King
  • “He was always there to cheer me on and help me up.” – Lawrence Taylor

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Bill Belichick has warned coaches about Giants organization

Bill Belichick has a great affinity for the Giants but has reportedly warned people that their current power structure is troublesome.

Bill Belichick is a name that simply won’t go away when it comes to the New York Giants. At least not since he and the New England Patriots parted ways.

Fans have clamored for Belichick to return to the Giants, either as their head coach, a job currently held by Brian Daboll, or as their defensive coordinator.

Neither of those things is going to happen — not now and likely not in the future.

During the latest Breaking Big Blue podcast, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan revealed that Belichick’s view of the Giants has shifted over the years.

“I’ve heard this multiple times over the past five, six, seven years. And it’s a dirty little secret, maybe, about Bill Belichick and the Giants,” Raanan said. “I don’t think he looks at the Giants the same way he used to look at the Giants when he was here.”

Raanan notes that Belichick was a Wellington Mara guy, not a John Mara and Steve Tisch guy. And while he still reflects positively on his time with the Giants, Belichick has become wary of the current ownership and front office structure.

Specifically, Raanan notes, is the presence of John Mara’s nephew, Tim McDonnell, the team’s director of player personnel.

“Over the years, Bill Belichick has given advice to people . . . that he didn’t really like the setup of the Giants organization. Like, he didn’t think the Giants (were) this great organization,” Raanan said. “Bill Belichick, like everybody else watching from the outside (and) watching the way it’s set up, doesn’t think — at least this is what I’ve heard — it’s this great organization in its current iteration.

“That doesn’t mean Bill Belichick doesn’t love the Giants and appreciate everything they’ve done for him and have great memories.”

Because of the current power structure, Raanan doesn’t believe Belichick would want to come to the Giants at this point in his career. Even if he became desperate and the Giants came calling, it’s likely Belichick would request a major dynamic shift within the building at 1925 Giants Drive.

“He’s directly told that to people — be careful about the organization and their setup and the way it’s run. That’s happened,” Raanan said. “So, yes, Bill Belichick loves the New York Football Giants, the organization, and the memories he has from the past. It doesn’t mean he’s bats— crazy in love with the Giants organization right now.”

And there’s no reason to believe the Giants organization covets Belichick, either. After all, it was his accidental text message to Brian Flores that currently has John Mara and Co. in court.

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Emotional Tiki Barber comes to defense of Giants, owners: They aren’t racist

Tiki Barber came to an emphatic defense of the New York Giants on Wednesday and shared an emotional story about Wellington Mara.

Since his controversial retirement at the conclusion of the 2006 season, Tiki Barber has had a rocky relationship with New York Giants fans. He has not, however, had as rocky a relationship with the team or its owners.

On Tuesday, former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL and its teams, including the Giants, alleging racism in their hiring practices. He accused New York of running him through a “sham” process to make it appear as if a minority candidate was being seriously considered.

The Giants released a statement emphatically denying the allegations, noting that Flores was considered a finalist for the job.

“We are pleased and confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Daboll. We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates. The fact of the matter is, Brian Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach,” the statement read.

During Wednesday’s edition of First Take, host Stephen A. Smith took harsh aim at the Giants.

“Let me say this to the New York Giants. As an organization, when it comes to black coaches, I don’t believe a damn word you have to say,” Smith said. “There’s no one more incriminating than the New York Giants when it comes to black coaches. We are in the year 2022. All of these years, damn near a century for crying out loud, there is one single franchise that has not had a black coach. That is the New York Giants.”

There are six teams that have never hired a Black general manager or head coach on a full-time basis. Although the Giants did have a Black GM — Jerry Reese — they have never had a full-time Black head coach in their history.

Despite that, Barber took exception to Smith’s comments and came to defense of the Giants during the Tiki & Tierney on Wednesday.

“I just don’t think that the Maras, who I’ve known for 25 years, are racist,” Barber said, via Big Blue View.

“I’m not willing to scream and yell that the Giants, an organization that I revere, that I had a great relationship with, to say that they’re racist simply because they haven’t had a black head coach or a black quarterback.”

Barber then became emotion as he recounted a never-before-told story about visiting Wellington Mara’s bedside before the late owner passed away.

“I went to his bedside and I just tell him thank you for making me a Giant,” Barber recalls. “The fact that the Maras, and I always said this with the Tisches as well, they embraced me like I was family. I know them intimately, so when I say I don’t believe they’re racist it’s because I know they’re not … I know they’re not a racist organization.”

Although Barber firmly believes the Giants are not a racist organization, he admits the NFL has a problem with hiring minority coaches.

“[The Giants] hired a general manager [Joe Schoen] who had an idea of who he wanted to be the head coach, and Brian Flores is lighting a match to the Giants’ organization and to the league, which needs to be explored. I’m not saying this doesn’t need to be explored,” Barber said.

“We’ve known this for two decades. The fact that there are Rooney Rules proves that we know this is an issue. The Rooney Rule is not perfect. It’s never going to be perfect because the pipeline for Black candidates is not wide enough, is not big enough. At the end of the day you try to do the best you can, and I think the league and the Giants, they’re trying to do the best they can.”

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Throwback Thursday: Giants-Chargers in the 1995 Snowball Game

In the latest Giants Wire Throwback Thursday, we travel in time to 1995 and the infamous New York Giants-San Diego Chargers Snowball Game.

This Sunday will be just the 13th time the New York Giants will face the Chargers and the first time in Los Angeles. The other road games in the series were all played in San Diego.

