1983 New York Giants season

The 1983 New York Giants season was the franchise's 59th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 3–12–1 record, the team’s worst record since 1976.[1][2]

1983 New York Giants season
Head coach	Bill Parcells
General manager	George Young
Owner	Wellington Mara Tim Mara
Home field	Giants Stadium
Results
Record	3–12–1
Division place	5th NFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	LB Harry Carson LB Lawrence Taylor CB Mark Haynes K Ali Haji-Sheikh

In the 1983 NFL draft, the Giants selected defensive back Terry Kinard in the first round, with the 10th overall pick.[3] The 1983 season was the first for the Giants under Bill Parcells, who had been offered the position after previous head coach Ray Perkins resigned before succeeding Bear Bryant as the coach for the University of Alabama. Parcells named Scott Brunner the team’s starting quarterback, ahead of Phil Simms and Jeff Rutledge; upset with the decision, Simms requested a trade at one point during the season.[4] New York was 2–2 in their first four games of the season, before a three-game losing streak that left the club at 2–5.[1] Against the Philadelphia Eagles in their sixth game, the Giants inserted Simms into their lineup in place of Brunner; shortly afterward, Simms suffered a season-ending injury.[5]

The St. Louis Cardinals hosted the Giants in a matchup on October 24 that the New York Daily News' Gary Myers later called the worst game in the history of Monday Night Football. After the Giants lost a lead late in the fourth quarter, the game went into overtime. The Cardinals missed three field goal attempts in the extra period, including two in the final 1:06, and the contest ended in a 20–20 tie.[6] The Giants lost the following three games before a victory in Philadelphia, which was their final win of the season. Losses to the Los Angeles Raiders, St. Louis, Seattle, and Washington left the team’s final record at 3–12–1.[1]

Ali Haji-Sheikh, the Giants' kicker, set a team record for points scored in a season; with 35 field goals and 22 conversions, he was responsible for 127 points. In addition, he set a team record for the longest field goal in a game versus Green Bay, with a 56-yard kick. Earnest Gray had 1,139 receiving yards, becoming the first Giants wide receiver in 15 years to exceed 1,000 yards.[7]

Personnel

Staff

1983 New York Giants staff

	Front office President – Wellington Mara General Manager – George Young Director of Pro Personnel – Ernie Adams Head coaches Head Coach – Bill Parcells Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Ron Erhardt Offensive Backfield – Bob Ledbetter Receivers – Pat Hodgson Offensive Line – Tom Bresnahan			Defensive coaches Defensive Line – Lamar Leachman Linebackers – Bill Belichick Defensive Backfield – Len Fontes Special teams coaches Special Teams – Romeo Crennel

Roster

1983 New York Giants roster

	Quarterbacks 12 Scott Brunner 14 Tom Owen 17 Jeff Rutledge 11 Phil Simms Running backs 45 Leon Bright 26 Rob Carpenter 21 Butch Woolfolk Wide receivers 88 Floyd Eddings 83 Earnest Gray 85 John Mistler 86 Johnny Perkins Tight ends 84 Zeke Mowatt		Offensive linemen 67 Billy Ard G 73 Kevin Belcher G 60 Brad Benson T 61 Ernie Hughes C 72 Gordon King T 68 J. T. Turner G 59 Rich Umphrey C Defensive linemen 64 Jim Burt NT 79 Dee Hardison DE 70 Leonard Marshall DE 75 George Martin DE 76 Curtis McGriff DE 71 Casey Merrill DE		Linebackers 53 Harry Carson 54 Andy Headen 57 Byron Hunt 55 Brian Kelley 52 Joe McLaughlin 56 Lawrence Taylor 10 Brad Van Pelt Defensive backs 29 Bill Currier SS 37 Larry Flowers FS 36 Mark Haynes CB 43 Terry Kinard FS Special teams  6 Ali Haji-Sheikh K 13 Dave Jennings P		Reserve lists 51 Robbie Jones LB (IR) 63 Karl Nelson T (IR) 23 Perry Williams CB (IR) Practice squad Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 4, 1983	Los Angeles Rams	L 16–6	75,281
2	September 11, 1983	at Atlanta Falcons	W 16–13	58,075
3	September 18, 1983	at Dallas Cowboys	L 28–13	62,347
4	September 26, 1983	Green Bay Packers	W 27–3	75,308
5	October 2, 1983	San Diego Chargers	L 41–34	73,892
6	October 9, 1983	Philadelphia Eagles	L 17–13	73,291
7	October 16, 1983	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 38–17	55,449
8	October 24, 1983	at St. Louis Cardinals	T 20–20	45,630
9	October 30, 1983	Dallas Cowboys	L 38–20	76,142
10	November 7, 1983	at Detroit Lions	L 15–9	68,985
11	November 13, 1983	Washington Redskins	L 33–17	71,482
12	November 20, 1983	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 23–0	57,977
13	November 27, 1983	at Los Angeles Raiders	L 27–12	41,473
14	December 4, 1983	St. Louis Cardinals	L 10–6	25,156
15	December 11, 1983	Seattle Seahawks	L 17–12	48,945
16	December 17, 1983	at Washington Redskins	L 31–22	53,874

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Washington Redskins^(1)	14	2	0	.875	7–1	10–2	541	332	W9
Dallas Cowboys^(4)	12	4	0	.750	7–1	10–2	479	360	L2
St. Louis Cardinals	8	7	1	.531	3–4–1	5–6–1	374	428	W3
Philadelphia Eagles	5	11	0	.313	1–7	4–10	233	322	L2
New York Giants	3	12	1	.219	1–6–1	3–8–1	267	347	L4

References

1. "1983 New York Giants". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 28 April 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
2. "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 29 April 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
3. "History: 1983 – Round 1". National Football League. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
4. Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. pp. 201–202. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.
5. Whittingham, p. 202.
6. Myers, Gary (December 27, 2005). "Green and Blue Monday Nights: Memories stir of Jets, Giants". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
7. Whittingham, p. 205.