00:00You can trace one of the defining chapters in Giants history back to a general manager who was willing to
00:05trust his eyes,
00:06follows convictions, and make the big move.
00:08Ernie Accorsi, the former Giants general manager who helped build the foundation for two Super Bowl championships,
00:13died Saturday night following a brief battle with cancer.
00:16He was 84 years old.
00:18Accorsi's football life spanned 37 years in NFL front offices.
00:22An Army veteran and former sports writer, he served as general manager of the Baltimore Colts and Cleveland Browns
00:27before joining the Giants as George Young's assistant in 1994.
00:31Four years later, Accorsi succeeded as mentor as general manager.
00:34During his nine seasons in charge, the Giants won two NFC East titles, reached the postseason four times,
00:40and captured the NFC Championship during the 2000 season.
00:43But his defining decisions came in 2004.
00:47First, Accorsi hired Tom Coughlin as head coach, then came the move that reshaped the franchise.
00:52Accorsi believed Eli Manning could become the Giants' next franchise quarterback, and he refused to settle.
00:56On draft night, he completed the blockbuster trade with the Chargers that brought Manning to New York.
01:02Accorsi retired after the 2006 season, and one year later, Manning and Coughlin led the Giants to one of the
01:08greatest upsets in NFL history,
01:11as Big Blue ended New England's perfect season in Super Bowl XLII.
01:15Four years after that, they beat the Patriots again, and Accorsi's impact extended well beyond the quarterback and head coach.
01:22He also brought players in like Osi Yuminura, Justin Tuck, Chris Snee, and Brandon Jacobs to New York,
01:29all core contributors who helped turn his vision into championships.
01:33But those who knew Accorsi remembered more than the moves.
01:37Close friends and those who covered him in his time in the NFL called him a football historian,
01:42a master storyteller, a man who could connect the present to the past,
01:46and who remained closely connected to the Giants long after his retirement.
01:50In 2016, Accorsi joined George Young in the Giants' ring of honor.
01:55Giants president John Marris said his legacy will forever be part of the Giants,
01:59and that legacy is visible every time Giants fans remember Coughlin on the sideline,
02:03Eli raising a Lombardi trophy, or that pass rush closing in on Tom Brady.
02:07Ernie Accorsi didn't just build a roster, he made the decisions that helped shape an error
02:12and changed the course of New York Giants' history.
Comments