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122-687: The Cosmos won the inaugural Trans-Atlantic Challenge Cup defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 5 points to 4. The second Trans-Atlantic Challenge Cup was held in May. Representing the US were the Cosmos, 1980 league champions and Seattle, #2 point getters against Glasgow Celtic and Southampton. Once again, the US teams came out on top, with Seattle defeating Southampton 3–1, and Glasgow Celtic 2–1. The Cosmos shutout Glasgow 2–0 before finishing Southampton 2–1. Glasgow Celtic took

244-573: A 16-year span from 1931 to 1947, the Giants qualified to play in the NFL championship game 8 times, winning twice. During this period the Giants were led by Hall of Fame coach Steve Owen , and Hall of Fame players Mel Hein , Red Badgro , and Tuffy Leemans . In 1933 the Giants faced the Chicago Bears in the championship game and were defeated 23–21. The famous " Sneakers Game " was played in this era where

366-698: A 6–2 record and on a four-game winning streak that included a 26–3 road victory against the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers . Following the arrival of Hurricane Sandy in the Northeastern United States, the Giants lost back-to-back games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals to fall to 6–4. Despite impressive blowout home victories over the Green Bay Packers , New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles ,

488-644: A 7–7 record in 1965 , before compiling a league-worst 1–12–1 record, and allowing more than 500 points on defense in 1966 . During the 1969 preseason, the Giants lost their first meeting with the New York Jets , 37–14, in front of 70,874 fans at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut . Following the game, Wellington Mara fired coach Allie Sherman , and replaced him with former Giants fullback Alex Webster. In 1967 ,

610-422: A 7–9 record, Fassel's first losing season as head coach. In 2000, the Giants were looking to make the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. The Giants started the season 7–2, but suffered back-to-back home losses to St. Louis and Detroit to make their record 7–4 and call their playoff prospects into question. At a press conference following the Giants' loss to Detroit, Fassel guaranteed that "this team

732-483: A Super Bowl record 88% completion percentage , they defeated the Broncos 39–20, to win their first championship since 1956. In addition to Phil Simms and Lawrence Taylor, the team was led during this period by head coach Bill Parcells , tight end Mark Bavaro , running back Joe Morris , and Hall of Fame linebacker Harry Carson . The Giants struggled to a 6–9 record in the strike-marred 1987 season , due largely to

854-498: A body. Furthermore, no human remains were found during the demolition of the stadium in 2010. Giants Stadium is featured in the 2008 film, The Day the Earth Stood Still , where it is destroyed by nanites . †= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used the stadium when their permanent stadium was unable to be used as a result of damage. New York Giants The New York Giants are

976-468: A crowd of 10,000. The Giants were successful in their first season, finishing with an 8–4 record. In its third season , the team finished with the best record in the league at 11–1–1 and was awarded the NFL title. After a disappointing fourth season ( 1928 ) owner Tim Mara bought the entire squad of the Detroit Wolverines , principally to acquire star quarterback Benny Friedman , and merged

1098-452: A decline in the running game, as Morris managed only 658 yards behind an injury-riddled offensive line. The early portion of the 1988 season was marred by a scandal involving Lawrence Taylor. Taylor had abused cocaine and was suspended for the first four games of the season for his second violation of the league's substance-abuse policy. Despite the controversy, the Giants finished 10–6, and Taylor recorded 15.5 sacks after his return from

1220-695: A five-game winning streak, beating the Chicago Bears , Houston Texans , Detroit Lions , Dallas Cowboys , and Seattle Seahawks . Before long, the Giants were 6–2 but lost two straight to division foes: to the Cowboys 33–20 at home, and to the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, putting the Giants in second place in the NFC East at 6–4. In first place was the Eagles, but at December 19 the two teams tied at 8–4, setting up

1342-591: A home field due to a schedule conflict with Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia , used Giants Stadium as their home field versus Penn State in September 1996 . Princeton also played one home game at Giants Stadium (against Yale ) during the construction of Princeton's new stadium in 1997 . The New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League moved to Giants Stadium for the 1977 season , hosting

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1464-497: A long-standing feud between Wellington Mara and his nephew, Tim Mara . Jack Mara had died in 1965, leaving his share of the club to his son Tim. Wellington and Tim's personal styles and their visions for the club clashed, and eventually they stopped talking to each other. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle intervened and appointed a neutral general manager, George Young , allowing the club to operate more smoothly. The feud became moot on February 20, 1991, when Tim Mara sold his shares in

1586-564: A massive upset versus the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High for their first win of the season. However, during the Week 5 game against the Los Angeles Chargers , Odell Beckham Jr. fractured his ankle, an injury that ended his season. During the same game, the Giants also lost wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Dwayne Harris to season-ending injuries. The season

1708-411: A match for first place. The Giants were at home and led 24–3 over the Eagles at halftime. The score was 31–10 with 5:40 left in the game, but Michael Vick led the Eagles to three touchdown drives to tie the game up at 31 with 40 seconds left. After a Giants three-and-out, Matt Dodge punted the ball to DeSean Jackson , who returned it for a touchdown, concluding the Giants' epic collapse . The next game,

1830-549: A meeting with the San Francisco 49ers in Candlestick Park in the wild-card round. The Giants built up a sizable lead throughout the game, and led 38–14 with 4:27 left in the third quarter. However, San Francisco rallied to win the game by one point, with the final score of 39–38. After a dismal 2003 season in which the Giants finished with a 4–12 record, Jim Fassel was released by the Giants. His head coaching record with

