Frank Gifford has died

[jimv]

To me, he always has been & always will be "Mr. Giant."   I hope he's having a happy reunion up there with Wellington.  May he RIP.

[Shoelessjoe]

Jim:

You and I have discussed this several times at tailgates concerning your admiration and respect for Frank Gifford.  When my son told me this afternoon one of my first thought was you and the times that we discussed and you expressed your feelings about the man.  The saying once a Giant always a Giant was never more true then when it came to him.  In fact you could say that after Wellington Mara Frank Gifford was Mr. Giant.  Another part of my youth gone.

[Jintsman74]

Shocking news. Enjoyed seeing a lot of film of Mr. Gifford playing for the Giants. I enjoyed watching Mr. Gifford on ABC's Wild World of Sports and I do miss the team of Gifford, Michael's, and Dierdorf on ABC Monday Night Football. Heavens gain is our loss. RIP Mr. Gifford. My prayers go out to the Gifford family. Just a sad day finding this out.

[Chris]

Here's hoping we see # 16 patches on this season's uniforms. If anyone deserves to be honored this way, it is Mr. Gifford.

Never had the opportunity to see him play but I was always very proud such a great and classy player played for the team I love.

RIP, Frank Gifford.

[Painter]

Frank played in an era before the staggering commercialism of TV and Fantasy Football gambling when a team would field only 22 players and often a lot less. I sometimes wonder what the ESPN sensation machine would make of a right- handed number 16 sprinting right and throwing a left-handed pass to Kyle Rote much less to what those guys really meant to us in a far better time.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=kyle+rote&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=64D15783CBF3E99DF8C464D15783CBF3E99DF8C4

That may be why some of us old dudes are as cynical of the modern game as we are. And it doesn't just apply to football. isn't that right, Lenn?

Cheers!

[LennG]

Heard the news while driving home from vacation and it simply stunned me.

I'm so glad I did have the privilege of seeing him play and like others, he will always be Mr Giant. No offense to LT, but Frank was probably the best all around athlete that ever put on a Giants uniform. he was simply made for NY and with his Hollywood looks and charisma, he excelled here. I seriously doubt if that would have happened anywhere else.

Thanks for the memories #16

[jimv]

Shocking news. Enjoyed seeing a lot of film of Mr. Gifford playing for the Giants. I enjoyed watching Mr. Gifford on ABC's Wild World of Sports and I do miss the team of Gifford, Michael's, and Dierdorf on ABC Monday Night Football. Heavens gain is our loss. RIP Mr. Gifford. My prayers go out to the Gifford family. Just a sad day finding this out.

Jintsman, you, like a lot of you younger fans, missed a real treat in not seeing Gifford play. 

I've watched a number of TV news reports on his death & all of them have shown highlight plays from his career.  The one I never get tired of watching is his throwing a TD pass to Bob Schnelker on a snow covered Yankee Stadium in the last regular game of the 1958 season.  It tied up the game 10 - 10 and later Pat Summerall kicked the famous 50 yard FG to win it 13 - 10.  The Giants then beat the Browns again, 10 - 0 in a playoff.  I'll end it right there.  The following week's game still sticks in my craw.

[jimv]

Jim:

You and I have discussed this several times at tailgates concerning your admiration and respect for Frank Gifford.  When my son told me this afternoon one of my first thought was you and the times that we discussed and you expressed your feelings about the man.  The saying once a Giant always a Giant was never more true then when it came to him.  In fact you could say that after Wellington Mara Frank Gifford was Mr. Giant.  Another part of my youth gone.

Thanks, Frank!   I also thought of those discussions we had.  I'll be wearing my autographed Gifford # 16 jersey to the Sep 20th Falcons game.  We can talk more about him then.

[BayAreaGiant]

Frank Gifford epitomized the word class. He was not only a great Giant but a truly decent human being. I had the opportunity to meet with him a number of times in the 1960's and 1970's and he was always willing to take the time to talk to us "common folks" without a condescending air about him. He was what all too many of today's athletes are not, appreciative of God's gifts and the adulation of the fans who supported him.

I grew up in New York in the 50's and my idols were Frank Gifford and Willie Mays. In many respects the two could not have been more different but in some important ways they were the same: extremely talented and humble at the same time. I was at Yankee Stadium with my father the day that he and Chuck Bednerick had that unfortunate but earth shattering collision. When the fans realized what had happened, you could hear a pin drop. There were many that thought that Frank was dead. No one would have been surprised if he had retired when he came to but he came back and became an All-Pro at a new position. Such was his talent.

It is interesting to note that both he and Bednerick, two individuals who were All-Pro on both offense and defense and whose careers will be forever be inexorably  intertwined, have passed within the same 12 month period.

Those of us who have followed the Giants for all too many years have lost a true hero and an idol. He was and will always be, at least to my mind, Mr. Giant, right up there with Mr. Mara.  We will probably never see another one like # 16 and the football fans, especially Giants fans, are much poorer for that.

I would point out one more thing to those who never saw him play and are caught up in the modern era (i.e., anything earlier than 1990), Kathy Lee Gifford should be known as Frank Gifford's wife, he was not (nor should he ever be solely known as) Ms. Gifford's husband. We have lost a true icon and a staple of a 12 year old's dreams.  May he rest in peace with the knowledge that he meant so much to so many and that he comported himself in a manner that the modern players should rush to emulate.           

[Tomeee]

Some really great stuff here. Keep the stories flowing. This thread should be tacked.

RIP, he was a legend.

[Webster29]

To me, he always has been & always will be "Mr. Giant."   I hope he's having a happy reunion up there with Wellington.  May he RIP.

Jim:   When I heard the news one of the first things that popped into my mind was he was somewhere talking Giants football with the Duke.

[afan56]

May he rest in peace! He was a beautiful young man! And I think his way of passing was great too, quickly and quietly at home!

[andrew_nyGiants]

Great talent. Class human being. The original Giant for life.

IMHO He deserves more recognition than a #16 patch on the team uniform this season.

Maybe Eli could wear his number in tribute this year. 

I personally would LOVE to see that.

R.I.P. Mr. Gifford, than you for always exemplifying Giants pride.

[MightyGiants]

Here are some video highlights of the ultimate Giant

https://screen.yahoo.com/charley-casserly-remembers-hall-famer-204722539.html

[Jintsman74]

Shocking news. Enjoyed seeing a lot of film of Mr. Gifford playing for the Giants. I enjoyed watching Mr. Gifford on ABC's Wild World of Sports and I do miss the team of Gifford, Michael's, and Dierdorf on ABC Monday Night Football. Heavens gain is our loss. RIP Mr. Gifford. My prayers go out to the Gifford family. Just a sad day finding this out.

Jintsman, you, like a lot of you younger fans, missed a real treat in not seeing Gifford play. 

I've watched a number of TV news reports on his death & all of them have shown highlight plays from his career.  The one I never get tired of watching is his throwing a TD pass to Bob Schnelker on a snow covered Yankee Stadium in the last regular game of the 1958 season.  It tied up the game 10 - 10 and later Pat Summerall kicked the famous 50 yard FG to win it 13 - 10.  The Giants then beat the Browns again, 10 - 0 in a playoff.  I'll end it right there.  The following week's game still sticks in my craw.

I certainly did miss out on a great era in NY Giants history with great Giants and none better than Mr. Gifford.