1971 New York Giants season

The 1971 New York Giants season was the franchise's 47th season in the National Football League (NFL).[1] The Giants had a 4–10 record for the season and finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division.[2]

1971 New York Giants season
Head coach	Alex Webster
Owner	Wellington Mara
Home field	Yankee Stadium
Results
Record	4–10
Division place	5th NFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	None

The Giants selected Rocky Thompson in the 1971 NFL Draft, with the 18th overall pick.[3] After a winless preseason, New York began the regular season with a 2–1 record before posting a 2–9 mark in its final eleven games. The team was affected by numerous injuries, including a thigh injury suffered by running back Ron Johnson, who had gained more than 1,000 rushing yards in 1970. The 1971 season was the last for quarterback Fran Tarkenton with the Giants; after he requested a trade, the Giants dealt him to the Minnesota Vikings in 1972 for three players and a pair of draft picks.[4]

Roster

1971 New York Giants roster

	Quarterbacks 11 Randy Johnson 10 Fran Tarkenton Running backs 34 Junior Coffey 28 Bobby Duhon 31 Charlie Evans 24 Tucker Frederickson 30 Ron Johnson 40 Joe Morrison 22 Rocky Thompson Wide receivers 85 Don Herrmann 84 Rich Houston 18 Clifton McNeil 88 Coleman Zeno Tight ends 87 Rich Kotite 38 Bob Tucker		Offensive linemen 77 Dick Hanson T 61 Charlie Harper T 70 Bob Hyland G 53 Greg Larson C 63 Doug Van Horn G 78 Wayne Walton 69 Willie Young T Defensive linemen 89 Fred Dryer DE 73 Jim Kanicki DT 70 Roland Lakes DT 71 Bob Lurtsema DE 80 Henry Reed DE 74 Dave Roller DT 75 Jerry Shay DT 71 Dave Tipton DE 79 Vern Vanoy DT		Linebackers 51 John Douglas 58 Jim Files 55 Ralph Heck 67 Ron Hornsby 56 Pat Hughes Defensive backs 21 Otto Brown CB 20 Scott Eaton CB 44 Richmond Flowers S 43 Spider Lockhart FS 26 Bennie McRae 41 Willie A. Williams Special teams 15 Tom Blanchard P 83 Skip Butler K 3 Pete Gogolak K		Reserve lists {{{reserve_lists}}} Practice squad Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 19, 1971	at Green Bay Packers	W 42–40	56,263
2	September 26, 1971	Washington Redskins	L 30–3	62,795
3	October 3, 1971	at St. Louis Cardinals	W 21–20	49,571
4	October 11, 1971	at Dallas Cowboys	L 20–13	68,378
5	October 17, 1971	Baltimore Colts	L 31–7	62,860
6	October 24, 1971	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 23–7	65,358
7	October 31, 1971	Minnesota Vikings	L 17–10	62,829
8	November 7, 1971	San Diego Chargers	W 35–17	62,905
9	November 14, 1971	at Atlanta Falcons	W 21–17	58,850
10	November 21, 1971	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 17–13	50,008
11	November 28, 1971	St. Louis Cardinals	L 24–7	62,878
12	December 5, 1971	at Washington Redskins	L 23–7	53,401
13	December 12, 1971	Dallas Cowboys	L 42–14	62,815
14	December 19, 1971	Philadelphia Eagles	L 41–28	62,774

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Dallas Cowboys	11	3	0	.786	7–1	8–3	406	222	W7
Washington Redskins	9	4	1	.692	6–1–1	8–2–1	276	190	L1
Philadelphia Eagles	6	7	1	.462	4–3–1	5–5–1	221	302	W3
St. Louis Cardinals	4	9	1	.308	1–7	2–8–1	231	279	L2
New York Giants	4	10	0	.286	1–7	3–8	228	362	L5

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

1. "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
2. "1971 New York Giants". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on May 10, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
3. "1971 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
4. Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. pp. 155–160. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.