1952-504: A number of future Pro Football Hall of Fame players such as running back Frank Gifford , linebacker Sam Huff , and offensive tackle Roosevelt Brown , as well as all-pro running back Alex Webster . The Giants' 1956 championship team not only included players who would eventually find their way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but a Hall of Fame coaching staff, as well. Head coach Jim Lee Howell 's staff had Vince Lombardi coaching

2074-483: A predetermined home team, and a predetermined away team. In those games, the away team gets a rare away game in their own home stadium. The Giants and Jets typically play each other every year in the third week of the NFL Preseason , and the teams annually rotated the home and away teams. For some years, a popular urban legend purported that the remains of Jimmy Hoffa , whose disappearance coincided with construction of

2196-718: A professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area . The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays its home games at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey , 5 miles (8 km) west of New York City . The stadium is shared with

2318-638: A record for most consecutive road wins in a single season with 10 (a streak which ended with a loss to the Cleveland Browns during week 6 of the 2008 season). The Patriots (18–0) entered the Super Bowl undefeated and were 12 point favorites going into game weekend. The Giants defeated the Patriots 17–14 in Super Bowl XLII , aided by the famous " Manning to Tyree " pass. On this famous play, Manning escaped

2440-546: A season-high for the Giants. With the victory, the Giants advanced to the second round against the top-ranked Green Bay Packers 37–20. On January 15, 2012, the Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers 37–20. Eli Manning threw for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns, two of which to wide receiver Hakeem Nicks . This earned the Giants a spot in the NFC Championship Game on January 22, 2012, against the San Francisco 49ers . They won this game 20–17, in overtime, with Tynes scoring

2562-584: A then-NFL record 36 touchdown passes, the Giants advanced to the NFL Championship Game, where they lost to the Bears 14–10 for their third consecutive championship loss, as well as their fifth loss in the title game in 6 years. From 1964 to 1978, the Giants registered only two winning seasons and no playoff appearances. With players, such as Tittle and Gifford approaching their mid 30s, the team declined rapidly, finishing 2–10–2 in 1964 . They rebounded with

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2684-518: A total of 24 shows at the stadium from 1985 to 2009, with a record 10 shows during the Rising Tour in 2003. Several songs on his 1986 live album Live/1975–85 were recorded at shows at the stadium in August 1985. Springsteen wrote the song "Wrecking Ball" in response to the closing of the stadium and in 2009 performed it for the first time at the final five concerts at Giants Stadium. It would go on to be

2806-538: Is considered one of the most important events in furthering the NFL's popularity. The following year, they lost the championship to the Colts again, giving up a 9–7 fourth-quarter lead en route to a 31–16 loss. Both the 1961 and 1962 championship game matched the Giants up against the Green Bay Packers, with the Giants losing both 37–0 and 16–7 respectively. In 1963, led by league MVP quarterback Y. A. Tittle , who threw

2928-694: Is going to the playoffs". The Giants responded, winning the rest of their regular season games to finish the season 12–4 and clinch the top seed in the NFC. In the divisional round, the Giants beat the Philadelphia Eagles 20–10 at home to qualify for the NFC Championship Game, in which they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 41–0. They advanced to play the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV . Though

3050-591: Is the Giants' best regular season record since the NFL began playing 16-game seasons in 1978. After clinching the top seed in the NFC, the Giants defeated the 49ers 49–3 in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs and the Redskins 17–0 in the NFC championship game, advancing to their first Super Bowl, Super Bowl XXI , against the Denver Broncos at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Led by MVP Simms who completed 22 of 25 passes for

3172-554: The 1993 season ); several Notre Dame – Navy and Notre Dame– Army games; and the Army–Navy Game on three occasions, most recently in 2002 . Syracuse also played two home games at Giants Stadium during the 1979 season , against West Virginia and Penn State , while the Carrier Dome was under construction. Columbia also played some home games at Giants Stadium in 1983 , due to construction at its home stadium. Temple , needing

3294-704: The 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup . In 2003, the SuperCoppa Italiana , an annual match pitting the winners of Serie A (Italy's top division) and the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup), was held in Giants Stadium instead of in Italy because both clubs involved ( Juventus and Milan ) were touring the United States late in the summer, when the event is normally scheduled. In 2005, the stadium played host to several matches in

3416-462: The 2008 season with a record of 11–1, but lost three of their last four regular season games partially due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to wide receiver Plaxico Burress . However, the Giants still won the NFC East with a record of 12–4, and clinched the number one seed in the NFC after beating the Carolina Panthers for home-field advantage and a first-round bye. In the divisional round of

3538-525: The 2009 NFL season following the construction of MetLife Stadium in the surrounding parking lot. The stadium's final event was the January 3, 2010, game featuring the Jets hosting the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football . Demolition of the structure began a month after the game and was completed on August 10, 2010. The New York Giants and New York Jets both moved to MetLife Stadium in 2010. Giants Stadium

3660-536: The AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award . However, the Giants missed the playoffs for a third straight season, finishing with a 6–10 record. The 2015 season was another disappointing campaign, as the Giants showcased a struggling defense and several late-game collapses. The Giants finished the season with a 6–10 record and missed the playoffs. On January 14, 2016, the Giants announced that Ben McAdoo would become

3782-791: The CONCACAF Gold Cup , including the final, which saw the USA defeat Panama , 3–1 in a penalty shootout after the sides played to a scoreless draw. In 2007, it hosted the Gold Cup again featuring four group stage matches. In, 2009 the stadium hosted the final for the CONCACAF Gold Cup for a second time which saw Mexico defeat the USA 5–0. It saw many European soccer tours, hosting games involving such major soccer clubs as Manchester United , Celtic , Chelsea , Liverpool , Barcelona and Rangers . It also hosted England 's 3–2 victory over Colombia on May 31, 2005. The New York Red Bulls (formerly

