Head Coach
"There are few coaches around whose fortunes have varied with greater mercurial inconstancy than Allie Sherman - and even fewer who are better equipped to handle it.
Sherman, many of the fans forget, was part of the great Giant dynasty. He inherited a championship club from his predecessor, Jim Lee Howell, in 1961 and proceeded to rip off three consecutive Eastern Conference title, despite the fact the Giants were visibly starting to come apart. When they did - all at once - in 1964 and dipped to a 2-10-2 record, the wolves in the stands began to howl.
But Allie brought the club back to respectability the following season with a 7-7 mark. He was back in the fans' good graces again. Temporarily. When the Giants had another descent in '66 with a 1-12-1 record - their worst in history - the old echoes started up fresh again.
Then last year, after negotiating the trade which brought Fran Tarkenton to New York, Allie restored the Giants as a contender. He feels confident there will be no relapse this time. The Giants are one of the youngest teams in the NFL now, with a solid core of young veterans who matured last season.
By now, everyone must know that Allie was the first football player to put Brooklyn College on the map. He was a left-handed quarterback there who caught the eye of Greasy Neale, then coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. It was Neale who launched Allie's career in the NFL."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1968
No comments:
Post a Comment