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The Best New York Giants of All Time

Updated May 2, 2020 64.3k votes 6.9k voters 102.7k views149 items

List RulesPlease rank the players only on their time with the Giants

This is a list of the best New York Giants of all time. Formed in 1925, the New York Football Giants are a name as recognizable with the NFL as much as any other team in the league. The Giants are one of the greatest teams of all time. The team has won eight championships, four before the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 and four Super Bowl titles. Some of the greatest defensive players in NFL history have played for the Giants. The team has traditionally relied on stout defenses and a powerful running game. The formative years of the NFL saw some of the best linemen and linebackers play for the team. Hall of Famers from the team's early years includes Sam Huff, Frank Gifford, Rosey Brown, Andy Robustelli and Y.A. Tittle.

After an 18 playoff drought, the Giants' fortunes started to turn in 1981. That year, the team drafted one of its greatest players and perhaps the best linebacker ever in Lawrence Taylor. In addition to Taylor, the team had some of the top Giants in Phil Simms, George Martin and Harry Carson. More recently, the Giants have won multiple Super Bowl titles with quarterback Eli Manning and Justin Tuck captaining the defense.

This list of the best New York Giants of all time. If you see someone who should be on this list and isn't, feel free to add him. Vote or rerank the list according to who you think is the greatest New York Giants player of all time.

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3,221
197
Lawrence Taylor
Linebacker
Birthplace: Williamsburg, Virginia, United States of America
Age: 56
Teams: North Carolina Tar Heels football, New York Giants
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#19 of 80 The Best NFL Player Nicknames#23 of 66 The Most Controversial Athletes in Sports History
2
2,229
475
Michael Strahan
Defensive end
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, United States of America
Age: 48
Teams: Texas Southern Tigers football, New York Giants
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#39 of 52 The Game Show Hosts With The Most#8 of 96 The Greatest Defensive Ends of All Time
3
2,330
803
Eli Manning
Quarterback
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
Age: 34
Teams: New York Giants
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#46 of 252 The Best Quarterbacks Of All Time#926 of 1,427 The Best Athletes Of All Time
4
994
305
Carl Banks
Linebacker
Birthplace: Flint, Michigan
Age: 58
Teams: Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants
5
1,282
420
Harry Carson
Defensive end, Linebacker
Birthplace: Florence, South Carolina, United States of America
Age: 66
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#80 of 432 The Greatest Defenders in NFL History#33 of 154 The Greatest Linebackers of All Time
6
796
203
Osi Umenyiora
Defensive end
Birthplace: London, United Kingdom
Age: 38
Teams: Atlanta Falcons, Troy Trojans football, New York Giants
7
1,267
442
Tiki Barber
Running back
Birthplace: Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
Age: 45
Teams: New York Giants
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#2 of 80 Twins in Sports#216 of 322 People Who Should Be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
8
1,079
347
Justin Tuck
Defensive end
Birthplace: Kellyton, Alabama
Age: 37
Teams: New York Giants
9
1,461
537
Phil Simms
Quarterback
Birthplace: Springfield, Kentucky, United States of America
Age: 65
Teams: New York Giants
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#11 of 45 The Best NFL Quarterbacks of the '80s#19 of 41 The Best NFL Quarterbacks of the '90s
10
598
151
Chris Snee
Guard
Birthplace: Edison, New Jersey
Age: 38
Teams: New York Giants
11
1,086
400
Frank Gifford
Running back, Cornerback
Birthplace: Santa Monica, California, United States of America
Age: 90
Teams: USC Trojans football, New York Giants
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#88 of 150 Athletes You Didn't Know Were Conservative#95 of 214 The Best Wide Receivers of All Time
12
597
187
Leonard Marshall
Defensive tackle, Defensive end
Birthplace: Franklin, Louisiana
Age: 58
13
1,134
424
Mark Bavaro
Tight end
Birthplace: Winthrop, Massachusetts
Age: 52
Teams: Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants
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#31 of 82 The Best Notre Dame Football Players of All Time#16 of 87 The Greatest Tight Ends Of All Time

14
1,130
402
Victor Cruz
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Paterson, New Jersey
Age: 33
Teams: New York Giants
15
751
259
Amani Toomer
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Berkeley, California
Age: 46
Teams: Michigan Wolverines football, New York Giants
16
485
138
Jessie Armstead
Linebacker
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas
Age: 49
17
449
134
Brad Van Pelt
Linebacker
Birthplace: Owosso, Michigan
Age: Died at 58 (1951-2009)
18
576
207
Emlen Tunnell
Return specialist, Safety
Birthplace: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Age: Died at 50 (1925-1975)
19
988
406
Y. A. Tittle
Quarterback
Birthplace: Marshall, Texas, United States of America
Age: 89
Teams: Baltimore Colts, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants
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#14 of 146 The Best LSU Football Players of All Time#10 of 73 The Best Quarterbacks to Never Win a Super Bowl
20
563
201
Roosevelt Brown
Offensive tackle
21
840
281
Jason Pierre-Paul
Defensive end
Birthplace: Deerfield Beach, Florida
Age: 31
Teams: New York Giants
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#21 of 29 Athletes Who Suffered the Most Bizarre Off-Field Injuries#39 of 205 Celebrities Born On New Year's Day
22
285
66
Shaun O'Hara
Guard, Center
Birthplace: Chicago Heights, Illinois
Age: 43
Teams: New York Giants
23
612
166
Tom Coughlin
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Waterloo, New York
Age: 74
Teams: Syracuse Orange football
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#27 of 61 The Best NFL Coaches of All Time#30 of 63 The Best NFL Head Coaches to Have a Beer With

24
343
90
Carl "Spider" Lockhart
Defensive back
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas
Age: Died at 43 (1943-1986)
25
495
181
Pepper Johnson
Linebacker
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan
Age: 56

Carl Banks

Jessie Armstead

Roosevelt Brown