The linebackers of the Parcells era are legendary, but the Giants had some really good linebackers throughout those bad years in the '70s...Jim Files, of course, Ron Hornsby, Pat Hughes, Brian Kelley, Brad Van Pelt. Some pretty good players stuck on bad teams.
The New York Giants had their first winning season since 1963, when they went 9-5 in 1970. Star running back Ron Johnson was the Giants first-ever 1,000-yard rusher, gaining 1,027 yards.
The addition of Ron Johnson was the most exciting move the Giants made between 1960 and 1981 when LT was drafted.. He was the most exciting player on the G Men during that time was well. Great memories.
RJ22 He was a fine tail back. Any old Giant fans remember who they aquired him from and how and why he was available? Answers, Cleveland Browns and Ron was sitting behind the great Leroy Kelly who had replaced the one and only Jim Brown. All by memory,. No Google and BTW, Johnson played college ball at Michigan if memory serves. Never forget what Kelly said about Ron. Kids a top flight back and the difference between us is simple,b" I need 6 inches to get through the line, Ron needs 9". Love it!!!
@@michaelbelfer6513 The Giants traded Homer Jones for Johnson. Can't remember if there were any other pieces to the trade, but Jones only lasted one underwhelming season in Cleveland.
@@cka2nd, That trade was highest robbery, which I'm astounded that the Browns fell for, as Jones' swift decline due to knee injuries was evident for all to see throughout '69.
Ron turned everything around immediately for that franchise. GIving the team a legitimate breakaway threat, a legit All Pro. Excitement after many, many years of offensive mediocrity.
This was my first year as a Giant fan at 8 yrs of age. I remember some memorable games the 35-33 win over the Redskins in Yankee Stadium with 21 4th quarter points to overcome a 33-14 deficit. The 23-20 comeback victory over the Cowboys. And the 22-10 victory over the Jets @ Shea. Only to see the G-men lose the final game of the season to the Rams in Yankee Stadium 5 days before Christmas 30-3 and miss out on the playoffs. There would be many more losing seasons before they'd finally reach the Promised land in 1986. 46 years and 4 Super Bowl Championships later, STILL rooting, and still recalling that first season as a GIANT FAN.
I remember that game through fresh teenage eyes. I believe all they needed was a win or tie and they would have won the division and onto the playoffs. I was not prepared for that very disappointing loss. Little did I know then that it would take over a decade before I would see them in the playoffs and longer still before they won their first NFC East title.
Omg. I was 15 and out of my mind over this team. Ron Johnson was a beautiful runner. Don Hermann ran precise routes. Fred Dryer. Bob Tucker! Tarkenton is my fav QB. Spider Lockhart. Clifton McNeil. Willie Young. Scott Eaton. Tark did more with less than any QB I’ve ever seen.
Wow! Jim Files and the 1970 Giants. I was 14 years old and a huge fan. Great season, but you broke my heart with that season ending loss Thanks for the memories
Me too.And then I called up DJ Jack Spector at his house and he said "Bad loss but I"m taking the family out to dinner".LOL BTW Jerry Shay broke his leg in that game.
I was only 12 years old then, but already a die-hard Giants fan. Highlight was beating the Jets but losing to the Rams the last game of the year was heart-breaking. The game was televised on a large screen at our local pal (police athletic league!) in little Italy on Mulberry Streeet. I will never forget it! Tucker Frederickson was my heroe then, even though he had those uneventful 2 -3 yard plunges. Good ol days🏈
In the end the win didn't matter for the Rams either--they missed the playoffs too as SF beat Oakland later that same day and clinched the Western Division title
Real sorry to hear this. Much respect to Ron Johnson as he and my man Larry Brown for my Washington team had great games against each other. Two of the most underrated backs ever in NFL history!
Thank you Jim. What a season that was, and what a memory for me as a young boy in suburban NJ. LIfelong memories of listening to your games on the radio with my dad while raking leaves and cutting the grass in our backyard. The best times of my life. We actually got to know Don Hermann, who with his brother and friends did our roof one summer during (or right after college before the NFL). Can you imagine an NFL player today working a roofing job in the offseason? I know Don did very well in construction after he retired. Thank you so much Jim. You and your teammates made a difference in one young man's life.
