The New York Giants are one of the NFL’s most storied franchises. One way the team honors its history is by retiring jersey numbers. These players left a lasting legacy—on the field and in the hearts of Giants fans. Let’s take a look at the Giants’ retired numbers and the incredible players behind them.
Ray Flaherty No.1
Ray Flaherty spent the majority of his playing days with the New York Giants, first joining the team in 1929. He briefly left in 1930 to coach basketball at Gonzaga University but returned to the Giants in 1931 and remained through the 1935 season. A standout at the end position, Flaherty earned First-Team All-Pro honors three times. In 1932, he led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, yards per catch, and receiving yards per game. Flaherty played a key role in helping the Giants win the 1934 NFL Championship. After the 1935 season, the Giants retired his No. 1 jersey—making history as the first professional football team to ever retire a player's number.
Tuffy Leemans No. 4
Tuffy Leemans played for the New York Giants from 1936 to 1943. He was personally scouted by Wellington Mara and selected in the second round of the inaugural NFL Draft in 1936 out of George Washington University. Mara even sent a telegram to arrange a meeting with Leemans to persuade him to join the Giants. That same year, Leemans was named MVP of the College Football All-Star Game. As a rookie, he led the league in rushing with 830 yards on 206 carries. Leemans earned All-NFL honors in both 1936 and 1939. Known for his toughness, versatility, and leadership, he finished his career with 3,142 rushing yards, 2,324 passing yards, 442 receiving yards, and 16 touchdown passes. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978.
Mel Hein: No. 7
Mel Hein joined the New York Giants in 1931 and played 15 seasons. From 1933 to 1940, he was named All-NFL eight years in a row. After a standout college career at Washington State, Hein wrote to three NFL teams offering his services. The Giants secured him with the highest offer: $150 per game. Hein became a dependable 60-minute player, appearing in 170 games without missing a single one during high school, college, or his NFL career. He only left two games briefly and suffered just one injury. In 1938, he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player after anchoring a dominant offensive line that led the Giants to a 23–17 NFL Championship win over the Green Bay Packers at the Polo Grounds. Hein was part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 1963.
Eli Manning No. 10
Eli Manning is one of the most decorated players in New York Giants history. He is the only player to spend 16 seasons with the franchise, and his 236 regular-season appearances (including 234 starts) and 248 total games are both team records. Manning led the Giants to two unforgettable Super Bowl wins over the New England Patriots in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI, earning MVP honors in both—making him the only Giant and one of just five players in NFL history to win multiple Super Bowl MVPs. He holds every major career passing record in franchise history and ranks in the NFL’s top 10 all-time with 8,119 pass attempts, 4,895 completions, 57,023 passing yards, and 366 touchdown passes. His career completion rate of 60.29% is the highest in Giants history. Manning also owns the franchise's seven best single-season completion totals and its four top yardage seasons, surpassing 4,000 passing yards seven times. His 1,219 passing yards during the 2011 playoff run remain the most in a single postseason in NFL history. He also holds Giants postseason records with 400 pass attempts, 242 completions, 2,815 yards, and 18 touchdowns. Manning was selected to four Pro Bowls and, in 2016, was named co-winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award—the only Giants player to ever receive the honor.
Phil Simms No. 11
Phil Simms was George Young’s first draft pick in 1979 and spent his entire 15-year NFL career with the New York Giants. Despite battling injuries early on, he went on to become the most productive quarterback in team history. Simms holds Giants career records for pass attempts (4,647), completions (2,576), passing yards (33,462), and touchdown passes (199). He posted a 95-64 (.597) record as a regular-season starter and went 6-4 in the playoffs. However, Simms is best remembered for his near-perfect performance in Super Bowl XXI, where he led the Giants to a 39-20 win over the Denver Broncos. He completed 22 of 25 passes—including a perfect 10-for-10 in the second half—for 268 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. In one of the most decisive MVP selections ever, Simms was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
Y.A. Tittle No. 14
Before the 1961 season, the Giants pulled off one of the best trades in franchise history by acquiring quarterback Y.A. Tittle from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for guard Lou Cordileone. At 35 years old, Tittle wasted no time making an impact, leading the Giants to their 12th Eastern Division title. Prior to joining the Giants, Tittle had already played two seasons in the All-America Football Conference and 11 in the NFL. In 1962, he set a then-NFL record with 33 touchdown passes and tied another with seven touchdown throws in a single game. Tittle's finest season came in 1963, when he led the league in passing with 221 completions on 367 attempts for 3,145 yards. He threw 36 touchdown passes that year, breaking his own record and setting a Giants single-season mark that still stands. Over his career, Tittle totaled 2,427 completions, 33,070 passing yards, 242 touchdown passes, and 13 games with over 300 passing yards. He was named NFL Player of the Year in 1957, 1961, and 1963, guiding his teams to multiple division titles. Tittle was also selected All-NFL in 1957, 1962, and 1963, and appeared in six Pro Bowls. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
Ward Cuff No. 14
Ward Cuff joined the Giants as a fourth-round draft pick out of Marquette in 1937 and played through the 1945 season, excelling in multiple roles. Versatile and dependable, Cuff contributed as a wingback, fullback, halfback, defensive back, and kicker. He rushed for 1,766 yards on 330 carries, averaging an impressive 5.3 yards per attempt, and added 101 receptions for 1,477 yards. Cuff scored 18 total touchdowns—six on the ground and 12 through the air—and was also reliable in the kicking game, converting 31 of 70 field goal attempts and 98 of 102 extra points. He averaged 12.1 yards per punt return and recorded 13 career interceptions on defense.
