The 1925 New York Football Giants season was the franchise's inaugural campaign in the National Football League (NFL). Playing three-quarters of its league games at home in front of substantial crowds at the Polo Grounds, the team finished with a record of 8–4 against National League opponents.
Background
On August 1, 1925, Timothy Mara and Will Gibson were granted a franchise by the National Football League (NFL) for their newly organized team in New York City — the New York Football Giants.[1] Cost of the franchise was $2,500.[1]
Schedule
Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance | Venue | Recap | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
– | September 27 | at Newark Red Jackets | W 3–0 | Dreamland Park (Newark, NJ) |
[2] | ||
– | October 4 | at All-New Britain | W 26–0 | 3,000+ | Willow Brook Park (New Britain, CT) |
[3] | |
1 | October 11 | at Providence Steam Roller | L 0–14 | 8,000 | Cycledrome | Recap | |
2 | October 17 | at Frankford Yellow Jackets | L 3–5 | 15,000 | Frankford Stadium | Recap | |
3 | October 18 | Frankford Yellow Jackets | L 0–14 | 27,000 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
4 | November 1 | Cleveland Bulldogs | W 19–0 | 18,000 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
5 | November 3 | Buffalo Bisons | W 7–0 | 20,000 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
6 | November 8 | Columbus Tigers | W 19–0 | < 4,000 [4] | Polo Grounds | Recap | [5] |
7 | November 11 | Rochester Jeffersons | W 13–0 | 10,000 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
8 | November 15 | Providence Steam Roller | W 13–12 | 20,000 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
9 | November 22 | Kansas City Cowboys | W 9–3 | 26,000 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
– | November 26 | Staten Island Stapletons | W 7–0 | Albany, New York | |||
10 | November 29 | Dayton Triangles | W 23–0 | 18,000 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
11 | December 6 | Chicago Bears | L 7–19 | 68,000 | Polo Grounds | Recap | |
12 | December 13 | at Chicago Bears | W 9–0 | 18,000 | Cubs Park | Recap |
- Games in italics are against non-NFL teams.
Game summaries
NFL contests only; summaries for games against non-league teams are unavailable.
Game 1: at Providence Steam Roller
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Steam Roller | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Cycledrome, Providence, Rhode Island
- Date: October 11
- Game attendance: 8,000
Game information |
---|
|
Game 2: at Frankford Yellow Jackets
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giants | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Yellow Jackets | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
at Frankford Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Date: October 17
- Game attendance: 15,000
Game information |
---|
|
Game 3: vs. Frankford Yellow Jackets
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yellow Jackets | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: October 18
- Game attendance: 27,000
Game information |
---|
|
Game 4: vs. Cleveland Bulldogs
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Giants | 6 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 1
- Game attendance: 18,000
Game information |
---|
|
Game 5: vs. Buffalo Bisons
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bisons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 3
- Game attendance: 20,000
Game information |
---|
|
Game 6: vs. Columbus Tigers
The November 8 game against the Columbus Tigers was played in a driving rain which fell continuously throughout the contest, keeping the attendance down to fewer than 4,000 spectators.[5] Although marking the third consecutive National League victory for the expansion Giants, the win came at substantial cost when star halfback Hinkey Haines suffered a broken nose shortly after kickoff, with fears being aired that his injury was so severe that he could be lost for the rest of the season.[5] The Giants drew blood in the opening frame when Jack McBride hit Dutch Hendrian with a 10 yard pass from the Columbus 40, with Hendrian taking the ball the final 30 yards on a gallop through the thick Polo Grounds mud.[5] Columbus missed a 20 yard field goal attempt and later threw a pick from the 10-yard line, thus squandering their two best chances at scoring.[5] The Football Giants added two touchdowns in the fourth, one a 20 yard run by Bill Rooney and the other an interception returned 50 yards for a touchdown by Doc Alexander to finish the 19–0 shutout of the Tigers.[5]
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Giants | 7 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 19 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 8
- Game attendance: 4,000
Game information |
---|
|
Game 7: vs. Rochester Jeffersons
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jeffersons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Giants | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 11
- Game attendance: 10,000
Game information |
---|
|
Game 8: vs. Providence Steam Roller
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steam Roller | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 12 |
Giants | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 15
- Game attendance: 20,000
Game information |
---|
|
Game 9: vs. Kansas City Cowboys
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Giants | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 22
- Game attendance: 26,000
Game information |
---|
|
Game 10: vs. Dayton Triangles
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Triangles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Giants | 7 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 23 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: November 29
- Game attendance: 18,000
Game information |
---|
|
Game 11: vs. Chicago Bears
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 12 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 19 |
Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Date: December 6
- Game attendance: 68,000 (plus approx. 8,000 gate crashers)
Game information |
---|
|
Game 12: at Chicago Bears
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giants | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Cubs Park, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: December 13
- Game attendance: 18,000
Game information |
---|
|
Standings
NFL standings | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
Chicago Cardinals * | 11 | 2 | 1 | .846 | 229 | 65 | W2 | ||
Pottsville Maroons * | 10 | 2 | 0 | .833 | 270 | 45 | W5 | ||
Detroit Panthers | 8 | 2 | 2 | .800 | 129 | 39 | W1 | ||
New York Giants | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 122 | 67 | W1 | ||
Akron Pros | 4 | 2 | 2 | .667 | 65 | 51 | L2 | ||
Frankford Yellow Jackets | 13 | 7 | 0 | .650 | 190 | 169 | W2 | ||
Chicago Bears | 9 | 5 | 3 | .643 | 158 | 96 | W3 | ||
Rock Island Independents | 5 | 3 | 3 | .625 | 99 | 58 | L1 | ||
Green Bay Packers | 8 | 5 | 0 | .615 | 151 | 110 | W1 | ||
Providence Steam Roller | 6 | 5 | 1 | .545 | 111 | 101 | L1 | ||
Canton Bulldogs | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 50 | 73 | L1 | ||
Cleveland Bulldogs | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 75 | 135 | L1 | ||
Kansas City Cowboys | 2 | 5 | 1 | .286 | 65 | 97 | W1 | ||
Hammond Pros | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 23 | 87 | L3 | ||
Buffalo Bisons | 1 | 6 | 2 | .143 | 33 | 113 | L4 | ||
Rochester Jeffersons | 0 | 6 | 1 | .000 | 26 | 111 | L5 | ||
Dayton Triangles | 0 | 7 | 1 | .000 | 3 | 84 | L7 | ||
Duluth Kelleys | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 6 | 25 | L3 | ||
Milwaukee Badgers | 0 | 6 | 0 | .000 | 7 | 191 | L6 | ||
Columbus Tigers | 0 | 9 | 0 | .000 | 28 | 124 | L9 |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
* The Pottsville Maroons were suspended from the league in December, resulting in the Chicago Cardinals being named the NFL champions.
See also
References
- ^ a b Joseph T. Labrum (ed.), The National Football League Rules and Record Manual: 1958, 39th Season. Bala-Cynwyd, PA: National Football League, 1958; p. 66.
- ^ "Benkert Stars in Newark Game," New Brunswick Daily Home News, Sept. 28, 1925, p. 12.
- ^ "New York Giants Swamp Local Team: New Britain Shows 100 Per Cent Better Although Defeated," New Britain Herald, Oct. 5, 1925, p. 8.
- ^ The New York Daily News has the attendance of this rain-drenched game as 3,000.
- ^ a b c d e f Jack Farrell, "New York Giants Beat Columbus Tigers in Mud, 19–0: Hinkey Haines, Star Halfback, Out for Season," New York Daily News, Nov. 9, 1925, p. 26.
You must be logged in to post a comment.