No. 76
Penn State
"This titanic tackle quickly became a favorite with Giant fans as a rookie last year. Opposing passers were constantly combing Grier out of their hair. Enemy backs could run neither around him nor over him. He is very big, very fast, very strong. Grier was twice named as the afternoon's best defensive player in 1955.
A former shot putter, he won several national championships in college at distances around 57 feet, not long ago the world's record. A jazz pianist and singer, Grier is an entertainer of professional quality. He was drafted No. 3 in 1955.
Grier's hometown is Linden, New Jersey."
-1956 Jay Publishing
"One of the real 'big' men in the league, Roosevelt is loaded with explosive power. Opposing linemen face a day of bumps and bruises when they lock horns with this rugged operator.
In addition to his tremendous strength, Roosevelt is extremely fast, giving him a deadly combination of speed and power. His downfield blocks are bone rattling and the tough pro lineplay is right up his alley.
In college, he was a championship shot putter."
-1956 Topps No. 101
"A huge and massive defensive pillar with strength and speed, Rosey was a rookie sensation in '55 after a fine career at Penn State, where he was among the nation's top shot-putters. He is a singer and jazz pianist of better than ordinary quality.
Rosey was born in Linden, New Jersey and lives in Roselle, New Jersey, where he works as a recreation supervisor."
-Pro Football Handbook 1959
"The Giants' Jim Lee Howell doesn't have a story to tell of how Roosevelt Grier picks out and holds the ball carrier, but it is obvious that Rosey knows which one to get. Built along the same conformations as Big Daddy Lipscomb (6-5, 280) and 26, Grier is another mountain of menace, especially when he chooses to be. He chose quite often in '58 at tackle in a defensive unit that gave up the least yardage in the league last season.
The kind of goal line and other last-ditch stands that Grier and his fellow Giants make time after time has made defense so famous at Yankee Stadium that many fans there can call off the defense names faster than they can the offense.
In 1956, his second year with the club, Grier was a ball of fire as the Giants won the league title, and he was chosen an All-Star. Grier, gone for his service hitch in '57, the Giants didn't do it. Grier back in '58, New York came within that sudden death decision of being the best in the loop once again.
The Linden, New Jersey native and Penn State alumnus plays the guitar by ear- jazz, rock'n'roll, boogie-woogie- and he writes his own songs."
-Murray Olderman, Sports All-Stars 1959 Pro Football
"When the Giants have their backs up against the goal line, Rosie is the man to watch. His fantastic amount of power is marshaled up and he makes a habit of smashing enemy goal line drives."
-1959 Topps No. 29
"Having Roosevelt Grier (76) back after a year in the Army gave the Giants a big boost toward the 1958 title. The amiable 270-pound Giant from Linden, New Jersey, and Penn State is one of the best defensive tackles in the business. A man of many talents, Rosey was a shotput and discus champion in college and has professional ability as a jazz singer and pianist."
-1959 New York Giants Official Program (Yankee Stadium, November 8)
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