1964 Profile: Allie Sherman

Head Coach
"The coach, Al Sherman, continues to add to his reputation as a 'football genius' in leading the Giants to three Eastern Division titles with 33-8-1 during his three year-reign.
Too small as a boy to make his football team at Boys High School at Brooklyn, he was told by the coach to play handball instead. At Brooklyn College, though, he played T-quarterback and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles during World War II where coach Earle (Greasy) Neale noticed his sharp football brain. He later joined the Giants as an aide, then coached in Canada before taking over the Giants in 1961."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

"Allie Sherman has recast his club into a 'positive force,' a term that comes naturally to a man who can spin out Madison Ave. phrases with the ease of an urbane ad executive.
Born in Brooklyn, he was too small for his high school team and didn't play until he became a left-handed T-quarterback at Brooklyn College during the World War II era. Drafted by the Eagles, he hung around for five seasons because his coach, Greasy Neale, was impressed with his attitude, intelligence and approach to offensive football in general and the new T in particular.
Allie has served as Giant backfield coach and as a personnel scout and coached teams in the minor leagues and in the Canadian loop. He replaced Jim Lee Howell as head man and set about transforming a defensive image into one with balanced striking power."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"Beginning his fourth season as Giant bossman, Sherman has compiled a record of 33 victories, eight defeats and one tie in leading the club to three consecutive Eastern Division titles.
Al, the NFL Coach of the Year in both 1961 and 1962, was born in Brooklyn on February 10, 1923. A southpaw, Sherman played quarterback for Brooklyn College and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1943. Though never more than a second-stringer as a pro, Al showed a fertile, imaginative mind, an auger of things to come. He was a master at the T-formation.
After his final year with the Eagles in 1947, Sherman, as player-coach, paced the Paterson Panthers to the American Association crown. He served under Steve Owen as Giant backfield mentor from 1949 through 1953 before moving to the head coaching post of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian loop. Returning to the Giants as a personnel scout in 1957, Allie replaced Vince Lombardi as the club's offense coach in 1959. Upon Jim Lee Howell's retirement as head coach after the 1960 campaign, Sherman was named to the post.
Al resides in Scarsdale with his wife and three children."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

"Allie Sherman's background is almost all pro. A varsity hero at Brooklyn College, he warmed the Eagle bench for five years. Then, as a player-coach, he led the Paterson Panthers to the 1948 American Association title.
As an aide to Steve Owen, he converted the Giants to the T formation in 1949. After a successful 1954-56 Canadian interlude with Winnipeg, Allie returned to New York, succeeded Jim Lee Howell in 1961 and guided the Giants to three Eastern titles."

-1964 Dutch Masters NFL Flip-Up Line-Up