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3904-530: The Detroit Lions to a scoreless tie on November 7, 1943. To this day, no NFL game played since then has ended in a scoreless tie. The Giants were particularly successful from the latter half of the 1930s until the United States entry into World War II . The Giants won their next championship in 1956 , the first year the team began playing at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City . Aided by

4026-464: The Jets and Miami Dolphins on September 14, 2003, was the 366th regular season NFL game at Giants Stadium breaking Wrigley's regular season record. Since the stadium was originally built for the Giants, the stadium's lower walls were blue and the seats and the stadium's four gates were red and blue to reflect the team colors. When the Jets moved in, green banners were hung over the walls and eventually over

4148-617: The Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round, the Giants prepared for a showdown against the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers . The 49ers defeated the Giants 21–10 in the divisional round. After 9–7 and 10–6 finishes in 1984 and 1985 respectively, the Giants compiled a 14–2 record in 1986 led by league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Lawrence Taylor and the Big Blue Wrecking Crew defense. As of 2023, this

4270-674: The Miami Dolphins broke it. Giants Stadium was also home to the New York Cosmos , a professional soccer team of the North American Soccer League (1968–84) , that attracted record crowds during the late 1970s. The stadium was later home to another soccer team, the New York/New Jersey MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls ) of Major League Soccer , who played there from 1996 to 2009. Giants Stadium closed following

4392-574: The New Orleans Saints used the stadium for a "home" game against the Giants because of extensive damage to the Louisiana Superdome after Hurricane Katrina . One end zone was painted in Saints colors, Saints banners were hung on the walls around the sidelines, and the Saints wore their home jerseys. The game was rescheduled to a Monday night with a special start time of 7:30 PM EDT , preceding

4514-630: The New York Jets . The Giants are headquartered and practice at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center , also in the Meadowlands. The Giants were one of five teams that joined the NFL in 1925, and they are the only one of that group still existing, as well as the league's longest-established team in the Northeastern United States . The team ranks third among all NFL franchises with eight NFL championship titles : four in

4636-767: The Philadelphia Eagles is the oldest of the NFC East rivalries, dating back to 1933, and has been called the best rivalry in the NFL in the 21st century. On August 1, 1925, Timothy Mara and Will Gibson were granted a franchise by the NFL for their newly organized team in New York City — the New York Football Giants. Cost of the franchise was $ 2,500. The Giants played their first game as an away game against All New Britain in New Britain, Connecticut , on October 4, 1925. They defeated New Britain 26–0 in front of

4758-702: The San Diego Chargers 21–20 and the Philadelphia Eagles 40–17. The streak was broken with a 34–31 overtime victory against the Atlanta Falcons . On Thanksgiving night, they lost to the Denver Broncos 26–6. The Giants next beat the division-leading Dallas Cowboys . A week later, with a record of 7–5, they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 45–38. On December 27, the Giants lost to the Carolina Panthers 41–9 in their final game at Giants Stadium, and were eliminated from playoff eligibility. The Giants finished

4880-577: The San Francisco 49ers , who were attempting to win the Super Bowl for an unprecedented third straight year, 15–13 at San Francisco and then defeated the Buffalo Bills 20–19 in Super Bowl XXV . Following the 1990 season, Parcells resigned as head coach and was replaced by the team's offensive-line coach Ray Handley . Handley served as coach for two disappointing seasons (1991 and 1992), which saw

5002-761: The U2 concert. The first concert at Giants Stadium occurred on June 25, 1978, with the Beach Boys as the headliners, with the Steve Miller Band , Pablo Cruise , and Stanky Brown also performing. The Grateful Dead played Giants Stadium 14 times between 1978 and 1995. In 2019 the Grateful Dead released the Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991 boxed set. The stadium played host to Amnesty International 's final A Conspiracy of Hope Benefit Concert on June 15, 1986. The show

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5124-405: The USFL ; the New York/New Jersey Knights of the World League of American Football ; the New York/New Jersey Hitmen of the XFL and the New York Sentinels (who played one game at the stadium in the United Football League 's inaugural season). The 1985 USFL championship game which turned out to be the last USFL game played was held at Giants Stadium. In the second week of the 2005 season ,

5246-440: The Yale Bowl from October 1973 through 1974 , but won just once in twelve games there. They returned to New York for one final season in 1975 and shared Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens , with the Yankees , Mets , and Jets . The Giants finally moved into their new home on October 10, 1976 , week five of the season. Eight years after Giants Stadium opened, it gained a second major tenant. The Jets' lease at Shea Stadium,

5368-405: The Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut in 1973 and 1974, and at Shea Stadium (home of the Mets and Jets) in Queens, New York in 1975, due to the renovation of Yankee Stadium . They finally moved into their own dedicated state-of-the-art stadium in 1976, when they moved into Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey , located 5 miles west of New York City. One of

5490-420: The playoffs , the Giants lost 23–11 to the Philadelphia Eagles at home. In 2009 , the Giants opened a new training complex, the Timex Performance Center, also located in the Meadowlands. After starting 5–0 in the 2009 season, New York lost to the likewise undefeated New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome 48–27, beginning a four-game losing streak, in which they lost to the Arizona Cardinals 24–17,

5612-493: The professional baseball team of the same name , the football team was incorporated as the "New York National League Football Company, Inc." in 1929 and then changed to " New York Football Giants , Inc." in 1937. While the baseball team moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season, the football team continues to legally use it as its corporate name, which the team is often referred to by fans and sportscasters alike. The team has also acquired several nicknames, including "Big Blue",

