1973 New York Giants season

1973 New York Giants season
Head coachAlex Webster
Home fieldYankee Stadium (2 games),
Yale Bowl (5 games)
Results
Record2–11–1
Division place5th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersNone

The 1973 New York Giants season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League (NFL). The season saw the Giants attempting to improve on their 8–6 record from 1972. However, the Giants suffered one of the worst seasons in franchise history, finishing 2–11–1.

The two wins were against the Houston Oilers and the St. Louis Cardinals while the tie was against archrival Philadelphia in week two. That was the last Giants game at Yankee Stadium, which underwent a multi-year renovation, requiring a temporary move to the Yale Bowl in Connecticut.[1] Palmer Stadium at Princeton University in New Jersey had also been considered.[2]

The Giants' two wins in 1973 equaled the second fewest the team had ever posted and it was their worst record since 1966 (1–12–1). To add injury to insult, former quarterback Fran Tarkenton, who was traded after the 1971 season,[3] led the Minnesota Vikings (12–2) to the NFC title; they defeated the Giants 31–7 in the Yale Bowl in the regular season finale.[4]

Fifth-year head coach Alex Webster, a longtime Giant running back, was fired after the season, replaced in mid-January by Bill Arnsparger, the defensive coordinator of the two-time Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins.[5][6]

The Giants were at the Yale Bowl again in 1974, moved to Shea Stadium in 1975 (co-tenant with the Jets, Mets, and Yankees), and to Giants Stadium in New Jersey in 1976.

Offseason

Draft

See also: 1973 NFL draft
1973 New York Giants draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
2 40 Brad Van Pelt *  Linebacker Michigan State
3 69 Rich Glover  Defensive tackle Nebraska
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

1973 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Leo Gasienica Quarterback Rutgers

Roster

1973 New York Giants roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams


Rookies in italics

Regular season

With Yankee Stadium undergoing refurbishment after the 1973 baseball season, the Giants played their final game there on September 23, against the Philadelphia Eagles, a 23–23 tie.[7] The Giants played their final five home games that season at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut.[8] On November 18, they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 24–13, their only victory ever recorded at Yale Bowl. They were winless in seven home games there in 1974, and moved to Shea Stadium for one season in 1975.

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 16 Houston Oilers W 34–14 1–0 Yankee Stadium 57,979
2 September 23 Philadelphia Eagles T 23–23 1–0–1 Yankee Stadium 62,289
3 September 30 at Cleveland Browns L 10–12 1–1–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 76,065
4 October 7 Green Bay Packers L 14–16 1–2–1 Yale Bowl 70,050
5 October 14 Washington Redskins L 3–21 1–3–1 Yale Bowl 70,168
6 October 21 at Dallas Cowboys L 28–45 1–4–1 Texas Stadium 58,741
7 October 28 at St. Louis Cardinals L 27–35 1–5–1 Busch Memorial Stadium 47,589
8 November 4 at Oakland Raiders L 0–42 1–6–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 51,200
9 November 11 Dallas Cowboys L 10–23 1–7–1 Yale Bowl 70,128
10 November 18 St. Louis Cardinals W 24–13 2–7–1 Yale Bowl 65,795
11 November 25 at Philadelphia Eagles L 16–20 2–8–1 Veterans Stadium 63,086
12 December 2 at Washington Redskins L 24–27 2–9–1 RFK Stadium 53,590
13 December 10 at Los Angeles Rams L 6–40 2–10–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 73,328
14 December 16 Minnesota Vikings L 7–31 2–11–1 Yale Bowl 70,041
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Dallas Cowboys 10 4 0 .714 6–2 8–3 382 203 W3
Washington Redskins 10 4 0 .714 6–2 8–3 325 198 W1
Philadelphia Eagles 5 8 1 .393 3–4–1 3–7–1 310 393 L1
St. Louis Cardinals 4 9 1 .321 3–5 4–7 286 365 L1
New York Giants 2 11 1 .179 1–6–1 1–9–1 226 362 L4
NFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Minnesota Vikings 12 2 0 .857 6–0 10–1 296 168 W2
Detroit Lions 6 7 1 .464 3–2–1 6–4–1 271 247 L1
Green Bay Packers 5 7 2 .429 1–4–1 4–6–1 202 259 W1
Chicago Bears 3 11 0 .214 1–5 1–9 195 334 L6
NFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Los Angeles Rams 12 2 0 .857 5–1 9–2 388 178 W6
Atlanta Falcons 9 5 0 .643 4–2 7–4 318 224 W1
San Francisco 49ers 5 9 0 .357 2–4 4–7 262 319 L2
New Orleans Saints 5 9 0 .357 1–5 4–7 163 312 L1

See also

References

  1. ^ "Giants permitted to use Yale Bowl". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 11, 1973. p. 1, sports.
  2. ^ "Yale insists Hartford keep Giants TV rights". The Day. (New London, Connecticut). Associated Press. March 9, 1973. p. 15.
  3. ^ Lowitt, Bruce (January 28, 1972). "Fran Tarkenton traded to Minnesota". The Day. (New London, Connecticut). p. 16.
  4. ^ Hall, Dan (December 17, 1973). "Grant: Good playoff rehearsal". The Day. (New London, Connecticut). Associated Press. p. 38.
  5. ^ "Giants to announce new coach today". Nashua Telegraph. (New Hampshire). Associated Press. January 16, 1974. p. 41.
  6. ^ Rothenberg, Fred (January 17, 1974). "Bill Arnsparger gets Giants job". The Day. (New London, Connecticut). Associated Press. p. 29.
  7. ^ Lowitt, Bruce (September 24, 1973). "Giants take Eagles lightly and settle for tie at end". The Day. (New London, Connecticut). Associated Press. p. 21.
  8. ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p.284