The first matchup hosted by the Giants was at Yankee Stadium in 1971. The second was at Shea Stadium in 1975. The Giants would go on to host the Chargers four times at Giants Stadium: 1983, 1986, 1995 and 2009.

The 1995 game was probably the most memorable. Not for the play on the field but for the behavior of the fans.

The 5-10 Giants were closing out a disappointing season as the 8-7 Chargers came to town on a snowy week in the New York/New Jersey area. The stadium had been cleared of the snow well before the game, but there were still remnants of the week’s foot of snowfall still lingering throughout the venue.

As the Giants’ season circled the drain, the scene got ugly. Giant fans began to display their disgust over the team’s performance. It remains one of the lowest points in the 96-year history of the franchise.

From the New York Times:

With the Giants about to complete a 5-11 season, several of the 50,243 spectators began to throw snowballs, if not iceballs, onto the field. Soon, hundreds were throwing them.

One of the iceballs struck the Chargers’ equipment manager, 60-year-old Sid Brooks, near his left eye. Knocked unconscious, he regained consciousness in the locker room.

When the snowball throwing continued, the referee Ron Blum threatened to declare a forfeit. He did not, but Wellington Mara, a Giants owner, said later that Blum “would have been justified” to rule a forfeit. The Giants later took a full-page ad in a San Diego newspaper apologizing for the “snowball game.”

The Giants lost, 27-17, ending the third year of Dan Reeves’ four-year tenure as head coach. He would be fired after a 6-10 the next year.

The Chargers would finish with a 9-7 record and lose to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Wild Card game.

 

Even during World War II, Wellington Mara worried about the Giants

Even during his time in World War II, which featured an encounter with a kamikaze, Wellington Mara remained concerned about the Giants.

New York Giants fans know how much the late Wellington Mara loved his team. His father, Tim, founded the club in 1925 when Wellington was just nine years old. His first job with the Giants was a ball boy. Eventually, he would become the team’s iconic owner and a major force in the pantheon of the NFL power structure.

Mara’s Giants career was interrupted during World War II when he served as a naval officer aboard the USS Randolph in the South Pacific. Recently, one of Mara’s daughters discovered a trove of letters that Mara wrote during his time in the U.S. Navy from 1941-45.

Mara’s children, including his oldest, John, the Giants’ current CEO, had no prior knowledge of the letters outlining their father’s experience which included bouts of homesickness, loneliness and even a kamikaze attack on the ship. Mara never spoke of these things during his 89 years on this earth and the revelations of his ordeal are just now hitting home with his family.

“He talked a little about friends he had made, and some of the places he had been, but he never talked about any of the battles,” John Mara said, via NFL.com. “Reading this one letter, and the kamikaze plane hit their ship — it’s mind-boggling for me, because he never mentioned that. Just the constant fear of being in danger; think about that. Having to live like that every day. I would have loved to have had conversations with him about some of these things. I wish I had. That’s a big regret of mine, thinking I should have asked about it.”

“Ships get hit sometimes and people get hurt but the percentage is pretty small,” Wellington wrote in a letter from March 1945 to his parents, shortly after his ship was victimized by a deadly kamikaze plane. “Being on a carrier with this gang is something like playing quarterback for the Bears used to be. If anyone or anything ever does get through to take a shot at you, he is beaten, bruised and bloody.”

Many of Mara’s letters to his brother Jack contained concerns about the Giants and the NFL, which like many things in the world at that time, was struggling to survive.

As we know, it did — and he did — and the rest is history. When Mara learned the war was won and he was coming home, he equated the feeling to that of one he experienced with the Giants.

“The nearest thing I felt to this was when I heard the team came from behind to tie Philadelphia last year and when [halfback Bill] Paschal made that last minute run against Washington two years ago,” Mara wrote. “Home alive in ’45…Hoping this finds all OK and the team shaping up.”

Wellington Mara knew Eli Manning was right QB for Giants

In what would be the final game he ever watched, late Giants owner Wellington Mara recognized the upcoming greatest of Eli Manning.

The New York Giants and Eli Manning took a tremendous amount of heat for a draft day trade that brought the Ole Miss quarterback to East Rutherford by way of San Diego, and things didn’t get much easier in the immediate aftermath.

Not only was Manning initially frowned upon for refusing to play for the Chargers, his rookie campaign began on the bench and got no better once he reached the field.

Manning lost his first six starts and did not look good doing it. He was absolutely beaten into the ground during a Week 14 game against the Baltimore Ravens and in the season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, Giants brass were looking for anything to provide some optimism.

Manning obliged.

In what would be the first of many, Manning engineered a fourth quarter comeback, scoring 21 points over the final 15 minutes, including an extremely gutsy audible to run Tiki Barber up the middle and into the end zone with just 16 seconds remaining.

It was far from the flawless performance for Manning, but it was the first time he had showed the leadership, intelligence and late-game magic that would come to define him.

It was also the performance that led late Giants owner Wellington Mara to declare, “we’ve got our guy.”

Sadly, that would be Wellington’s final game with us.

“I also remember the last game of the 2004 season, Eli’s rookie year, when he took the team down the field at the end of the game in the closing seconds to beat Dallas, it was the last game my father ever saw, and I can remember walking to the locker room with him afterward and him saying to me, ‘I think we found our guy.’ And how right he was,” co-owner John Mara recounted on Friday.

Mara’s voice cracked as he recalled that moment, and it resonated with everyone in attendance. But Giants Nation can take solace in knowing that Wellington knew Big Blue was in good hands.

And as John said, “how right he was.”

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