5734-456: The "G-Men", and the "Jints", an intentionally mangled contraction seen frequently in the New York Post and New York Daily News , originating from the baseball team when they were based in New York. In addition, the team as a whole is occasionally referred to as the " Big Blue Wrecking Crew ", even though this moniker primarily and originally refers to the Giants defensive unit during the 1980s and early-1990s. The team's heated rivalry with

5856-428: The 2007 season, the NFL scheduled the Giants' road game against the Miami Dolphins on October 28 in London 's Wembley Stadium ; this was the first NFL regular season game to be played outside of North America . The Giants defeated the Dolphins, 13–10. The Giants finished 10–6 and became NFC Champions after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , Dallas Cowboys , and Green Bay Packers in the NFC Playoffs . They set

5978-468: The Cosmos as the only North American club. They won the tournament for the third and final time by defeating Udinese in front of a crowd of 34,158 at Giants Stadium 4–1. Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands ) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey , in the Meadowlands Sports Complex . The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and primarily hosted sporting events and concerts. It

6100-546: The Cowboys, 31–14 and clinched the NFC East title and the fourth seed in the playoffs. Wide receiver Victor Cruz finished the regular season with 1,536 receiving yards, breaking the Giants franchise record previously held by Amani Toomer . On January 8, 2012, in the first round of the playoffs, the Giants defeated the Atlanta Falcons 24–2. After giving up an early safety in the first half, quarterback Eli Manning threw for three consecutive touchdowns. Running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combined for 172 yards rushing,

6222-403: The Giants defeated the Chicago Bears on an icy field in the 1934 NFL Championship Game , while wearing sneakers for better traction. The team would return to the championship game the following year but would fall to the Detroit Lions 26–7. The Giants captured their third NFL championship in 1938 with a 23–17 win over the Green Bay Packers . Both teams returned to the championship game

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6344-417: The Giants during this time was 58–53–1. In 2004, three years after their last Super Bowl appearance, Fassel was replaced by Tom Coughlin . Although Collins had several solid seasons as the Giants quarterback, he experienced his share of struggles. In 2004 , the Giants completed a draft day trade for University of Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning . Manning became the team's starting quarterback in

6466-409: The Giants fall from Super Bowl champions to an 8–8 record in 1991 and a 6–10 record in 1992. He was fired following the 1992 season , and replaced by former Denver Broncos ' coach Dan Reeves . In the early 1990s, Simms and Taylor, two of the stars of the 1980s, played out the last seasons of their careers with steadily declining production. The Giants experienced a resurgent season with Reeves at

6588-432: The Giants finished the season 9–7 and out of the playoffs. Quarterback Eli Manning , defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul , wide receiver Victor Cruz , and guard Chris Snee represented the Giants at the Pro Bowl . The 2013 season began with hope that the Giants could become the first team to play in the Super Bowl in their home stadium, as MetLife Stadium was scheduled to host Super Bowl XLVIII that February. However,

6710-413: The Giants in the lead. It was the third biggest upset by betting line in Super Bowl history (the Baltimore Colts were favored by 17 over the New York Jets in Super Bowl III , and the St. Louis Rams were favored by 14 over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI ). Co-owner John Mara described it as "the greatest victory in the history of this franchise, without question". The Giants began

6832-429: The Giants lost Kevin Boss , Steve Smith , Rich Seubert , Keith Bulluck , Derek Hagan , and Pro Bowl center Shaun O'Hara to free agency. However, the season also saw the emergence of second-year wide receiver Victor Cruz and second-year tight end Jake Ballard . The Giants opened their season with a 28–14 loss to the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks . However,

6954-405: The Giants lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers 45–17, and at 9–6, they faced the Redskins. They had to win and have the Packers lose in order to get into the playoffs. The Giants won 17–14, but the Packers beat the Bears 10–3, so the Giants missed out on the playoffs again, ending a collapse in which the Giants went 4–4 in their last eight games. During the 2011 preseason,

7076-408: The Giants secured a 6–2 record by the midpoint of the season, including road victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots . The latter victory ended the Patriots' NFL record home-game winning streak, after a touchdown pass from Manning to Jake Ballard with 15 seconds left in the game. However, the Giants then suffered a four-game losing streak, including road losses against

7198-399: The Giants signed ex-Carolina Panthers quarterback Kerry Collins . Collins was the first-ever draft choice of the expansion Carolina Panthers in 1995 and led the Panthers to the NFC Championship game in his second season. However, problems with alcohol, conflicts with his teammates, and questions about his character led to his release from the Panthers. The Giants finished the season with

7320-410: The Giants struggled to 5–11 and 6–10 records. Reeves was fired following the 1996 season . In 1997, the Giants named Jim Fassel , who had spent the previous season as offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals , as their 16th head coach. Fassel named Danny Kanell the team's starting quarterback. The Giants finished the 1997 season with a record of 10–5–1 and qualified for the playoffs for

7442-404: The Giants to the Dallas Cowboys . The Giants had played their first four games on the road that season. College football made its debut at Giants Stadium on October 23, 1976, with Rutgers University defeating Columbia 47–0 and extending their winning streak to 14 games. Other professional football teams that have called Giants Stadium home over the years include the New Jersey Generals of

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7564-406: The Giants trailed at halftime. They are the only team in NFL history to have more than two second half, come-from-behind, Super Bowl victories (4). The Pittsburgh Steelers , who accomplished the feat in Super Bowl X and Super Bowl XIV , are the only other team to do it more than once. The Giants began the 2012 season with a home loss to the Dallas Cowboys , but rebounded to finish October with

7686-424: The Giants went into halftime down only 10–0, the Ravens dominated the second half. Their defense harassed Kerry Collins all game long, resulting in Collins completing only 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards and 4 interceptions. The Ravens won the game 34–7. After a disappointing 7–9 record in 2001, the Giants finished the 2002 season with a record of 10–6, qualifying for the playoffs as a wild card. This set up

