1960 New York Giants season

The 1960 New York Giants season was the franchise's 36th season in the National Football League. The Mara family was opposed to the AFL adding a team in New York, but received an indemnity fee of ten million dollars.[1]

1960 New York Giants season
OwnerJack Mara
Wellington Mara
Head coachJim Lee Howell
Home fieldYankee Stadium
Results
Record6–4–2
Division place3rd NFL Eastern
Playoff finishDid not qualify

Offseason

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With the departure of defensive coordinator Tom Landry to the expansion Cowboys, three veterans served dual roles as player-coaches. Harland Svare became the defensive coordinator, Andy Robustelli was a defensive line coach, while Jimmy Patton was a defensive backs coach.[2]

Regular season

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Late in the eighth game of the season on November 20 at Yankee Stadium, linebacker Chuck Bednarik of the Philadelphia Eagles knocked halfback Frank Gifford of the Giants unconscious and into St. Elizabeth's Hospital.[3][4][5][6] Gifford was out of football for over eighteen months and the game-sealing play involving the two hall of famers is considered one of the most famous tackles in NFL history.[7] The Giants went 6–4–2 in 1960 and finished in third place in the Eastern Conference. As a result, the Giants missed out on the post-season: the NFL Championship Game was won by host Philadelphia. The third place game in Miami, the first of the ten Playoff Bowls, was won by Detroit at the Orange Bowl in early January.

Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance
1 September 25 at San Francisco 49ers W 21–19 1–0 44,598
2 October 2 at St. Louis Cardinals W 35–14 2–0 26,089
3 October 9 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 19–17 3–0 40,323
4 October 16 Washington Redskins T 24–24 3–0–1 60,625
5 Bye
6 October 30 St. Louis Cardinals L 13–20 3–1–1 58,516
7 November 6 at Cleveland Browns W 17–13 4–1–1 82,872
8 November 13 Pittsburgh Steelers W 27–24 5–1–1 63,321
9 November 20 Philadelphia Eagles L 10–17 5–2–1 63,571
10 November 27 at Philadelphia Eagles L 23–31 5–3–1 60,547
11 December 4 Dallas Cowboys T 31–31 5–3–2 55,033
12 December 11 at Washington Redskins W 17–3 6–3–2 14,077
13 December 18 Cleveland Browns L 34–48 6–4–2 56,517
  • A bye week was necessary in 1960, as the league expanded to an odd-number (13) of teams (Dallas); one team was idle each week.

Game summaries

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Week 1

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1 234Total
• Giants 0 777 21
49ers 14 032 19
  • Date: September 25
  • Location: Kezar Stadium
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind 10 mph

[8]

Standings

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NFL Eastern Conference
W L T PCT CONF PF PA STK
Philadelphia Eagles 10 2 0 .833 8–2 321 246 W1
Cleveland Browns 8 3 1 .727 6–3–1 362 217 W3
New York Giants 6 4 2 .600 5–4–1 271 261 L1
St. Louis Cardinals 6 5 1 .545 4–5–1 288 230 W1
Pittsburgh Steelers 5 6 1 .455 4–5–1 240 275 L1
Washington Redskins 1 9 2 .100 0–8–2 178 309 L8
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Giants Among Men, Jack Cavanaugh, 2008, p.213, Random House, ISBN 978-1-4000-6717-6
  2. ^ Giants Among Men, Jack Cavanaugh, 2008, p.212, Random House, ISBN 978-1-4000-6717-6
  3. ^ "Eagles' surge edges Giants". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. November 21, 1960. p. 3, part 2.
  4. ^ "Gifford of Giants hurt as Eagles rally, 17-10". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. November 21, 1960. p. 13.
  5. ^ "Bednarik gives Gifford concussion, Giants angry". Lodi News-Sentinel. UPI. November 21, 1960. p. 10.
  6. ^ "Gifford gets fruit, card from Bednarik". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. November 22, 1960. p. 18.
  7. ^ Didinger, Rayy (October 23, 2013). "'The Hit' still resonates". Philadelphia Eagles.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  8. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com