1974 New York Giants season

1974 New York Giants season
OwnerTimothy J. Mara,
Wellington Mara
Head coachBill Arnsparger
Home fieldYale Bowl
Results
Record2–12
Division place5th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersNone

The 1974 New York Giants season was the franchise's 50th season in the National Football League. The Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 2–12 record, the team's worst since 1966.[1][2]

The Giants’ home venue in 1974 was the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut,[3] and they were winless at home in seven games. They won only one of twelve games at the Yale Bowl in 1973 and 1974. The Giants played at Shea Stadium in Queens in 1975 and opened Giants Stadium in New Jersey in October 1976.[3][4]

The 1974 Giants hold the distinction of being the first team to lose a regular season game in overtime.[5] In week nine, the 2–6 Giants welcomed the cross-town rival Jets to the Yale Bowl. With the Giants leading 20–13 in the fourth quarter, Joe Namath faked a handoff to Emerson Boozer, then ran into the end zone for a touchdown which tied the score at 20–20, forcing overtime;[6] previously, a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos had ended in a 35–35 tie.[5] The Giants were denied a game-winning score when Pete Gogolak missed a 42-yard field goal attempt, despite protests from Gogolak that he had made the kick. The Jets subsequently won 26–20 on a five-yard pass from Namath to Boozer after 6:53 of play in the extra period.[6]

  1. ^ "1974 New York Giants". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
  2. ^ "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
  3. ^ a b Malafronte, Chip (October 8, 2012). "New Haven 200: New York Giants called Yale Bowl home from 1973–74". New Haven Register. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  4. ^ Canavan, Tom (January 1, 2010). "Giants Stadium was symbol of sports in New Jersey". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "NFL's First Experiment With OT". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Gross, Andrew (September 6, 2018). "Giants vs. Jets at Yale Bowl: Namath's bootleg a keepsake". Newsday. Retrieved October 20, 2020.