7808-450: The Giants' playoff hopes took a massive hit when they lost the first six games of the season. They rebounded to win the next four games in a row to improve to 4–6, but lost a critical home game to the Dallas Cowboys on a last-minute field goal. They finished the season 7–9 and with a losing record for the first time since 2004. The Giants drafted rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the 2014 NFL draft , who would later go on to win

7930-452: The Jets now playing at the stadium, the grounds crew needed to find a way to set their games apart from Giants games and make them more inviting for their fans and eventually came up with a series of green and white banners and coverings that were hung over the field-level blue walls that circled the stadium and (later) the four entrance gates outside the stadium. The Jets also called the stadium "The Meadowlands" for their games. The sharing of

8052-430: The NFL single season record in sacks in 2001 , and running back Tiki Barber , who set a team record for rushing yards in a season in 2005. Barber retired at the end of the 2006 season. Going into 2007 , the Giants had made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. In 2007, the Giants became the third NFL franchise to win at least 600 games when they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 31–10 on Monday Night Football . For

8174-470: The New York Cosmos, 1981 regular season leader and 1980 and 1981 TACC titlist, represented the NASL. Napoli of Italy Serie 'A', and Nacional of Uruguay, the 1981 World Club champion finished the pool. The series was launched May 26, 1982 before 28,887 at Giants Stadium, as Napoli and the Cosmos battled to a 2–2 draw. The next day, Nacional and the Sting drew 0–0. On May 29, the Cosmos defeated Nacional and Chicago defeated Napoli by identical 3–1 scores, leading to

8296-434: The New York/New Jersey MetroStars) of Major League Soccer played at the stadium for their first 14 seasons. They moved to the soccer-specific Red Bull Arena in nearby Harrison in 2010. On October 5, 1995, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass during a rainstorm, before a crowd of 82,948, the second-largest to ever attend an event at Giants Stadium. The record was broken on September 24, 2009, with an attendance of 84,472 at

8418-425: The Sky , Stretch Arm Strong , Kill Your Idols , and Nashville Pussy , including the only appearance by Metallica during the tour and also featured 42 tattoo artists from Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Malaysia, Manitoba, Spain, Switzerland, and the US. The stadium has also played host to music festivals, including The Monsters of Rock Festival , Music at the Meadowlands , Ozzfest , and The Bamboozle (in

8540-407: The Stadium had been demolished. On May 19, 2010, at 8:30 pm, demolition crews pulled down the press box, the highest part of the stadium. In the early afternoon of June 28, 2010, the last section of stadium grandstand came down, leaving just two later demolished upper-level escalators standing. Much of the stadium's memorabilia was sold to a sports memorabilia company, such as the framed pictures from

8662-419: The championship doubleheader, where Napoli defeated Nacional 3–0 and the Chicago Sting defeated New York 4–3 to take their first title. Unlike the first two years, even this popular event failed to draw large crowds this season. The Trans-Atlantic Challenge Cup's fourth season again featured the New York Cosmos and Seattle Sounders, along with Fiorentina of Italy and São Paulo of Brazil. New York and Seattle took

8784-529: The closing of Giants Stadium, he said, "I can't imagine I'll ever fall in love with a stadium like I did with Giants Stadium." U2's concert on September 24, 2009, on their 360 Tour, broke the Pope's attendance record at Giants Stadium; the U2 crowd was in excess of 84,400. Many locals say it is the home turf of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band , due to the fact that they came from Freehold, New Jersey . They performed

8906-426: The club to Preston Robert Tisch . In 1979 , the Giants began the steps that would, in time, return them to the pinnacle of the NFL. These included the drafting of quarterback Phil Simms in 1979 , and linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1981 . In 1981 , Taylor won the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards and the Giants made the playoffs for the first time since 1963. One of

9028-525: The consolation game, and Seattle and New York battled to a championship draw before 40,000 spectators at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Seattle won the tournament, having outscored the Cosmos 8–7. Attendance averaged nearly 30,000 for the tournament, which provided the local soccer fans a good dose of high quality international soccer. The Trans-Atlantic Challenge Cup returned for its third season. The Chicago Sting, 1981 Soccer Bowl champions, and

9150-531: The construction of the new facility in 1972. The Giants' last full season in Yankee Stadium was 1972 , as the ballpark was closed for a massive reconstruction following the end of the Yankees' 1973 season . Since their new stadium would take a significant amount of time to finish, and they could not use their home facility due to the construction, the Giants moved out of state and played in New Haven, Connecticut at

9272-570: The few bright spots during this time was the team's excellent linebackers, who were known as the Crunch Bunch . After the strike-shortened 1982 season , in which they finished 4–5, head coach Ray Perkins resigned to succeed the legendary Bear Bryant as head coach at the University of Alabama . In a change that would prove crucial in the coming years, he was replaced by the team's defensive coordinator , Bill Parcells . In 1983 , Bill Parcells

9394-517: The final game of Brazilian star Pelé on October 1, 1977. Giants Stadium remained as the home venue for the Cosmos until the league folded in 1985. Additionally, the NASL championship game Soccer Bowl '78 and Soccer Bowl '79 were held at Giants Stadium. Seven games of the 1994 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament were held at Giants Stadium (including the Italy v Bulgaria semifinal), along with four games of

9516-549: The firing. In 2010 , the Giants moved from Giants Stadium into MetLife Stadium , then known as the " New Meadowlands Stadium ". They won against the Carolina Panthers in the first game at New Meadowlands Stadium, but then lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the second "Manning Bowl", so-called due to Eli Manning's brother Peyton playing for the Colts. The Giants dropped one game to the Tennessee Titans before going on

