The New York Giants were a dominant force in the NFL during the late 1950s and early 1960s, with a championship win under their belt. However, the incredible contributions of one of their star players, Jimmy Patton, have largely been forgotten over time.

Patton's skills on the field were undeniable, and he really began to shine during the Giants' 1956 championship win. He continued to improve and impress, leading the league in interceptions with an outstanding 11 in 1958. This marked the first of his five consecutive First Team All-Pro selections and five Pro Bowl appearances, with Patton playing a pivotal role in the Giants' impressive six post-seasons.

Despite his impressive achievements, including a championship title, Jimmy Patton's once-illustrious football career has faded with time. Despite being a standout player with 51 career picks, he has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and the odds of that happening seem slim, especially given that he was never even a finalist.

Ottis Anderson had one of the best rookie seasons ever for a Running Back gaining over 1,600 yards on the ground.  Too bad he did for a bad St. Louis Cardinals team that was barely on the National radar.

Anderson would prove he was not a one-season wonder.  Although he would never again equal his rookie numbers he still posted decent ground numbers and was the highlight of a poor Cardinals team.  As it does in football, injuries piled up and he lost his explosiveness.  Anderson was however reinvented as a short-yardage specialist by the New York Giants and he again accumulated impressive tallies.  He was a natural leader and as he rarely fumbled he was a strong key to the Giants ability to control the ball for extended periods of time.  As a Giant, Ottis Anderson twice won the Super Bowl, capped with an MVP performance in Super Bowl XXV.

One of the main staples of this website is to discuss the overlooked.  We certainly are not the only ones to do this, as other websites and blogs discuss those who they feel are Hall of Fame worthy, but no matter how you slice it, it is hard to find anyone with more HOF credentials that has been completely abandoned than George Van Haltren.

When Tiki Barber retired, it was a decision questioned by many.  It was thought that he had a lot left to give on the field despite the golden path he was given to broadcasting.  The critics may have been proven right as the New York Giants won the Super Bowl the year after he left and he was chastised for criticism of his former players. It is too bad that is what he is known for now, as during his prime he was one of the best Running Backs of the game.

It may be called the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but for all intents and purposes, it only focuses on accomplishments from the NFL and to a lesser extent the AFL.  This is too bad for Herschel Walker who chalked up monster totals in his first three years of Pro Football but did so as a member of the New Jersey Generals of the upstart United States Football League.

Walker would go to the Dallas Cowboys and would forever try to live up to the Play Station like numbers he put up in College and in the USFL.  Walker was still very good and put up good numbers for Dallas in both receiving and running the ball.  He was however the focal point of one of the more lopsided trades in NFL history where the Vikings sent five players and a multitude of draft picks (three of which were Emmitt Smith, Alvin Harper, and Darren Woodson).  Dallas would use this to build a dynasty of the ’90s, and Minnesota coaches took their frustration out on Walker who was not used to the best of his ability while as a Viking.  Herschel was still good, but his stock dramatically went down.

Phil Simms is a two-time Super Bowl Winning Quarterback, though many who watched his first five years of play may not have foreseen it.

Simms may have been inconsistent when he began his tenure in the NFL, but something seemed to click in 1984.  It wasn’t just the influx of talent to the Giants roster, as it was at this time that Simms became their leader and found ways to win.  He wasn’t the quickest or the hardest thrower, but he became a winner and most important he had the belief and trust of his teammates; something that not every Quarterback had.  Because of the Giants stellar defense, many have said that Simms only had to manage the game, but those who played with him always praised his high football I.Q. and his leadership skills.

On a weekend where the world of professional football is celebrating their Hall of Fame and the legends that made the sport great, one of the great ones has passed away.

 

It was announced today that Frank Gifford died of natural causes at the age of 84 at his home in New Haven, Connecticut.  

 

A star at USC, Gifford was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants, the only team he would play for and one that he would suit up for fifteen seasons.  As a player, Gifford would make eight Pro Bowls, and help bring the Giants to five NFL Championships, winning one in 1956.  That would easily be the best year of his career, as not only did he win the NFL title, he was also named the Most Valuable Player of the league.  

 

A testament to his versatility is that Gifford was a Pro Bowler at three different positions and his longevity was that he was a member of the 1950’s All-Decade Team.  Gifford, who would suffer a severe head injury in 1960, would return to the National Football League in ’62, winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.  

 

Following the end of his playing career, Frank Gifford would become a very successful broadcaster, notably as a commentator on the iconic, Monday Night Football, where he would work for over two decades.  

 

Frank Gifford is a member of both the College Football and the Pro Football Hall of Fame and this is a major loss for the community of American Football.

 

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the family and friends of Frank Gifford at this time. 

 

Many entries on this list discuss the difficulty of comparing offensive statistics from the 1960s and 1970s to today's inflated numbers. This is even more accurate when looking at the stars of the 1950s. Charlie Conerly, the Quarterback of the New York Giants during the 1950s, was on the final ballot multiple times but dropped off seemingly for good after 1980.

Conerly was the Giants QB throughout the 1950s and consistently ranked near the top annually in touchdown passes and quarterback rating. While those numbers would not be considered huge by today's standards, they were more than acceptable for that era. He was a popular player among fans and teammates and showed flashes of brilliance throughout his career.  His overall numbers of 19,486 Passing Yards and a TD-INT ratio of 173-167 and a role in the 1956 NFL Championship is awfully good for his era.

It is likely that had he led the NFL in more offensive categories during his career, he would have had a better shot at enshrinement. Since he was not even chosen as a semi-finalist for the 2020 Centennial Class, it appears that the window for Charlie Conerly to enter Canton may have closed for good.