The 1975 logo

[MightyGiants]

Interesting article

Dear Doctor:
I'm a Giants fan and like the game worn helmets as well as the ones you have made up as shown on the GIANTS SECTION OF THE NFL AREA. These bring back great memories, especially Gifford. One of the Giants helmets you don't see much is the 1975 model with the open type of lettering. It seems that it was used and then discarded right away. Is there any kind of reason for that or story about it? I like your Larry Csonka helmet and story too. Thanks.
Nathan, Long Island


Dear Nathan,
The New York Giants are one of the NFL's most popular teams and the sale of their apparel and related items confirms this fact. Giants fans used to be known as "button down" conservative types in the 1950's and 1960's primarily because the businesses in the New York metropolitan area were among the first in the nation to realize the value of and understand the business producing impact of providing NFL game tickets to corporate partners. Giants fans took a beating in the media for not caring as the sold out Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium were often populated not by the season ticket holders each game, but a continuously changing sea of businessmen who utilized their tickets for business purposes rather than the wholehearted support of their home team. "Madison Avenue" as the advertising business in Manhattan was called, was the first to utilize football players in advertising campaigns and members of the Giants were the obvious first choice picks. Frank Gifford was the first or certainly one of the first NFL players who made an equivalent income from his modeling career, relative to his NFL salary. Even with truth in the above statement, Giants fans are as vociferous and loyal as any other in the league and they have had great teams and great players to cheer for including the members of the Charlie Connerly-Y.A. Tittle-Frank Gifford-Sam Huff era that produced many division and NFL/World Championships and many Pro Football Hall Of Fame Players. Unfortunately, the team hit a tough patch from the mid-sixties to the early 1980's. Study of the Giants records indicate that many of those years produced .500 ball or finishing records in that area but relative to the championship years and the expectations of their fans, the perception was that the Giants were not doing well at all.

Former Giants great and Pro Football Hall Of Fame member Andy Robustelli had been extremely successful as a Connecticut businessman following his playing career. He had started a number of business ventures prior to the conclusion of his career and had an excellent track record. Giants owner Wellington Mara asked Robustelli to come on board to try and resurrect the structure of the franchise in December of 1973 following a terrible Giants season that found them with a 2-11-1 record. Fan discord was enhanced by the necessity of playing the final five of seven home games in New Haven, CT at the Yale Bowl after vacating Yankee Stadium. Robustelli, as Director Of Operations began to dismantle and then rebuild the team with new head coach Bill Arnsparger but they stumbled to a 2-12 1974 record. With projected occupancy of the new Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands not expected until the 1976 season, the Giants were scheduled to play all of their 1975 home games at the Jets' home field, Shea Stadium. Feeling that an entire "new look" was necessary, a brand new practice facility was constructed at Pace College and this was followed by new uniforms. As Robustelli said, "Next came the uniforms, beginning with the helmet that for years had the familiar 'NY' on the side. The Giants needed to be a little more modern in their look without departing entirely from the idea that we still were the New York Giants...we solicited plenty of designs before settling on the modernized version of 'NY' which we used when we played in Shea Stadium. Of course, the 'GIANTS' logo became standard when we moved into Giants Stadium in New Jersey in 1976."








Robustelli also added two one-inch white flanking stripes to augment the standard one-inch red center stripe that had adorned the Giants' navy blue helmet for so long. The reaction of the media and fans wasn't quite what was expected. Unfortunately the fans truly disliked the new-look "NY" logo and if the move to the New Jersey stadium had not been planned, with the dissolution of any logo associated directly with New York or New York City, it probably would not have been more than a one-year decal so great was the fans' negative reaction. The white flanking stripes remained and the new logo that was introduced when the move to the Meadowlands occurred was a long lasting one. The stylized "GIANTS" logo was used for years until the "NY" was reintroduced in 2000. A terrific question that allowed us to wind down memory lane for a while, thank you.
Truly yours,
Dr. Del Rye

http://www.helmethut.com/070907.html

[retrojint]

Mighty:  Dom T has called that logo "something from the Gloria Gaynor, disco era."  Some liked it.  Some hated it, and the blue pants that went with them. 

[MightyGiants]

Well I don't think the 70s will ever be know for it's fashions.   

[kartanoman]

Excellent thread that says it all! Here's a shot of Craig Morton, holding for George Hunt's winning kick against the Bills, wearing the away uniform with the blue pants (admittedly, I like it!):



As soon as Robustelli left the organization, and the Young/Perkins era began, the first casualty from the previous era was the blue pants ... I think Gordon Gravelle was second and I still believe Young/Perkins got those two mixed up!    In 1980, the rest of the "disco" uniform was retired for the look most fans remember the best and, for some, wish the Giants would return to.

The irony of it all is that, had the Giants played in and won Super Bowl X, which culminated the '75 season,  I'd be willing to wager that fans would have loved the "disco" look well past the 1970s ... something to think about!

Peace!

[spiderblue43]

Great stuff, guys.

The dislocation of the Giants to NJ really had a poor effect on their uniforms, no question. It was the 70's but those uniforms were garish and unflattering. The disco NY in 75 is a famous anomaly. The move to NJ prompted the GIANTS helmet because of political sensitivities in the state (no question still to this day).

But the Giants went back to basics in 1980. George Young/Well/Tim had to wait a year to officially change the look to the classic 80's look we remember.

The ny return was Bob Tisch as much as anything. The ny was a classic return to their roots, the obvious media market, overall community that follows them and the reason they are there. The ny look is their best look. But I still feel they have botched the road unis. The plain white of the Tark era , with blue socks and red/blue bands is the great look.

[Wolverine1975]

Probably the most interesting thing I have in my colection of Giant clippings from the '70s is an ad from 1977 touting Brad Van Pelt and Jack Gregory's personal appearances at the opening of a store in Wallington, NJ.  The title of the ad reads "Come Meet The N.J. Giants".    It took a while before I noticed that!