9638-523: The first games, but São Paulo and Fiorentina took the second. In the doubleheader on June 5, Fiorentina defeated São Paulo 5–3 and New York defeated Seattle 4–1, giving the Cosmos the title over Fiorentina based on goal differential. Once again, the New York fans came in droves, with 51,000 for the final, but Seattle fans stayed away, averaging only about 6,000 at the Kingdome. The final tournament in 1984 featured

9760-459: The first time in four years. However, they lost in the wild-card round to the Vikings at home. The following year , the Giants began the season 4–8 before rallying to finish the season 8–8. One of the notable games of that season was a win over the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in week 15, giving the Broncos their first loss of the season after starting 13–0. Before the 1999 season ,

9882-437: The following week to make their record 7–7 with a Christmas Eve showdown against their crosstown rival New York Jets the following week. The Giants won, 29–14, and knocked the Eagles out of playoff contention, to set up a Week 17 home game against the Cowboys in which the winner would clinch the NFC East while the loser would be eliminated from playoff contention. The game was flexed into Sunday Night Football. The Giants defeated

10004-468: The following year in 1939 , with the Packers shutting out the Giants 27–0. The period also featured the 1944 Giants, which are ranked as the #1 defensive team in NFL history, "...a truly awesome unit". They gave up only 7.5 points per game (a record that still stands) and shut out five of their 10 opponents, though they lost 14–7 to the Green Bay Packers in the 1944 NFL Championship Game . The Giants played

10126-429: The game-winning touchdown by falling into the end zone. The Patriots were allowing Bradshaw to get the touchdown so they would get the ball with some time remaining. When Eli Manning handed the ball to Bradshaw, he told him not to score. Bradshaw was about to fall down at the 1-yard line but his momentum carried him in, thus the "reluctant touchdown." As was the case in each of their four previous Super Bowl appearances,

10248-417: The grip of several Patriots defensive linemen, stepped up in the pocket, and heaved the ball down the middle of the field to a double-covered David Tyree . With Rodney Harrison , a Patriots defensive back, all over Tyree, David managed to hold on to the ball by holding it on his helmet until he fell to the ground. This catch set up a Manning to Plaxico Burress touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to put

10370-401: The helm in 1993 however, and Simms and Taylor ended their careers as members of a playoff team. The Giants initially struggled in the post Simms/Taylor era. After starting 3–7 in 1994 , the Giants won their final six games to finish 9–7 but missed the playoffs . Quarterback Dave Brown received heavy criticism throughout the season. Brown performed poorly the following two seasons, and

10492-535: The home of the New York Mets, had expired at the end of the 1983 season and team owner Leon Hess was having trouble negotiating terms of a new lease to stay in Queens. The city of New York was unwilling to agree to his terms and Hess decided to move the Jets to the Meadowlands permanently (the team previously played a regular season game there in 1977 ). Their first game in Giants Stadium was on September 6, 1984 . With

10614-469: The insistence of baseball's New York Mets . When they moved across the Hudson, many predicted the stadium would be renamed. While the Jets were attracted by the stadium's larger capacity (it held 15,000 more seats than Shea did in its football configuration), they were understandably displeased at the prospect of playing in a facility named after another team. However, under the terms of the stadium lease, changing

10736-520: The leader of the Springfield chapter of the "International Brotherhood of Jazz Dancers, Pastry Chefs and Nuclear Technicians" trade union is said to have mysteriously disappeared after promising to clean up the union; the body of the missing leader is then shown buried under a football field. The rumor was tested by the Discovery Channel show MythBusters , and they were unable to find any sign of

10858-469: The low points during this period was the play known as the " Miracle at the Meadowlands ", which occurred in 1978. With the Giants trying to kill the clock and secure a win against the Philadelphia Eagles , offensive coordinator , Bob Gibson , chose to call a running play. This resulted in "The Fumble" by QB Joe Pisarcik that was returned for a game-winning touchdown by the Eagles' Herman Edwards . The Giants' front office operations were complicated by

10980-492: The middle of the 2004 season , taking over for Kurt Warner . During the three-year period from 2004 to 2006, Tom Coughlin's Giants compiled a 25–23 regular season record and two appearances in the wild-card round — both losses (to the Carolina Panthers in 2005 and to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2006.) and spawned intense media scrutiny concerning the direction of the team. During this period in their history, standout players included defensive end Michael Strahan , who set

11102-469: The name of the stadium required the approval of the Giants, and they were unwilling to do so. As such, for years afterward the Jets referred to Giants Stadium as "The Meadowlands" whenever they played there. Thanks largely to the dual occupancy of Giants Stadium by two NFL teams since 1984, it surpassed Wrigley Field (home of the Chicago Bears for 50 seasons) as the venue to have hosted more NFL games than any other in league history. The game played between

11224-455: The offense and Tom Landry coaching the defense. From 1958 to 1963, the Giants played in the NFL Championship Game five times, but failed to win. Most significantly, the Giants played the Colts in the 1958 NFL Championship Game , which is considered a watershed event in the history of the NFL. The game, which the Giants lost in overtime 23–17, is often called "The Greatest Game Ever Played" and

11346-591: The other scheduled game on Monday Night Football . The Giants were normally not visitors at Giants Stadium unless they were playing the Jets. The stadium hosted college football games, including the Garden State Bowl from 1978 to 1981; the Kickoff Classic from 1983 to 2002; the New York Urban League Classic since 1981; a number of Rutgers homes games (including all their home games during