Hi Jim. Thanks for the great memories. I hope all is well with you. You were a very good player. I've been a NYG fan since 1961 and thought they would win every year. Thought it finally came in 1970 but oh that last game. I cried that night. It was the only shining light I had until 1981 when you know who showed up and now there are four Super Bowls to our credit. The passing of Ron Johnson RIP. It hit me hard since he was my favorite player. Good health to you.
Thanks Tombstone! You sure were a hero of mine back in the day and I understand and respect why you retired after 1973. I only wish you could have played with Mr Carson & then Mr Taylors/Banks/Reasons at the end of your career, had it lasted into the 1980's. Life was so much simpler in 1970 and so was football. Mr Thomas's knee was clearly in bounds and in today's dissected and picked apart to the "the hair on his arm was touching the tape on the foot on the...." sigh, football? The NYG's win that game vs Saints in week 3, host a playoff game and if win that home playoff game? host NFC champ game, since Rams 31-3 loss would not have mattered in week 14, and just maybe NYG's face Unitas led Colts in SB 5 with incredible drama of 1958/59 champ games being pushed faster than a hot dog cart outside old old Yankee stadium.... It was that close to happening when looking back 45 years ago. Dang!
If the Giants had ever won anything significant in this era, Tarkenton would have been crowned "King of New York City". He did add some excitement to Giant football, though..
Hey Jim !!! Im 54 but still keep your football cards with all my other favorites . You were tough and my Fav defender as a kid. Thanks for the videos , these Giants for better or worse were my Giants !!!
Thanks Jim! One of the best Giant teams. Thrilling victories, exciting and action-packed games. Still stunned by the loss to the Rams. Great memories though. Hope you’re doing well!
After watching the 1972 highlights I posted that I had never seen them before. Then I found the 1970 highlights and I had never seen this one either. I thoroughly enjoyed both. How did I miss these after all these years? Jim, I remember watching you when you played for the Giants. Man I knew every player on those Giants teams when I was growing up and I lived and died every week with the Giants. I remember getting in trouble the week of the Ram game and my parents punished me by not letting me watch the game. They couldn't have done anything worse to me at the time. It was torture. I couldn't even listen to it on the radio. I don't remember what I did but I sure do remember the punishment! Thanks posting the video and thanks for the great memories.
This was the one OK year in that long wait to be great again. I was month shy of ten when the Bears beat us in '63 title game. Yup no luck that day or for very many until George Young came along. Remember how great Fredrick son was before the knee? I remember reading Tucker being described as " the next Jim Taylor with speed and moves". His rookie year, with that line? He was on his way. That was some draft; Sayers, Namath, Butkus, Nobus, all in the hall. Great, great memories, go Jints!!
I was a great Tucker Fredrickson fan also... loved it when the NY announcers used to call him "the big boy from Auburn"...but you still have to question the 65 draft...imagine Gale Sayers in a Giants uniform!!!!
One game I remember is the game they lost to the Rams. I remember because the game was blacked out where I lived in northern N.J. That often happened in those days, home games being blacked out. I drove down to where my friend was going to school in Glassboro. All I remember is Tarkenton running for his life and the age being over almost before it started.
The Eagles uniforms (especially the home with the kelly green jerseys) are the best ever. Need to go back to these. White helmet with simple kelly green wings. Total cool.
+Carol Griffith Actually, I hated those uniforms! The ones they had before, with the green helmets and candy stripes on the uniforms, were the best!! Those white helmets looked like aspirins!
You are correct Carol. The 1971 Eagles unis were their best ever even though that team wasn't their best. Clean green and white and simple unlike the garbage they wear now.
