1963 New York Giants season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 1963-Giants-mediaguide.jpg New York Giants 1963 11–3 1st NFL Eastern Allie Sherman Jack MaraWellington Mara Yankee Stadium Lost NFL Championship(at Bears) 10–14 Giants seasons The 1963 New York Giants season was the franchise's 39th season in the National Football League. The Giants won their third consecutive NFL Eastern Conference title with an 11–3 record, their sixth in eight years, but again lost the NFL championship game. This loss was to the Chicago Bears, 14–10 at Wrigley Field, in the Giants' final post-season appearance until 1981. Hall of fame quarterback Y. A. Tittle produced one of the greatest passing seasons in NFL history. Tittle had had a breakout season the previous year, but according to Cold Hard Football Facts, "[h]e was even better in 1963, breaking his own record set the year before with 36 TD passes while also leading the league in completion percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating. Tittle's G-Men scored a league-leading (32.0 points-per-game) and competed in a title game with the Bears, who had the league's best defense in 1963 (10.3 points-per-game)."http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/Archive_3224_The_Dandy_Dozen:_12_best_passing_seasons_in_history.html Cold Hard Football Facts: The Dandy Dozen: 12 best passing seasons in history 2012-05-17 https://web.archive.org/web/20120729042325/http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/Archive_3224_The_Dandy_Dozen:_12_best_passing_seasons_in_history.html 2012-07-29 dead Offseason A familiar figure on the offensive line, four-time Pro Bowl selection Wietecha, retired after a decade of service, and Greg Larson took over his job at center. Other new faces included third-string quarterback Glynn Griffing (who would spend just a single season in the NFL), linebacker Jerry Hillebrand, and offensive tackles Lane Howell and Lou Kirouac. Hugh McElhenny put on a Giants uniform for the first time in 1963 after 11 years as a star fullback with the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings. McElhenny stayed with the Giants for one season, and of the 12 new players on the Giants' roster in 1963, only Hillebrand and John Lo Vetere spent more than two seasons with the team. The Giants were facing competition as the New York Titans, the laughingstock of the American Football League, were bought in March by a group headed by Sonny Werblin, who changed the team name to the New York Jets. Though still in the archaic Polo Grounds in 1963, they moved into the new Shea Stadium in 1964 and gained quarterback Joe Namath in January 1965. NFL draft 1963 NFL draft Roster 1963 New York Giants 15 Glynn Griffing y 14 Y. A. Tittle 37 Charlie Killett y no 24 Phil King American football 39 Hugh McElhenny 40 Joe Morrison 29 Alex Webster gridiron football 16 Frank Gifford 23 Louis Guy American football y 85 Del Shofner 88 Aaron Thomas American football 80 Joe Walton 63 Bookie Bolin G 79 Rosey Brown T 60 Ken Byers G 62 Darrell Dess G 78 Lane Howell y T 71 Lou Kirouac T 53 Greg Larson C 66 Jack Stroud T 65 Mickey Walker American football G 75 Jim Katcavage DE 76 John LoVetere DT 77 Dick Modzelewski DT 81 Andy Robustelli DE 65 Robert Taylor gridiron football y DE 33 Al Gursky y OLB 87 Jerry Hillebrand OLB 70 Sam Huff MLB 82 Tom Scott linebacker OLB 49 Erich Barnes CB 48 Eddie Dove SS 22 Dick Lynch CB 20 Jimmy Patton FS 25 Dick Pesonen S/CB 21 Allan Webb American football SS 34 Don Chandler K/P -- Roger Reynolds y no WR Military -- Dick Skelly y no RB IR 31 Bill Winter New York Giants LB IR 41 Bob Anderson American football y RB 46 Johnny Counts RB 45 Homer Jones American football y WR -- Bill Pashe y no CB 51 Lou Slaby y LB Regular season 1963 NFL season For Y. A. Tittle, 1963 was his finest season. The New York offense was flooded with capable receivers. Del Shofner, Frank Gifford, Alex Webster, Joe Morrison, Joe Walton, and Thomas were joined by the newly acquired McElhenny, who had already caught many passes from Tittle when both played for the San Francisco 49ers. Complementing the offense was Don Chandler, whose accurate place-kicking enabled him to become the league's leading scorer in 1963. Although Tittle threw three touchdown passes for a 37–28 victory in the season opener against the Baltimore Colts, his ribs were injured in the third quarter, and he was forced to spend the rest of the game, and the entire next game as well, on the sideline. Reserve quarterbacks Gugliemi and Griffing were of little help in game 2 at Pitt Stadium, a 31–0 shutout by the Pittsburgh Steelers.