QUIET TIME THREAD- Giants trivia challenge

[MightyGiants]

Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium, Yale Bowl, Shea Stadium Giants Stadium & MetLife

Outstanding 

Today's question is a deep dive question.   I think most fans know Tim Mara purchased the rights for the Giants in 1925.  What is probably less known is that Mara owned two other NFL teams in his lifetime.  What were the two other NFL teams he owned?

[Giant Jim]

He bought one team from Michigan to gain the rights to their QB, I think he was Benny Friedman.

[MightyGiants]

He bought one team from Michigan to gain the rights to their QB, I think he was Benny Friedman.

You are partly right; they were the Detroit Wolverines.  They were named after Benny Friedman's (the guy you correctly identified as the reason Mara bought the team) college team, the Michigan Wolverines.

The other team he technically owned were the NY Yankees (football team)

Battle with the AFL and first NFL Championship
In 1926, Grange and his manager, C. C. Pyle, formed the first American Football League with a franchise in New York, the Yankees, to compete with the Giants. At the same time, Giants coach Bob Folwell and star tackle Century Milstead, left to join the AFL's Philadelphia Quakers. This led Mara to increase the salaries of all his players by $50 a game to prevent them from leaving the Giants, too. He also signed many players to full-season contracts. Mara suffered $60,000 in financial losses that season. However all but four of the AFL franchises finished the 1926 season. Mara then challenged the AFL champion Philadelphia Quakers to a game and they accepted. In the first inter-league post-season confrontation, the seventh-place Giants defeated the AFL's champion, 31–0. The AFL folded soon thereafter.

By now, Mara was now willing to admit the Yankees into the NFL, as the only survivor of the defunct AFL. He even allowed the team to play its home games at Yankee Stadium. However, Mara was able to dictate the Yankees' schedule. When the Giants were in the Polo Grounds, the Yankees were to be on the road.

The next year, the Giants went 11-1-1 and won their first NFL championship. At the end of the 1928 season, Pyle turned his Yankees' franchise over to Mara. In 1929, Dan Blaine, the owner of the Staten Island Stapletons, applied for an NFL franchise. However, he first needed permission from Mara to set up his franchise, because Staten Island was within Mara's exclusive territory. But Mara actually had an extra franchise since the Yankees folded after the 1928 season, so the franchise again went back to Mara and he passed those franchise's rights on to Staten Island.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Mara



Today's question will stick with Tim Mara.  What was Tim Mara's occupation when he purchased the NY Giants? 

[Rosehill Jimmy]

He was a bookmaker

[MightyGiants]

He was a bookmaker

That is correct, although Bookmaker was a bit more legit back then.  Horse racing tracks didn't directly take bets back then.  That was the role of the bookmaker (although, in fairness, it was still a bit of a shady profession).   He also owned a coal company, Mara Fuel, and was involved in a few other business ventures as well. 


Today question, Phil McConkey was a key return man for the Bill Parcells including in Super Bowl XXI

New York Giants (1984–1985)
Green Bay Packers (1986)
New York Giants (1986–1988)
Phoenix Cardinals (1989)
San Diego Chargers (1989)

Phil had a profession before joining the Giants.  What was the profession?  Points if you can provide more detail.

[Rosehill Jimmy]

That is correct, although Bookmaker was a bit more legit back then.  Horse racing tracks didn't directly take bets back then.  That was the role of the bookmaker (although, in fairness, it was still a bit of a shady profession).   He also owned a coal company, Mara Fuel, and was involved in a few other business ventures as well. 


Today question, Phil McConkey was a key return man for the Bill Parcells including in Super Bowl XXI

New York Giants (1984–1985)
Green Bay Packers (1986)
New York Giants (1986–1988)
Phoenix Cardinals (1989)
San Diego Chargers (1989)

Phil had a profession before joining the Giants.  What was the profession?  Points if you can provide more detail.

Naval ACADEMY grad who piloted helicopters

[spiderblue43]

McConkey really put himself in Tunas doghouse permanently with a key punt fumble that helped the stinking Jets beat our heroes and knocked out of the playoffs in 88...Niners totally tanked later to make it official.

  

[MightyGiants]

@Rosehill Jimmy is correct. Phil McConkey was a helicopter pilot for the US Navy and an Annapolis grad.

Today's question- In 1975, the Mets, Yankees, Jets, and Giants all played in the same stadium.  What stadium was that?

[spiderblue43]

That was Shea. Very odd. Saw a Giants game there vs.Skins (a loss). Meadowlands was a year away..Yale Bowl was a total drag.. The infield dirt I remember. Most fans really were miserable there.

Notable: The disco uniforms!! I'd love to get either a jersey or hat from that Era. 

[MightyGiants]

Well done @spiderblue43 

Today's question:  The Giants bench has always been on the sunny side of the field for a specific reason.  Why has this been a longstanding tradition?  In other words, there is a story behind this.