Usually John Facenda or Harry Kalas would have narrated the summary of an NFL team's season--but because of Frank Gifford's great playing history with the Giants and his announcing skill first nurtured on CBS (and just starting then with ABC's Monday Night Football) he did this film. RIP Mr. Gifford
John Facenda was not only revered for his voice over work with NFL films but also as an outstanding news announcer in Philadelphia. Mr. Facenda's was the dominant news broadcast on CBS WCAU-TV (beating the combined ratings of the two other network affiliates). He was an extremely religious man who when he found out that his Catholic parish priest didn't have a watch-he unselfishly gave him his. For a while he and another CBS announcer Jack Whitaker co-owned a bowling alley in East Noritton, Pennsylvania that still exists today
At the end of the 1970 movie was the start of 1971. I'll never forget that 42-40 win over the Packers in Dan Devine's first game as the Packers Coach and he broke his leg in that game. Ron Johnson only played 2 games, Tucker Fredrickson was injured again in his final year and the defense fell apart and Pete Gogolak stunk.
So true and it seems as though if the organization had a plan in place the decade might have been a little different. Almost seems like the origin of the “West Coast Offense”.
This great video brought back many wonderful memories; also one I'd had forgotten with that last game against the rams. Though this play wasn't really mentioned, I remember that Tarkenton had thrown a TD but the play was called back due to a penalty, I think on Aaron Thomas. They ended up settling for a FG instead. I really believed almost a half-century ago and now that that penalty wiped out the momentum the giant offense was building with that dominating drive. In any event, I figured this 1970 season was to be the start of a nice run for the giants. That nice run would have to wait for the next decade. Thank you for uploading this video.
I remember the 70 and 72 Giants, first with Tarkenton, and later with Norm Snead. Very close to the wild-card both years ( 9-5). Still remember the offensive line , with Greg Larson, Doug Van Horne and Willie Young, and of course, Spider Lockhart in the defensive backfield..
I remember that year very well. I was a 10 year old Giant fan and remembered how excited I was before that last game. That game, though, was just terrible, but I remembered rooting for the 49ers to beat the Raiders later in the day so that the Rams would be eliminated also. They did, and at least the Rams didn't get in also.
Im a Bills fan but love the 70s and I recall my Dad went to the opener vs Chicago. He was a huge Giants fan. I never got to a game at Yankee Stadium for football and really would have loved to have been there. It was so intimidating to me always as I was 16 then. I recall listening to Marty Glickman on radio listening to the Bills game-without OJ so that sucked. I always wonder how OJ would have done in that game-probably not so good as Bills O-Line sucked and Giants were on a roll.
These old uniforms are the best. I understand the connection with the uniforms of the 1980s and the success but these uniforms are really classic. I guess the Giants changed uniforms because they had been bad for so long, but these uniforms are the best, imo.
Tucker Frederickson could have been a star, but just suffered from too many knee injuries. Ron Johnson became the focus of the running game, and for a few years, he was one of the best..
1970 was a very competitive year in the NFC for the single wild-card berth. Detroit, La and the Giants were in it to the final gun, with Detroit eventually winning out. The Lions were red hot down the stretch, beating such teams as SF, LA and Oakland to take the wild-card.. Giants declined in 71, rose back up in 72, went back into the cellar in 73, and basically stayed there for the rest of the decade..
+Elmer Fudd --Catch the fan reaction in the stands after Ron Johnson scores the winning TD against the Redskins, capping a big 4th-quarter comeback. Wild!!
+MassVt Part of the Giants problem from the mid 60s through the early-to-mid 70s was that they were caught in CBS' mishandling of the New York Yankees, as CBS let Yankee Stadium deteriorate, and when George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees in 1973, one of his first major acts was to renovate Yankee Stadium, which left not only the Yankees, but also the New York Giants without a true home field for a couple of years, and without a representative home field for more than a decade. Of course, that wasn't their only problem, but from about 1968-'75, the lack of a worthy place to call home was an impediment. One of the amazing things to me is that, while the NFL had explosive growth during the 70s, the nation's largest city and it's two NFL teams were on the sidelines, because New York was not really a part of the NFL picture during the entire decade of the 1970s.
+cjs83172 --Yes the focus of football was certainly not in NYC in the 70s, in either conference. The Giants continued to be the featured team on CBC in the northeast, but most of us were much more interested in the Cowboys, Vikings, Rams and Redskins ( i.e the "good" teams), and these teams were usually televised for the 4:00 PM /national broadcast slot..
