No. 77 and the NY Giants Player Who Wore It Best

He was nicknamed "Little Mo," but his play was anything but small back int he early days of the Giants franchise.

Aug 19, 1961; Los Angeles, CA; New York Giants defense (left to right) Dick Modzelewski (77), Cliff Livingston (89), Jim Katcavage (75) during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at The Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: David Boss-Imagn Images | David Boss-Imagn Images

The countdown to the start of the New York Giants’ 2025 season is underway, as we’re now 77 days away from the opening kickoff against the Washington Commanders. To count down the days until then, we look at the best players to wear the corresponding number for the Giants.

Who Wore #77 in at Least One Regular Season Game*

OG Jack Anderson (2022), DT Troy Archer (1976-78), OL Kevin Boothe (2007-2013), NT Dennis Borcky (1987), DE Chad Bratzke (1994-98), OT Rich Buzin (1968-70), DT John Contoulis (1964), DE Rosey Davis (1965-67), DE Eric Dorsey (1986-92), DE Rich Glover (1973), OT Herb Hannah (1951), OT Dick Hanson (1971), OT Vernon Holland (1980), OG John Jerry (2014-17), OT Joshua Miles (2024), DT Dick Modzelewski (1956-63), NT Bill Neill (1981-83), OL Luke Petitgout (1999-2006), C Spencer Pulley (2018-19), OT-DT Jim White (1946-50).

*Jersey numbers per Pro Football Reference.

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Which Giants Player Wore It Best?

Defensive tackle Dick Modzelewski went to the NFL Championship Game in six of his eight seasons (all as a starter) with the Giants, who won the 1956 NFL title. Modzelewski also played for Washington (1953-54), Pittsburgh (1955), and Cleveland (1964-66). 

He never missed a game over 14 NFL seasons, starting 161 of 180 regular season contests and eight NFL Championship Games. After retiring as a player, he held various NFL coaching positions from 1968 to 1989, including a one-year stint as the Giants’ defensive coordinator in 1978.

In April 1956, the Giants acquired Modzelewski from Detroit (which had gotten him in a trade with Pittsburgh three days earlier) for former All-Pro defensive tackle Roy Krouse.

Modzelewski fit in perfectly as an understated stalwart of what was about to become the heart of a legendary defense that changed the way fans looked at the game: No longer would most of the cheers be reserved for the offense. 

In Week 7 of that season, the Giants beat the visiting Chicago Cardinals on a day when the Yankee Stadium crowd is credited with unleashing its first chants of “Dee-Fense … Dee-Fense,” creating a vocal tradition that has become a staple at all levels of football and basketball games throughout the nation. 

The Madison Square Garden crowd adopted this chant for the hardwood when they began using it for the New York Knicks during their 1969-70 world championship season.

In 1959, the Giants’ defensive line, consisting of interior forces Rosey Grier and Modzelewski flanked by ends Jim Katcavage and Hall of Famer Andy Robustelli, was labeled a “Fearsome Foursome” in an Associated Press photo. 

This marked the first documented usage of the nickname in NFL history, and it stuck until Grier was traded to the Los Angeles Rams before the 1963 season, according to John Turney of the Pro Football Researchers Association. 

The Rams of the 1960s and 1970s are most associated with the moniker, but they didn’t adopt it until head coach Harland Svare – a former Giants linebacker and defensive coordinator – used it for his team in 1964.

After the 1963 season, the Giants traded Modzelewski, who was known as “Little Mo” because his frame was smaller than his fellow collegiate star and brother, Ed, to Cleveland for tight end Bobby Crispino.

In 2024, Modzelewski was named No. 63 on the list of the all-time Giants’ Top 100 Players as selected by an independent committee of journalists, NFL/Pro Football Hall of Fame executives, and superfans polled by the team.

Who’s Wearing It Now?

The Giants are going through this off-season without any player wearing No. 77. Reserve offensive tackle Joshua Miles wore the number for one regular season game last season, playing three special teams snaps at Dallas in Week 13.