11468-473: The outer gates of the stadium anytime the team hosted a game. In addition, team-specific end zone decorations would be changed for Jets home games. This was accomplished by either painting over the Giants logos, or replacing the turf section of each end zone. Midfield decorations at the 50-yard line were typically not team-specific (in early years a Meadowlands logo, and later an NFL shield), which could be used for both teams' games. In mid-December, traditionally

11590-477: The parking lot, annually, since 2003). Dave Matthews Band played the stadium 10 times from 1998 to 2007, including three nights each in 2000 and 2001. On June 11, 2001 (the first of three nights), the band played the song "Two Step", where Dave Matthews sang the improvisational lyrics "let it rain", where then a thunderstorm broke out. This has been called "Two Step In The Rain" by fans, and can be heard on The Best of What's Around Vol. 1 . When Matthews learned of

11712-588: The pre– Super Bowl era (1927, 1934, 1938, 1956) and four since the advent of the Super Bowl ( XXI (1986), XXV (1990), XLII (2007), and XLVI (2011)), along with more championship appearances than any other team, with 19 overall appearances. Their championship tally is surpassed only by the Green Bay Packers (13) and the Chicago Bears (9). Throughout their history, the Giants have featured 29 Hall of Fame players, including NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winners Mel Hein , Frank Gifford , Y. A. Tittle , and Lawrence Taylor . To distinguish themselves from

11834-417: The pro game. Knute Rockne reassembled his Four Horsemen along with the stars of his 1924 Championship squad and told them to score early, then defend. Rockne, like much of the public, thought little of pro football and expected an easy win. But from the beginning it was a one-way contest, with Friedman running for two Giant touchdowns and Hap Moran passing for another. Notre Dame failed to score. When it

11956-471: The resurgent San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints and home losses to the Eagles and the then-undefeated Green Bay Packers , to make their record 6–6 entering December. The Giants broke their losing streak with a tightly contested 37–34 road victory over the Cowboys on December 11 with Jason Pierre-Paul blocking a last second field goal attempt, but lost at home to the Washington Redskins

12078-415: The season 8–8. Following the season, the Giants fired first-year defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan , and replaced him with the former Buffalo Bills interim head coach, Perry Fewell . The Giants defense finished 13th overall under Sheridan, giving up 324.9 yards per game, and the final two losses of the season against Carolina and Minnesota , in which the Giants gave up 85 points, ultimately led to

12200-472: The stadium by both the Giants and Jets enabled it to break a record that had long been held by Chicago's Wrigley Field . Entering the 2003 season, its 28th, Giants Stadium had played host to 364 NFL games, second only to the 365 played at Wrigley by the Chicago Bears in their 50 seasons there. The Giants' season opening game with the St. Louis Rams tied the record, and the following week the Jets' home opener against

12322-399: The stadium hosted a Saturday-Sunday NFL doubleheader, with the Giants playing a home game one day and the Jets playing the other. The night between the games was a challenge for the stadium grounds crew, as they only had hours to convert the stadium from one team's colors to the other. As per the NFL schedule, the Giants and the Jets play each other once every four years. In that case, there was

12444-503: The stadium, had been buried under one of the end zones at the field. This led Sports Illustrated to suggest that this "takes on special meaning when a punter goes for the ' coffin corner .'" In a similar vein, sportscaster Marv Albert once said that a team was "kicking towards the Hoffa end of the field." The rumor was referenced in The Simpsons episode " Last Exit to Springfield ", when

12566-476: The suites, all of the building's signage and a good portion of the saved bowl seats. Other property was liquidated to other NJSEA facilities such as the IZOD Center and Monmouth Park Racetrack. To accommodate these varied events, Giants Stadium sported various playing surfaces in its history. From its opening until the end of the 1999 NFL season, Giants Stadium sported an AstroTurf playing surface. This surface

12688-461: The suspension; however, the team missed the playoffs in their last game of the season. They surged to a 12–4 record in 1989, but lost to the Los Angeles Rams in their opening playoff game when Flipper Anderson caught a 47-yard touchdown pass to give the Rams a 19–13 overtime win. In 1990 , the Giants went 13–3 and, at the time, set an NFL record for fewest turnovers in a season (14). They defeated

12810-517: The team acquired quarterback Fran Tarkenton from the Minnesota Vikings . Despite having several respectable seasons with Tarkenton at quarterback, including a 7–7 finish in 1967 and 9–5 in 1970 , the Giants traded him back to the Vikings after a 4–10 finish in 1971 . Tarkenton would go on to lead the Vikings to three Super Bowls and earn a place in the Hall of Fame, while the Giants suffered through one of

12932-408: The team's head coach. He replaced Tom Coughlin, who had resigned the previous week. The Giants turned it around in 2016 with an 11–5 record, ending their five-year playoff drought. The Giants later lost to the Green Bay Packers 38–13 in the wild-card round. After having high expectations due to their 11–5 record in 2016, the Giants had an unexpected 0–5 start to the 2017 season , before pulling

13054-425: The third-string position, promoting Jeff Rutledge over Simms to be Brunner's backup. Parcells later said the move was a mistake and one he "nearly paid for dearly" as the team finished with a 3–12–1 record and his job security was called into question. In the off-season the Giants released Brunner and named Simms the starter. The move paid off as the team won nine games and returned to the playoffs. After beating

13176-492: The title track of his next studio album , released over two years later. The seating capacity over the years went as the following: Demolition work on Giants Stadium began at approximately 10:00 AM EST on February 4, 2010, at the Gate B spirals, the closest point to the new stadium. The demolition work was expected to cost more than $ 10 million and took approximately four months to complete. As of May 10, 2010, approximately 50% of

13298-467: The two teams under the Giants name. In 1930 , there were still many who questioned the quality of the professional game, claiming the college "amateurs" played with more intensity than professionals. In December 1930, the Giants played a team of Notre Dame All Stars at the Polo Grounds to raise money for the unemployed of New York City. It was also an opportunity to establish the skill and prestige of