Jim Files. I seem to recall an Opening day game in Green Bay possibly 73 where the Giants beat the Packers 42-40 and Jim Files saved the day late with an interception. Am I right on that Jim. Thanks for your years as a Giant. Those early difficulties in the 70's & 80's made those Super Bowl championships that much sweeter. But still many great childhood memories rooting on the Giants. Fran Tarkenton QB sneak late in a game in Atlanta in 71 to steal a victory.
Oklahoma's Orange Bowl victory vs. Tennessee following the '67 sesaon is somewhere on TH-cam. Jim was a sophomore for Chuck Fairbanks' first OU squad which went 10-1, with the lone loss coming to Texas 9-7.
+David Steinle As far as I and many other people are concerned, the 1967 Oklahoma team were the national champions. Their 10-1 record was against stiffer competition than the 10-1 USC put up.
I'm sure the Vikings were closely watching the play of Fran Tarkenton at this time as it was clear that Gary Cuozzo wasn't going to be their QB going forward--clearly they had a fantastic defense but they didn't want to wait nurturing a QB from the draft and they knew of Tarkenton's ability from when he played in Minnesota under Norm Van Bronklin (who preceeded Bud Grant)-hence the trade that brought him back to Minnesota
@@fscap811, I'm pretty sure that Tarkenton made his demand before Van Brocklin resigned, but I've long wondered if he had an inkling that was going to happen, whether he might have held off on the trade request and remained with the Vikings? However, he might well have found getting synced up with Grant to be problematic, at least, when the latter was just getting his manner of molding the team into a winning organization started.
I understand but he was a California guy and back then New York and California culture was light years apart. Mara could not understand him and vice versa.
Every year NFL films does a season review of all the teams. Wow, Frank Gifford was doing those reviews in the early 70s and I believe he is still doing them. That is at least 40 years of doing the annual Giant review for NFL Films. A true Giant,
I remember watching this live and that Aaron Thomas play drove me nuts. The stupid ref mistakenly thought the field design in the end zone was the out of bounds!!! No recourse back then so you just had to suffer.
Wow really? That is awesome Sam. I remember very well watching the Giants-Wash. game as an 11 year old on Nov. 15, 1970. That was your great uncle’s best game ever and he broke my heart that afternoon as I have been a fan here in DC since ‘69 when Vince Lombardi was our coach for just that year. I would love to meet your great uncle one day. He was a tough physical back! Hope he is doing well!
No doubt Tarkentons best year in an NyG uniform. He had both the ability to carry a team but also a knack for the game killing mistake, always trying to do too much out there but so beautiful to watch. I love Tark. There's so many what ifs to this season. What if they don't have let downs against the Eagles, Bears, and Saints? This should have been a playoff team and they could have done some damage had they gotten there. Hopes are ruined when Tark and Ron Johnson get hurt in 71, Tark goes back to Minnesota, Norm Snead has one good year in 72 then the whole thing falls apart. I love Frank Gifford as a narrator too. Good stuff
Am I nuts. This is the coolest NFL music I've ever heard . that and the music in the Giants 68 loss to falcons (week 5 highlights) and 1971 revenge game at atlanta (week 9).
@@paulmond6351, Huff was out for blood and reveled in anything that could be done to run up the score. Granted, the Giants were godawful that year, up there with some of the worst teams in League history.
That blown call in the Saints game changed the course of NFL history. Giants would have won the NFC East Division that year and Dallas would have been out of the playoffs, never making it to SB V. Fran tarkenton probably stays with the Giants for the remainder of his career.
Jon Burrows, The Cowboys wouldn't have been the wild card team instead of the Lions? Both had all of their losses against conference opponents and they didn't meet, obviously. Given the rules in place at the time, what would have given the nod to Detroit? If accurate, it would've been unfortunate, as after their mid-season turnaround, they were clearly the class of the NFC, and I believe they would've likely easily handled this good Giants team, even on the road. In fact, they were the superior team in the Super Bowl, and if not for Morton's inhibiting elbow injury and Schaecter's woeful call on Thomas' fumble, they would have comfortably beaten the Colts. But that's another story.
