Giants Legend Harry Carson Endured Through the Lean Years to Win Super Bowl XXI

One simple phrase says it all: Captain for Life.

Those who played with and against New York Giants linebacker Harry Carson understood that his Hall of Fame career represented more than what he put on tape. He was an unchallenged leader who commanded attention and respect by his very presence, no matter the circumstances.

It's a role Carson takes seriously to this day, although he never campaigned for his lofty stature nor his long-overdue induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

"The Hall of Fame will never validate me," Carson told Sports Illustrated after he was voted into the shrine.

"I know my name will be in there, but I take greater pride in the fact that my teammates looked at me as someone they could count on. I still remember, and I will remember this for the rest of my life, the Super Bowl [XXI] against Denver.

"We had three captains: me, Phil Simms, and George Martin. But when it came time for the coin toss before the game, I started to go out and looked around for those guys.

“[Head coach] Bill Parcells said to me: 'No. You go. Just you.' And that was about the coolest feeling I've ever had in the world—going out to midfield for the Super Bowl, as the lone captain. There were nine Denver Broncos out there, and me. Just me. An awesome responsibility. The greatest respect."

Carson came to the Giants as their fourth-round pick in 1976 after playing defensive line at South Carolina State.

Linebackers coach Marty Schottenheimer, impressed with Carson's qualities, converted him into a middle linebacker, where he became a dominant run defender who could also cover running backs.

Two years later, Carson was voted to his first of nine Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams as the Giants tried to climb out of their lean period.

In 1979, Carson posted a career-high 185 tackles while adjusting to the new 3-4 scheme, which he would play in for the rest of his 13-year career. However, his biggest payoff on the field came when the 1986 Giants rolled to a 39-20 victory in Super Bowl XXI.

In the opener at Dallas, Carson tied a team record with two fumble recoveries; he then made 13 tackles in the Week 9 win over the Cowboys. In Week 14, he had 12 stops and an interception that turned aside Washington in a key first-place battle.

And to nobody's surprise, Carson was in the middle of one of the finest goal-line stands in Super Bowl history, on a team that will celebrate its 40th anniversary of its first-ever Super Bowl championship this fall.

In the second quarter, Denver set up for a 1st-and-goal from the Giants 1-yard line, and lost a combined five yards on three straight running plays with individual tackles by Lawrence Taylor, Carson, and Carl Banks.

Rich Karlis missed a 23-yard field goal, the Broncos were unable to expand on their 10-7 lead, and this series became the turning point of the game.

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