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YMZaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L2wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5587%2C3717761 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sell Jack Steelers shut out Giants, 31-0 September 23, 1963 1 Tittle recovered in time for the third game of the season. In victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins, Tittle threw a total of five touchdown passes. On defense, Dick Lynch intercepted three Sonny Jurgensen passes in the defeat of the Eagles. Since their move to Yankee Stadium in 1956, the Giants' home openers were perennially delayed by the stadium's prime tenant, the New York Yankees. The home opener in 1963 was the fifth game of the season, against the Cleveland Browns. Fullback Jim Brown and the undefeated Browns kept their perfect record intact and increased its Eastern Conference lead over the Giants to two games with a 35–24 victory. During the next five games, Tittle shifted the Giants' offense into overdrive, averaging 39.6 points per game. Among the victories was a 33–6 defeat of the Browns in the face of 84,000 stunned Cleveland spectators. Before a frustrated Jim Brown was ejected late in the fourth quarter for fighting with a New York defender, he had been held to 40 yards rushing. In the final nine games in the regular season, the Giants lost only once, a 24–17 to the St. Louis Cardinals at Yankee Stadium, two days after the assassination of President Kennedy. (Commissioner Pete Rozelle received broad criticism from many quarters allowing the regular schedule to proceed on that Sunday, for it had been set aside as a national day of mourning. The AFL postponed its four games.) New York closed out the season with big wins over the Dallas Cowboys, Redskins, and Steelers, and the Giants captured their third consecutive Eastern Conference crown on the final Sunday of the season to finish 11–3, a game ahead of the Browns.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=csZaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OmwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5370%2C2554603 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sell Jack Giants end Steeler hopes, 33-17 December 16, 1963 1https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xsAbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_U4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6176%2C170552 Pittsburgh Press Livingston Pat Gifford turns tide for Giants December 16, 1963 35 Throughout the autumn of 1963, the air above Giants football games virtually hummed with forward passes. The team amassed 3,558 total passing yards, 47 shy of the Baltimore Colts, who were led by Johnny Unitas. Tittle led the NFL with 36 touchdown tosses, breaking his one-year old single-season record of 33. But New York's passing game was to be severely tested by the league's acknowledged defensive leader: the Chicago Bears. Schedule Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 15 at Baltimore Colts W 37–28 1–0 Memorial Stadium 60,029 Recap 2 September 22 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 0–31 1–1 Pitt Stadium 46,068 Recap 3 September 29 at Philadelphia Eagles W 37–14 2–1 Franklin Field 60,671 Recap 4 October 6 at Washington Redskins W 24–14 3–1 D.C. Stadium 49,419 Recap 5 October 13 Cleveland Browns L 24–35 3–2 Yankee Stadium 62,956 Recap 6 October 20 Dallas Cowboys W 37–21 4–2 Yankee Stadium 62,889 Recap 7 October 27 at Cleveland Browns W 33–6 5–2 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 84,213 Recap 8 November 3 at St. Louis Cardinals W 38–21 6–2 Busch Stadium 29,482 Recap 9 November 10 Philadelphia Eagles W 42–14 7–2 Yankee Stadium 62,936 Recap 10 November 17 San Francisco 49ers W 48–14 8–2 Yankee Stadium 62,982 Recap 11 November 24 St. Louis Cardinals L 17–24 8–3 Yankee Stadium 62,992 Recap 12 December 1 at Dallas Cowboys W 34–27 9–3 Cotton Bowl 29,653 Recap 13 December 8 Washington Redskins W 44–14 10–3 Yankee Stadium 62,992 Recap 14 December 15 Pittsburgh Steelers W 33–17 11–3 Yankee Stadium 63,240 Recap Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1: Baltimore Colts 1963 Baltimore Colts season #fff #eee