Tim Mara
Founder - No College - Charter Enshrinee in 1963

Mara introduced the city of New York to pro football when he purchased the franchise for a reported $500 (others claim it was $2,500) in 1925, thus giving the National Football League a vital showcase in the nation's largest city. Mara withstood heavy financial losses his first year until the Giants were saved on the last home game of the season. Mara needed a good showing at the gate to keep the team alive. The most heralded college player of the era, Red Grange, showed up at the Polo Grounds as a Chicago Bear and helped draw a crowd of over 70,000 people to save the Giants. After seeing the crowd that formed, Mara decided that under the right circumstances, professional football could be a big success. Mara bore the brunt of the fight against the rival American Football League in 1926 and the All-American Football Conference from 1946-49. He helped build the Giants into a perennial powerhouse with three NFL and eight divisional titles. He was honored in 1963 as one of seventeen charter members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Mel Hein
Center - Washington St. - Enshrined in 1963

Originally joined the Giants in 1931 and played 15 seasons for the Giants, a record of team service that is matched by only Phil Simms. He was named All-NFL eight straight years from 1933-40. Following a successful college career at Washington State, Hein wrote to three NFL clubs offering his services. The Giants bid the highest at $150 per game. Hein was a 60-minute regular for 15 years. He played in a Giants team record 172 games. Hein never missed a game in the National Football League or in college and high school. He took time out only in two games and was injured only once. Hein was named the League's Most Valuable Player after anchoring a line that helped guide the Giants to the 1938 World Championship with a 23-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers at the Polo Grounds.

Cal Hubbard
Tackle - Geneva - Enshrined in 1963

Hubbard played for the Giants from 1927-29, and then again in 1936. He was one of 17 charter enshrinees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. Hubbard was named All-NFL six years from 1928-33. He played for the Green Bay Packers from 1929-35 and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1936. He was acquired before the start of the 1927 season in order to help beef up the Giants defense. That season the Giants defense surrendered only 20 points as the Giants captured their first NFL championship. He was acquired by the Green Bay Packers in 1929 in a move that would haunt the Giants, as Hubbard led the Packers to a 12-0-1 record in 1929, edging out the 13-1-1 Giants for the league title. The Packers handed the Giants a 20-6 loss, the Giants only loss of the season.

Steve Owen
Coach - Phillips University - Enshrined in 1966

A great defensive star of the 1920s, Owen played for the Giants from 1926-36. He captained the 1927 team which won the National Football League title and held their foes to a record low of 20 points. Owen coached the Giants for 23 years from 1930 to 1953 and had a coaching record of 150-100-17, including eight divisional and two NFL title teams. Some of his coaching innovations include the A-formation offense, the umbrella defense and the two-platoon system. Owen went to college at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. After a year coaching at his alma mater following his graduation in 1921, Owen joined the Kansas City Cowboys and came to the Giants in 1926 and was named All-NFL at tackle for four years.

Ken Strong
Halfback - New York University - Enshrined 1967

Strong played for the Giants from 1933-35 and then from 1939-47 and excelled in every phase of the game - blocking, running, passing, punting, place kicking and defense. At the time of his retirement, Strong was the Giants all-time leading scorer with 324 points on 13 touchdowns, 35 field goals and 141 extra points. He scored 17 points to pace the Giants to the 1934 title over the Chicago Bears in the famous "Sneakers Game" on the ice-covered Polo Grounds. Was named All-NFL in 1934 and scored 64 points to top the NFL in 1933. Strong served as a placekicking specialist only when he returned to the Giants from 1944 until 1947. He scored 479 points in 14 NFL years.

Emlen Tunnell
Defensive Back , Toledo/Iowa - Enshrined 1967

Tunnell was signed by the Giants as a free agent out of Iowa in 1948. He also attended Toledo University. Ignored in the NFL draft, Tunnell walked into the Giants office and asked Tim Mara for a try out. The Giants reached a milestone in their illustrious existence by signing Tunnell as their first black player. He holds the Giants team-record with 74 interceptions and 257 punt returns. In 1952, Tunnell gained more yards (923) on interceptions and kick returns than the NFL rushing leader. He earned the nickname "Offense on Defense." Tunnell was named All-NFL four times and played in nine Pro Bowls.

Vince Lombardi
Coach - Fordham - Enshrined in 1971

Lomardi was head coach of the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins after spending the 1954-58 seasons as an assistant with the Giants. Behind Lomardi's leadership running the offense, the Giants captured the League Championship in 1956. In 19 years as head coach, Lombardi had a 105-36-6 record, including five NFL titles and victories in Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II. He directed the Packers to five NFL championships in seven years (1961-62 and 65-66-67), a feat without precedent or parallel in pro football history. A guard, Lombardi played his collegiate football at Fordham, where he was one of the legendary "Seven Blocks of Granite."

Andy Robustelli
Defensive End - Arnold College - Enshrined in 1971

Robustelli was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1951 and played on two Rams Championship teams. In 1956, Giants co-owner Wellington Mara orchestrated a trade for Robustelli, who provided a tremendous lift in the Giants title drive that season. Robustelli played on a winning team in 13 of his 14 pro seasons. During his career, he played in eight NFL title games and seven Pro Bowls. He was named All-NFL seven years, two with the Rams and five with the Giants. Was acknowledged as the field leader on a Giants defense that was largely responsible for the Giants participation in six championship games and the 1956 League Title. He also served as a defensive player-coach. Robustelli was a durable player who missed only one game in his 14-year career.

Y.A. Tittle
Quarterback - Louisiana St. - Enshrined in 1971

The Giants engineered one of the most profitable trades in their long history prior to the 1961 season when they sent guard Lou Cordileone to the San Francisco 49ers for Tittle. The then 35-year old Tittle promptly led the Giants to their 12th Eastern division championship. Tittle spent 11 seasons in the NFL and two seasons in the All-American Conference before coming to the Giants. In 1962, Tittle completed 200 passes in 375 attempts for 3,224 yards. His 33 touchdowns that season set an NFL record and his seven touchdown passes against the Washington Redskins tied another league mark. Tittle had his greatest year as a pro in 1963. He led the league in passing with 221 completions in 367 attempts for 3,145 yards. His 36 touchdown passes set an all-time one-season record, and his 202 career scoring aerials also established a record. All told, Tittle had 2,427 completions, 33,070 yards, 242 touchdowns and 13 games with over 300 yards passing. He was the NFL Player of the Year in 1957 when he led the 49ers to a tie for the Western title, and won the same honor again in 1961 and 1963 as he took the Giants to eastern championships. Tittle was named All-NFL in 1957, 1962 and 1963 and also played in six Pro Bowls.