Chris Godfrey's Unlikely Path to Giants Super Bowl Glory

A former Michigan defensive lineman cut by three NFL teams, Godfrey found his footing in the USFL before anchoring the Giants' Super Bowl XXI offensive line.

Oct 5, 1986; St. Louis, MO, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Giants guard Chris Godfrey (61) attempts to protect quarterback Phil Simms (11) as he throws the ball under pressure from St. Louis Cardinals defensive ends Van Hughes (78) and Al Baker (60) at Busch Stadium. | Herb Weitman-Imagn Images

Offensive lineman Chris Godfrey took the most unlikely route to the starting lineup for the New York Giants, who captured Super Bowl XXI, and his story goes well beyond the transaction wire.

Godfrey spent three seasons as a defensive lineman at Michigan, where he recorded all five of his career sacks in 1979. He joined Washington as a rookie, got cut before the season, and landed with the New York Jets, who got him on the field for six games before being released again.

Then, Godfrey landed a contract with the Green Bay Packers, but a shoulder injury cost him the entire 1981 season, and he got cut during training camp the following year.

In 1983, Godfrey took a chance by signing with the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League. Their staff, impressed by Godfrey's agility and their need for help on the offensive line, made him their starting right guard, and they won the league title.

Midway through the following season, Godfrey signed an NFL contract with the Giants before finishing out his season with the Panthers, who were eliminated in the 1984 USFL quarterfinals.

Nearly a month later, Godfrey began his tenure with the Giants, scuffling through a lingering knee injury. But after left tackle William Roberts got hurt in Week 8, coach Bill Parcells called on Godfrey to start and shifted versatile right guard Brad Benson to left tackle for the rest of the regular season.

Roberts returned for the playoffs, and Benson slid to left guard for the injured Billy Ard, which allowed Godfrey to remain in the lineup, where he remained until a sprained knee sidelined him midway through the 1987 season.

Godfrey signed with Seattle as a free agent in 1988 and spent one season there before retiring.

The "bread and butter" of the offense

Godfrey and the rest of the 1986 Giants' championship offensive line will never be forgotten.

They gained quite a bit of publicity leading into the Super Bowl, thanks to Parcells bestowing a nickname (“the Suburbanites”) to the blue-collar unit after they came together in 1985. Parcells went so far as to give each of the starters their own nickname.

"Bill calls me Biscuits," Godfrey told reporters before the Super Bowl. "I asked him why, and he said because I'm soft and fluffy. I retorted, 'No, I think you call me that because I'm your bread and butter.'"

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