background-color:#000; color:#fff collapsed Sunday, September 15 Giants 3 21 13 0 Colts 14 14 0 0 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 54 F; wind 11 mph on Box Score 1st Quarter BAL: Gino Marchetti 33-yard fumble return (Jim Martin kick) BAL: Jimmy Orr 34-yard pass from Johnny Unitas (Jim Martin kick) NYG: Don Chandler 42-yard field goal 2nd Quarter BAL: John Mackey 32-yard pass from Johnny Unitas (Jim Martin kick) NYG: Phil King 46-yard pass from Y. A. Tittle (Don Chandler kick) NYG: Joe Walton 4-yard pass from Y. A. Tittle (Don Chandler kick) BAL: Jerry Hill 3-yard rush (Jim Martin kick) NYG: Hugh McElhenny 7-yard pass from Y. A. Tittle (Don Chandler kick) 3rd Quarter NYG: Y. A. Tittle 9-yard rush (kick failed) NYG: Alex Webster 1-yard rush (Don Chandler kick) 4th Quarter No Scoring Passing NYG: Y. A. Tittle 16/23, 243 yards BAL: Johnny Unitas 19/33, 219 yards, 2 INT Rushing NYG: Alex Webster 15–60, Phil King 12–26, Y. A. Tittle 5–24, Hugh McElhenny 3–6, Ralph Guglielmi 2–3 BAL: J.W. Lockett 9–37, Tom Matte 10–26, Johnny Unitas 4–25 Receiving NYG: Phil King 5–101, Del Shofner 5–85, Hugh McElhenny 3–24, Joe Walton 2–17, Alex Webster 1–16 BAL: Jimmy Orr 5–83, John Mackey 2–46, Tom Matte 4–37, Raymond Berry 4–33, J.W. Lockett 4–20 Week 2: Pittsburgh Steelers Week 3: Philadelphia Eagles Giants 0 14 16 7 Eagles 0 0 7 7 September 29 Franklin Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 64 F; wind 12 mph on yes Q2 NYG Walton 43 yard pass from Tittle (Chandler kick) NYG 7–0 Q2 NYG Shofner 10 yard pass from Tittle (Chandler kick) NYG 14–0 Q3 NYG Morrison 8 yard pass from Tittle (kick failed) NYG 20–0 Q3 NYG Chandler 12 yard field goal NYG 23–0 Q3 NYG Morrison 1 yard run (Chandler kick) NYG 30–0 Q3 PHI Retzlaff 11 yard pass from Brown (Clark kick) NYG 30–7 Q4 PHI McDonald 18 yard pass from Brown (Clark kick) NYG 30–14 Q4 NYG Morrison 70 yard run (Chandler kick) NYG 37–14 yes Joe Morrison 12 Rush, 120 Yds Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Nov-27. Week 4: Washington Redskins Week 5: Cleveland Browns Week 6: Dallas Cowboys Week 7: Cleveland Browns Week 8: St. Louis Cardinals Week 9: Philadelphia Eagles Week 10: San Francisco 49ers Week 11: St. Louis Cardinals Week 12: Dallas Cowboys Week 13: Washington Redskins Redskins 7 0 0 7 Giants 3 20 14 7 December 8 Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY 62,992 44 F; wind 12 mph on yes Q1 WSH Tracy 4 yard run (Khayat kick) WSH 7–0 Q1 NYG Chandler 48 yard field goal WSH 7–3 Q2 NYG Lynch 42 yard interception return (Chandler kick) NYG 10–7 Q2 NYG Gifford 8 yard pass from Tittle (Chandler kick) NYG 17–7 Q2 NYG Katcavage 10 yard fumble return (kick failed) NYG 23–7 Q3 NYG Morrison 57 yard pass from Tittle (Chandler kick) NYG 30–7 Q3 NYG Huff 36 yard interception return (Chandler kick) NYG 37–7 Q4 NYG Gifford 28 yard pass from Griffing (Chandler kick) NYG 44–7 Q4 WSH Mitchell 56 yard pass from Izo (Khayat kick) NYG 44–14 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-02. Week 14: Pittsburgh Steelers Due to NFL rules at the time which did not count tied games in a team's won-loss percentage, the 7-3-3 Steelers entered The Bronx with a chance to win the Eastern championship if they defeated the 10-3 Giants (a tie would have given New York the title). Such a confusing scenario was avoided, thanks to the Giants building a 16-0 lead early in the second quarter. Tittle completed 17 of 26 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns, two to Joe Morrison and the other to Del Shofner, who caught three passes for 110 yards. Standings Postseason 1963 NFL Championship Game Round Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance Recap Sources Championship December 29 at Chicago Bears L 10–14 Wrigley Field 45,801 Recap Playoff Game Officials Referee: (#56) Norm Schachter Umpire: (#15) Ralph Morcroft Head Linesman: (#36) Dan Tehan Back Judge: (#47) Ralph Vandenberg Field Judge: (#21) Fred Swearingen Alternates: Art McNally, Herman Rohrig, Jack Nix Awards and honors Y. A. Tittle, NFL MVP Y. A. Tittle, Franchise Record, Most Touchdown Passes in One Season, 36 Touchdown Passes NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, 0-7611-2480-2, p. 130 References External links New York Giants on Pro Football Reference Giants on jt-sw.com Category:New York Giants seasons New York Giants New York Giants season Category:1960s in the Bronx Category:Events at Yankee Stadium