Football Attic is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear.
EPISODE SUMMARY
This week on “Football Attic,” I was pleased to welcome Jerry Foley, senior editor of The Giant Insider, and co-host of the Giant Insider podcast.
I asked him how his love of the New York Football Giants came to be. He said that when he was very young, he got under his father’s skin by wearing a jersey of Eagles running back Wilbert Montgomery. It was in 1982, however, that he became a Giants fan for life.
“I remember my dad’s side of the family making fun of him because the Giants had lost to the 49ers, and they were Jets and Eagles fans, and I remember it was almost like Michael Corleone with his father, and I just said, ‘I’m with you now,’ and that was it...I just got really mad at everyone for making fun of my old man.”
We talked about if any of the four Giants Super Bowl victories stuck out the most. He fondly remembers 1986 since it was their first championship, but also gave a great deal of the credit to the 2007 team that upset the undefeated New England Patriots, saying that it all began with their defeat of Dallas in the NFC Divisional round.
“Once they beat the Cowboys, it was like, ‘They can do this,’ I wasn’t afraid of Lambeau Field or how old Brett Favre was. Then you thought, ‘Man, they played the Patriots great in week 17,’ they can take this team.” That they did, limiting the historically great New England offense to just 14 points.
Jerry has had his fair share of heartbreaks, however, namely the 2002 Wild Card playoff game against San Francisco, in which New York blew a 38-14 third-quarter lead and lost, 39-38.
“Jeremy Shockey dropping that touchdown, you just felt the momentum change. They had to kick a field goal there when he had an easy touchdown. He catches that ball, the game’s over.”
The Giant Insider originated in the 1990s, and as a teenager, Jerry would frequently write in to the then-editor, Ken Palmer, who gave him a job as a staff writer in 2013. Since then, he has taken on the duties of senior editor, and has started a podcast with beat writer Chris Bisignano.
Jerry also has an amazing memorabilia collection. He considers his crown jewel to be a seat from the Polo Grounds, which even has the old “NY” logo of the New York Baseball Giants on the side. Other artifacts of note are a program from the December 6, 1925 game between the Giants and Bears, in which the NFL’s first superstar, Chicago’s Red Grange, wowed the New York fans, and a program from the December 7, 1941 game against the Brooklyn Dodgers, the date that lives in infamy.
FOOTBALL ATTIC BACKGROUND
My name is John Gidley, and as I’m looking on my bookshelf, I see a lot of books about the National Football League.
There’s a book about the 72 Dolphins, one about the 85 Bears, another about the Immaculate Reception. Let’s be honest with ourselves, though: how many times have we heard these stories?
Where are the tales of the men who aren’t as prominent? Stories of the dominant Washington team of 1991, or of the stonewall defense of the 1977 Atlanta Falcons, or of the days when the Philadelphia Eagles wore white helmets? Well, there’s only one place to find those, right here in the Football Attic.
Each week, I’ll tell you about games, players, coaches, and teams who aren’t necessarily forgotten but are not as well-known as they should be. This isn’t just a podcast for those whose memory will be jogged by these retellings.
I’m 22 years old, and I’m an advocate for a greater historical perspective among younger NFL fans. So come join me as I take my weekly trip upstairs into the Football Attic. Just be sure to watch your step!
