The Architect of Big Blue: How George Young Built a Championship Giants Franchise

George Young came to the New York Giants with a solid football background, yet there was no way to guarantee that the general manager would create a powerhouse that made him a five-time NFL Executive of the Year and earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Team co-owners Wellington Mara and Tim, his nephew, worked through their disagreements to hire Young to replace Andy Robustelli, who had resigned following the 1978 season.

A former defensive tackle at Bucknell, Young taught and coached at prep schools in Baltimore before joining the NFL's Colts, who utilized him as a scout, offensive line coach, director of player personnel, and offensive coordinator at different times from 1968–74.

Then, he spent three seasons as the director of personnel and the pro scouting department for the Miami Dolphins.

In 1979, Young took the reins of the Giants, knowing the franchise had not been to the postseason since 1963 and had only produced two winning seasons over that period (1970, 1972).

During his first year in New York, he hired San Diego offensive coordinator Ray Perkins as head coach and used the team's first three draft choices on quarterback Phil Simms, wide receiver Earnest Gray, and defensive lineman Phil Tabor, each man a part of the 1981 team that ended a 17-year playoff drought.

However, the Giants' return to the postseason at 9-7 would not have been possible without the addition of rookie and future Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor with the second overall pick, as well as the midseason trade to acquire running back Rob Carpenter from the Houston Oilers.

Then, Perkins announced before the end of the 1982 season that he would be leaving to take over at Alabama, and Young promoted defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Bill Parcells to head coach for the 1983 campaign.

Parcells won Super Bowls XXI (1986 season) and XXV (1990) while taking the Giants to the playoffs five times (with six winning records) over eight seasons before he resigned, citing health concerns.

Simms, meanwhile, won Super Bowl XXI MVP and guided the 1990 Giants to an 11-3 mark before a broken foot sidelined him for their title run.

The quarterback was also one of 19 Young draft picks to earn a Pro Bowl selection while with the club.

In fact, five of Young's first six first-round picks wound up earning the honor as Giants:

Phil Simms (1979) - Quarterback
Mark Haynes (1980) — Cornerback
Lawrence Taylor (1981) — Linebacker
Terry Kinard (1983) — Safety
Carl Banks (1984) — Linebacker

From 1991–97, the Giants were in the playoffs twice, once under head coaches Dan Reeves (1993) and once under Jim Fassel (1997).

In 1998, Young retired from the team with eight playoff berths and two Lombardi Trophies to become the NFL's senior vice president of football operations, a role he held until 2001.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted him as a Contributor as part of the Class of 2020.

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