Frank Gifford No. 16
Frank Gifford, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977, played for the Giants from 1952 to 1964. He briefly retired in 1961 after a serious injury but made a successful comeback in 1962. One of the most versatile players in NFL history, Gifford was the Giants’ first-round draft pick in 1952 following an All-America career at USC. Over his career, he totaled 9,862 all-purpose yards, rushing for 3,609 yards, catching 367 passes, and scoring 484 points. Gifford made history by being selected to the Pro Bowl as a defensive back in 1953 and as an offensive back in 1954—an NFL first. He earned seven Pro Bowl selections, was named All-NFL four times, and was the league’s Player of the Year in 1956. Gifford still holds the franchise record with 78 total touchdowns. A true triple-threat, he also threw 14 touchdown passes on just 60 halfback option attempts. After initially retiring in 1960, he returned in 1962 as a flanker. During his career, the Giants reached the NFL Championship game five times, including their 1956 title win.
Al Blozis. No. 32
Al Blozis played only three seasons with the Giants, from 1942 to 1944, but left a lasting impact. He quickly impressed upon joining the team in 1942 and earned a starting role at tackle. Blozis appeared in the 1944 NFL Championship Game against Green Bay. Shortly after the Giants' loss to the Packers, he was deployed overseas to serve in World War II. A lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Blozis was killed in action in France just six weeks later. In his honor, the Giants retired his No. 32 jersey.
Joe Morrison. No. 40
Joe Morrison played for the Giants from 1959 to 1972, lining up as both a back and an end during his impressive 14-year career. A consistent and versatile contributor, he rushed for 2,472 yards and scored 18 touchdowns, while also recording 395 receptions—the third-most in team history—for 4,993 yards and 47 touchdowns. Known for his adaptability, Morrison played six different positions: fullback, halfback, flanker, tight end, split end, and defensive back. In recognition of his impact, the Giants retired his No. 40 jersey.
Charlie Conerly No. 42
Charlie Conerly is often regarded as the greatest Giants player not enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He spent his entire career with the team from 1948 to 1961 and played a key role on the 1956 NFL Championship squad. Conerly earned NFL Rookie of the Year honors in 1948, was named league MVP in 1959, and made the Pro Bowl in 1950 and 1956. He ranks third in Giants history in pass attempts (2,833) and touchdown passes (173), fourth in completions (1,418), and third in passing yards (19,488). He also sits second in franchise history with 167 interceptions thrown.
Ken Strong No. 50
Ken Strong played for the Giants during two separate stints: from 1933 to 1935, again in 1939, and from 1944 to 1947. A true all-around talent, he excelled as a blocker, runner, passer, punter, placekicker, and defensive player. At the time of his retirement, Strong held the franchise scoring record with 324 points, coming from 13 touchdowns, 35 field goals, and 141 extra points. He famously scored 17 points in the Giants' 1934 NFL Championship win over the Chicago Bears in the legendary “Sneakers Game.” Strong led the NFL in scoring in 1933 with 64 points and earned All-NFL honors in 1934. After beginning his pro career with the Staten Island Stapletons in 1932, he joined the Giants before spending two years in the AFL. When he returned to the Giants from 1944 to 1947, he contributed primarily as a placekicking specialist. Over his career, Strong scored a total of 479 points. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.
Lawrence Taylor No. 56
Lawrence Taylor joined the Giants as the second overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft and spent his entire 13-year career with the team. At the time of his retirement, he ranked second in NFL history with 132.5 career sacks—excluding the 9.5 sacks from his rookie year in 1981, before the stat was officially recorded. Taylor made history by earning 10 straight Pro Bowl selections from 1981 to 1990. He was named NFL Rookie of the Year in 1981 and earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors nine times (starting in 1984), as well as Defensive Player of the Month twice—in October 1986 and September 1989. A unanimous choice for the NFL’s All-1980s Team, Taylor was also a unanimous NFL MVP in 1986, when he posted 20.5 sacks, 105 tackles, five passes defensed, and two forced fumbles. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
Michael Strahan No. 92
Michael Strahan was one of the most reliable and productive players in Giants history. He rarely missed a practice and played in a franchise-record 216 regular-season games. From 1996 until a torn pectoral muscle ended his 2004 season, Strahan appeared in 136 straight games. A seven-time Pro Bowler, he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2001 and was voted the Giants’ MVP in both 1998 and 2001. He served as a team captain during the Giants’ Super Bowl-winning season in 2007. Strahan holds the official franchise record with 141.5 career sacks—the fifth-most in NFL history. (Lawrence Taylor had 142.0, but 9.5 came before sacks were tracked officially.) He set an NFL single-season record with 22.5 sacks in 2001 and led the league again in 2003 with 18.5, making him the only Giant to lead the NFL in sacks twice. Known for more than just pass rushing, Strahan also totaled 868 tackles, showcasing his dominance against the run. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
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