April 28, 2003
East Rutherford, N.J. - When the Giants made William Joseph their first-round draft choice on Saturday, the team's draft room wasn't the only area in and around Giants Stadium to be overrun with rampant happiness. In both the practice bubble and the stadium club, a huge cheer rose from an enthusiastic and satisfied crowd that attended the team's first annual Draft Day Party, presented by Verizon Wireless.
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| Host Sid Rosenberg and former Giant RB Joe Morris field questions from those in attendance. |
Approximately 2,600 fans - who were free to visit either location - watched the draft on televisions, visited with Giants players past and present, enjoyed a wide selection of food and drinks and capitalized on an opportunity to walk on the stadium's new FieldTurf surface, enjoy interactive games and tour the Giants locker room.
The bubble portion of the party was hosted by Sid Rosenberg, a WFAN radio personality, and Dave Jennings, former Giants punter and current radio analyst. In the moments before the Giants made their first selection, Rosenberg polled the crowd and offered the names of several potential picks. Joseph easily received the loudest and most fervent response.
The current players who attended were Amani Toomer, Shaun Williams, Will Allen, Dhani Jones, Mike Barrow and Jesse Palmer, while former Giants were represented by Joe Morris, O.J. Anderson, Harry Carson and Howard Cross. The players talked with fans, answered their questions and signed hundreds of autographs.
"It was really nice," Williams said. "The fans were really excited. I was surprised how crazy it was. It was great to see the support the fans showed."
"I got questions from the San Francisco game last year to the upcoming draft, who did I think we would get, what did I think would happen with Ron Dayne. It's like they thought I was the general manager. It impressed me how knowledgeable the fans are, especially some of the women. It's funny how fanatical they are sometimes. But they ask some of the best questions."
"Something like that shows how excited our fans are about the Giants," said Toomer, who earlier in the day ran in the inaugural Giants Draft Day 5K run. "We don't play for another few months, but they were so excited, it kind of shocked me."
The Giants expect to make the Draft Day Party an even bigger and better event next year.
"We were thrilled with the turnout," said Rusty Hawley, the Giants vice president of marketing. "Between the event itself, the spirit of the attending fans and the players who participated, it just re-affirmed all the great things about being a Giant, between player and fan. To see a sea of blue in the middle of April, and to have such enthusiasm and passion for the team - it's remarkable."
