THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 21, No. 6 (1999)
5
The deciding touchdown was put over less than two minutes later. With the ball on his own 30 yard line,
Moran sailed a 35 yard pass into the arms of Campbell, New York end. Another pass to Campbell netted 7
yards. Moran then faked a toss, and swept down to the Cardinal 15. Wilson cut through right tackle for 8,
picked up 5 at the other side of the line, and Moran crushed over for the winning score. His place kick gave
the Giants their 13 to 7 margin.
Officially Dad scored 27 points in 1930, but his best play of the year resulted not in a touchdown but in a
record setting 91-yard run that ended on the one yard line. That record still stands today for the Giants,
the oldest team record in their books. The opponent was the Green Bay Packers, the place was the Polo
Grounds, and the crowd was large because it was Chris Cagle’s first game as a pro after his All American
play for Army. But Cagle didn’t last long in that game. Ten minutes into the game, with a deep gash in
his forehead, Cagle was taken out and Dad went in to finish the game.
Early in the third quarter, the Giants were on their own 8-yard line and in deep trouble. Lining up in punt
formation, deep man Hap Moran, a deceptively fast 190-pounder, faked a kick, picked up a block, cut
around his right end, and headed for the sidelines. Finally, after a record 91-yard run, Moran was pulled
down from behind on the Packer 1 by end Lavern Dilweg… On fourth down Friedman took the ball on a
direct snap from center and plunged over left tackle for a 13-0 lead.
The 1930 ended on a high note - the famous exhibition game between the Giants and the Notre Dame All
Stars, featuring the Four Horsemen. Dad threw the final touchdown pass of the game. After the game
Knute Rockne told his All Stars, “That was the greatest football machine I ever saw. I’m glad none of you
got hurt.”
In the 1931 season the Giants dropped to fifth in the NFL standings. But it was not all bad news for the
Giants and certainly not for Dad. Mel Hein came on the team at Center, and Dad was scoring leader for
the Giants and named to the second All Pro team.
Dad’s game was very balanced in 1931 and he was given opportunities to score in every category. He
was 4
th
in the league in field goals and 3
rd
in points after touchdown. He scored rushing, passing, and
receiving. He also did some of New York’s punting. In a game against Green Bay he threw a 54-yard
pass to Ray Flaherty and then kicked a 27 yard field goal. Although the Giants ended the season with a
25 to 6 victory over the Bears, their record was only 7-6-1, a disappointment after coming so close to the
Championship the year before.
The Giants had two big problems in 1932. Benny Friedman went over to Brooklyn as a player-coach and
the team, like my Dad, was growing older. Tim Mara had a solution for one older player; he asked
veteran Steve Owen to take over as head coach. Despite a difficult beginning, Owen remained in that
position for 23 years.
The Giants dropped the first three games of the season, all on the road. Their opening home game,
against Brooklyn, seemed to turn the tide. The 20-12 victory included a 71- yard touchdown run by Dad.
The turn-around was short lived. A tie and two losses made for a disastrous 1-5-1 start to Steve Owen’s
coaching career. Owen turned to Jack McBride, scoring leader for the Giants in ‘25, ‘26, and ’27. He led
the Giants to victories first over Stapleton and then over undefeated League Champion Green Bay. The
6-0 win over the Packers was the major upset of the season, and Dad caught a 16-yard pass as part of
the touchdown drive.
McBride helped the Giants win games, but added to the aging problem. At the end of the 4-6-2 season,
16-year-old Wellington Mara handed his father a list of college players the Giants should go after to
rejuvenate the team. This was ridiculed in the New York press with lines like, “Papa, please buy me a
tackle.” But on that list was the key to the success of the 1933 season -- Harry Newman, the All-America
from Michigan.
The Giants also acquired the services of Ken Strong in 1933. Strong had played for Stapleton since
1929, but his real interest was baseball. A botched wrist surgery dashed his baseball hopes, and
Stapleton folded after the 1932 season, so the Giants signed him at a bargain $250 per game. It may
well have been the best deal in their history.
Dad had tough competition for playing time in 1933. In addition to Ken Strong there was rookie Kink
Richards, Bo Molenda, Stu Clancy, and Dale Burnett in the backfield. Ends were Red Badgro, Glenn