[MightyGiants]

In the Giants' first season, there was a game where Tim's son Jack was on the field working the sideline marker, and Tim's wife and son Wellington were in the stands behind the bench.  Their side was in the shade, and after a day in the weather, Wellington came home with a cold.   Tim's wife, Lizzette, suggested the Giant's bench should be on the sunny side of the field, and it's been that way ever since.


TODAY's QUESTION:  Legend Lawerence Taylor was a great player in college and of the NFL teams polled, only two wouldn't take Taylor with the first pick in the draft.  As fate would have it one of those teams picked first before the Giants drafted Lawerence Taylor.  Which team passed on Taylor?  Who did they draft instead?  Who was the coach?  Bonus points if you know why he passed on Taylor.

[Giant Jim]

TODAY's QUESTION:  Legend Lawerence Taylor was a great player in college and of the NFL teams polled, only two wouldn't take Taylor with the first pick in the draft.  As fate would have it one of those teams picked first before the Giants drafted Lawerence Taylor.  Which team passed on Taylor?  Who did they draft instead?  Who was the coach?  Bonus points if you know why he passed on Taylor.

I don't know the 2nd team or why the team that did pass passed, so I'll wait for the full answer. But if the Giant were run the way they were in the 60's and 70's, they definitely would've passed on LT if they had the opportunity.

[kartanoman]

In the Giants' first season, there was a game where Tim's son Jack was on the field working the sideline marker, and Tim's wife and son Wellington were in the stands behind the bench.  Their side was in the shade, and after a day in the weather, Wellington came home with a cold.   Tim's wife, Lizzette, suggested the Giant's bench should be on the sunny side of the field, and it's been that way ever since.


TODAY's QUESTION:  Legend Lawerence Taylor was a great player in college and of the NFL teams polled, only two wouldn't take Taylor with the first pick in the draft.  As fate would have it one of those teams picked first before the Giants drafted Lawerence Taylor.  Which team passed on Taylor?  Who did they draft instead?  Who was the coach?  Bonus points if you know why he passed on Taylor.

You're talking about New Orleans and Head Coach, Bum Phillips who selected Heisman Trophy winner RB George Rogers with the first pick of the 1981 NFL Draft.

Phillips was one of the two who would not select Taylor but I don't know if it was ever disclosed who the second team was. In those days, having a star running back was considered a greater value position as the first pick and Phillips, having had his success with Earl Campbell, needed an offensive impact player for the Saints which was why he chose Rogers. He eventually landed LB Ricky Jackson who ended up becoming a Hall of Fame linebacker for the Saints. In retrospect, many Saints fans feel they didn't get the short end of the stick during the 1981 draft as they landed several starters throughout the 1980s who eventually helped the team turn things around in the back half of the decade.

Rogers ended up becoming the Saints' all-time leading rusher before moving on to Washington where he won two Super Bowls with the Redskins. So, from a player standpoint, Both George Rogers and Lawrence Taylor could lay claim to having successful careers but LT clearly went down in history as one of the greatest players to ever play the sport.

Peace!

[BluesCruz]

Im going to go out on a limb here and surmise Hyatt wasn't seeing too many footballs thrown his way.  I dont think WR is the issue with our pathetic offense.

Oline, QB, Playcalling, RB were our issues in that order

Were these cured in the off season?  Time will tell

[MightyGiants]

You're talking about New Orleans and Head Coach, Bum Phillips who selected Heisman Trophy winner RB George Rogers with the first pick of the 1981 NFL Draft.

Phillips was one of the two who would not select Taylor but I don't know if it was ever disclosed who the second team was. In those days, having a star running back was considered a greater value position as the first pick and Phillips, having had his success with Earl Campbell, needed an offensive impact player for the Saints which was why he chose Rogers. He eventually landed LB Ricky Jackson who ended up becoming a Hall of Fame linebacker for the Saints. In retrospect, many Saints fans feel they didn't get the short end of the stick during the 1981 draft as they landed several starters throughout the 1980s who eventually helped the team turn things around in the back half of the decade.

Rogers ended up becoming the Saints' all-time leading rusher before moving on to Washington where he won two Super Bowls with the Redskins. So, from a player standpoint, Both George Rogers and Lawrence Taylor could lay claim to having successful careers but LT clearly went down in history as one of the greatest players to ever play the sport.

Peace!

Congrats, Chris, you nailed it!

The only thing I will add is that Bum Philips famously argued you could run away from a LB like Taylor (in other words run towards the other side) but you can't run away from running back (or words to this effect).

TODAY'S QUESTION

The 1958 NFL Championship Game, often referred to as the "Greatest Game Ever Played," saw the Giants lose to whom? Also, there was a historic first in that game (for the NFL). What was it?