Winners of Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants. The New York Giants took the field for their first game ever on a clear sunny October afternoon in 1925 against the Frankford Yellow Jackets. New York Giants lost their home debut by the score of 14-0 to lower their record to 0-3 after opening with two losses on the road. More importantly, New York Giants and professional football had arrived. Tim Mara, a bookmaker (legal at the time) and successful businessman and promoter, purchased the New York Giants for a reported $500. In an era when professional football was in the shadows of baseball, boxing and college football, and professional football teams hailed from the towns of Dayton, Rochester and Columbus, league officials believed that a team in a large market such as New York was exactly what was needed to keep pro football alive.
New York Giants struggled financially through the first decade, but managed to win their first title in only their third season, going 11-1-1 in 1927. With the fall of the Stock Market and the Depression that followed, the 1930s were not off to a great start. Tim Mara suffered substantial losses during the crash that threatened the existence of the New York Giants. With that fear in mind, Tim Mara handed control of the franchise over to his two sons, Jack Mara, who was twenty-two, and Wellington, who was fourteen. Wellington Mara became the youngest owner of a football team and began his storied career as a major player in the New York Giants organization. If there was ever a time for the NFL and the New York Giants to fold, it would have come during the years of World War II. The NFL decided to continue during the war despite losing players to military service. Many of the players that stayed behind were older players that were past their prime. Fortunately, New York Giants were able to survive the war years and managed to reach three NFL championship games during the 1940s.
New York Giants in the 1970s could best be described as a team in transition. New York Giants called four different stadiums home, played in three different states, and did not play in one postseason game. Teams like the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and New York Giants, so strong in the NFL's formative years, gave way to new powers like Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Minnesota.
New York Giants ended almost two decades of losing with one of their most prosperous decades in the 1980s. After finishing in last place or net-to-last eight times in the 1970s, New York Giants appeared in three wild card games and won two NFC East division titles. The New York Giants slowly built a winning program. By 1986, the championship pieces fit together and the team was back on top with their first Super Bowl appearance and their first world championship since 1956. New York Giants were back on top of the NFL in 1990, winning their second Super Bowl in a dramatic 20-19 win over the Buffalo Bills. The next two years were filled with coaching changes, quarterback controversies, and a step back into the middle of the pack of the NFL. In February 1991, less than a month after winning their ser second Super Bowl, it was announced that after 66 years of ownership by the Mara family, a 50% interest in the club had been sold to Preston Robert Tisch by Tim Mara. A native of New York City and a lifelong New York Giants fan, Tisch is one of the country's most successful businessmen.
Dan Reeves was hired as coach before the start of the 1993 season, and he helped bring the New York Giants back into Super Bowl contention. New York Giants finished their first season under Reeves tied with the Detroit Lions for the best turnaround in football, going from 6-10 to 1-5. Reeves was named the NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press and others for his efforts. On January 15, 1997, a new chapter in New York Giants history began when Jim Fassel was named the 15th head coach. In the first season under Fassel's leadership, New York Giants captured the NFC East Championship with a 10-5-1 record. New York Giants finished the 1997 season with a 7-0-1 Division record to become the first team ever to go undefeated in NFC East Division play. New York Giants fell short of a playoff berth in 1998 after overcoming a 3-7 start to finish with an 8-8 record. New York Giants were 7-9 in 1999. In 2000, New York Giants returned to the upper echelon of the NFL. New York Giants won the NFC East title and earned home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a 12-4 regular season record. New York Giants then beat Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional playoffs and routed Minnesota Vikings, 41-0, in the NFC Championship Game to advance to the Super Bowl for the third time. But they failed to win the game for the first time, falling to the Baltimore Ravens. On January 6, 2004 Tom Couglin, a highly-successful head coach at Boston College and with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and a former New York Giants assistance, was hired as the 16th head coach in New York Giants history.
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