13420-487: The winning field goal as he did four years earlier in the same game against the Packers. The New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI against the New England Patriots with a score of 21–17. The winning touchdown was preceded by a 38-yard reception by receiver Mario Manningham . As in Super Bowl XLII , Eli Manning was Super Bowl MVP, defeating the Patriots for a second time in the Super Bowl. Ahmad Bradshaw scored

13542-444: The worst stretches in their history, winning only 23 games from 1973 to 1979. Before the 1976 season, the Giants tried to revive a weak offense by replacing retired RB Ron Johnson with future Hall of Fame fullback Larry Csonka , but Csonka was often injured and ineffective during his 3 years in New York. The 1977 season featured a roster which included three rookie quarterbacks. The Giants were allowed to play their home games at

13664-423: Was 80,242. The structure was 756 feet (230 m) long, 592 feet (180 m) wide and 144 feet (44 m) high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 178 feet (54 m) high to the top of the south tower. The volume of the stadium was 64.5 million cubic feet (1,830,000 m ), and 13,500 tons of structural steel were used in the building process while 29,200 tons of concrete were poured. It

13786-913: Was a sold-out, all-day event, running from noon until 11 p.m. and broadcast on MTV . The show was headlined by U2 and Sting and also featured Bryan Adams , Peter Gabriel , Joan Baez , the Neville Brothers , and the Police . Additional artists that performed included John Eddie , with Max Weinberg , Third World , the Hooters , Peter, Paul and Mary , Steven van Zandt , with Bob Geldof , Stanley Jordan , Joan Armatrading , Jackson Browne , Rubén Blades , with Fela Kuti and Carlos Santana , Yoko Ono , Howard Jones , Miles Davis , and Joni Mitchell . Spoken introductions were made by Billy Graham , Bill Bradley , Daryl Hannah , Robert De Niro , Christopher Reeve , Michael J. Fox , and Muhammad Ali . Pete Townshend

13908-400: Was all over, Coach Rockne told his team, "That was the greatest football machine I ever saw. I am glad none of you got hurt." The game raised $ 100,000 for the homeless, and is often credited with establishing the legitimacy of the professional game for those who were critical. It also was the last game the legendary Rockne ever coached; he was killed in an airplane crash on March 31, 1931. In

14030-506: Was covered by Bermuda grass sod for the World Cup in 1994, identical to that at the Rose Bowl where the other semifinal and the finals were held (so that both teams in the finals would have played on identical surfaces). The grass was removed after the World Cup, as it would have died in the New Jersey winter. The MetroStars installed a grass field with interchangeable trays each spring that

14152-533: Was kept in place under the trays to aid in draining the field when it got wet. Over the next three years, the conditions would worsen as the season went on and the field quality was typically rated just as low as the old, hard AstroTurf had been. Giants Stadium finally scrapped the grass in favor of FieldTurf for the 2003 season, a surface that remained in place until the stadium closed. The New York Jets left Shea Stadium and moved to Giants Stadium in 1984 after years of suffering under onerous lease terms imposed at

14274-639: Was owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA). The stadium's field was aligned northwest to southeast, with the press box along the southwest sideline. In the early 1970s, the New York Giants were sharing Yankee Stadium with the New York Yankees baseball team, and began looking for a home of their own. The Giants struck a deal with the fledgling New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority in 1971 and broke ground on

14396-410: Was promoted to head coach from defensive coordinator . One of his first moves was to change his starting quarterback, sitting the injury-prone and struggling Phil Simms (who had missed the entire 1982 season with an injury) and electing instead to go with Scott Brunner , who had gone 4–5 as the starter in place of Simms in the strike-shortened previous season. Parcells went as far as to demote Simms to

14518-454: Was removed prior to football season, forcing the team to play the remainder of its season on the AstroTurf field used by the football teams. (When the New York Cosmos called Giants Stadium home, they played on the stadium's artificial surface and never used a grass field.) The AstroTurf was replaced in 2000 by a system of interchangeable grass trays similar to those put in place for soccer, but

14640-881: Was scheduled to perform, but cancelled at the last minute, when his father, Cliff Townshend, became gravely ill, which would have been his first US solo appearance. This also marked the Police's final full-live performance together, until their 2007 Reunion Tour , 21 years later. The stadium played host to the Tattoo the Earth Tour on July 20, 2000. The show featured performances by Slipknot , Slayer , Sevendust , Sepultura , Hed PE , Mudvayne , downset. , Hatebreed , Full Devil Jacket , Famous, Amen , U.P.O. , Nothingface , PPM, Cold , Relative Ash, Systematic , Six Feet Under , Candiria , Lamb of God , God Forbid , Darkest Hour , Unearth , All That Remains , Dropkick Murphys , Sick of It All , Tiger Army , Converge , The Unseen , Reach

14762-573: Was the first major league sporting venue in New Jersey (though the Brooklyn Dodgers had played seven home games at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City in 1956 and 1957), and its success, along with that of the Giants in the 1980s was a major impetus behind increased pride and enthusiasm among New Jersey residents. Giants Stadium opened on October 10, 1976, as 76,042 fans witnessed a 24–14 loss by

14884-487: Was the home field of the New York metropolitan area 's two National Football League teams, the New York Giants (from 1976 to 2009 ) and the New York Jets (from 1984 to 2009 ). It also was the home field of two New York metro area professional soccer teams, the NASL 's New York Cosmos (from 1977 to 1984 ) and Major League Soccer 's New York Red Bulls (from 1996 to 2009 ). The stadium's maximum seating capacity

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