Jim, you were one of my favorite Giants. One thing that I remembered about you is that you did a T.V. commercial that ran for awhile during the NFL season.but just can't remember what the product was for. For curiosity sake I would appreciate it if you can reply and tell me what the product was.
I remember in 1972 Jim Files did a commercial for a deodorant called Manpower- he was seen running off the field after a game, stopped by a reporter, his wife was there, too, and they talked about the deodorant he uses, and his wife did a lot of talking (with her cool southern-accent!), then Jim lifted the reporter up with his hands and said, "Don't I smell nice?!" Really funny! I also thought that Jim must have been a very good and popular player to get that notoriety.
Amazing that the Giants beat the Cowboys fairly easily at home (and Dallas ended up in the Super Bowl), but also got smoked by a poor Eagles team and a good, not great Rams team. The defense was not quite there yet, but much improved. Yes, indeed "the Real Bonanza was Jim Files." Wonder how the Giant would have fared in the 70s with Fred Dryer and Fran Tarkenton staying in NY.... The defense became the Giants strong suit in that decade, as the QB position sadly became more and more inconsistent as the years went on post Tarkenton.. Ron Johnson and Jim Files were the MVPs of the decade of the 70s, with special mention for Bob Tucker. If we only had that 1 consistent QB, we could have really contended for a title.
+loyaldude10 I've only bet on one football game in my entire life...so far. I bet a grade 7 schoolmate/team mate, that the lowly '75 football Giants would beat his Bills (and O.J.) on MNF...Giants won! Do you remember that season and that upset?
And as a loyal Giants fan I suffered through every one of those rotten seasons...but the amazing thing is that when September of the next season came around, my hopes, while not high, still had me thinking this might be the year. But, it usually turned out to be another 4 or 5 win season for them. Back then, I would have never believed that the Giants could be in a Super Bowl, never mind winning 4 out of 5.
+Jim Files But whatever ones u have, feel free to share. Also, if u are interested, there is a youtube page called "Kevin Reidy" which has a number of complete episodes of "This Week in Pro Football" from the era in which u played. If u type "Kevin Reidy TH-cam" into the search engine u should have no problem finding it.
Not true for a few years around 1970. Lots of promise after Allie Sherman was fired. Certainly during not this stretch with Tark, Johnson, Tucker, Dryer and Files.
Hi Jim, thanks for posting. I was a huge fan of the Giants teams from the early 70's and was crushed by what happened in 73 after a perfect 6-0 pre-season and promising 8-6 season in 72. Can you recall exactly why the team faltered in 73 - was it having to play in CT at Yale Bowl and the logistical problems that presented or was the team simply not that good? I've also wondered why you retired at such an early age. Thanks.
peterhook72 We never seemed to find the right "chemistry" after Tarkenton left. It's hard to know what causes that or what prevents that from happening. I left football to go into the ministry. My heart just wasn't in football anymore.
you guys should have won the saints game -that pass from tarkenton at end of game was a touchdown- I remember as a young kid listening to the great comeback against the redskins on the radio in the blackout days.
Jim Files Wow! I was 6 in 1970 and just becoming aware of football.I have some recollection of the Jet game and remember watching the game in St.Louis with my grandfather.The announcers praised you guys so much that day that I mark it as the moment I became a Giant fan.I recall being heartbroken when I heard of the loss to the Rams.(Home games weren't on tv in NY back then).Loved the video.I think its the first time I have ever seen footage from the game with the Jets at Shea.Pretty sure I have at least one of your football cards still stashed at my parents place.Thank you for the memories.
Jim Files---damn---I remember you and that entire season so well. I think you were runner up rookie of yr. How the hell did you guys lose to the Eagles on that Mon night? Nonetheless, it was an exciting season, despite the Rams game
Question: If the Giants had beaten the Rams, would that have knocked Dallas or Detroit from the playoffs? I know the Cowboys would have been in second, but I was wondering whether they would have been the wild card.
@@cmiscssd, Thanks. I asked about that upthread. That's pretty startling to consider that the League didn't have the proper contingencies in place to deal with such a scenario. I'd imagine record against common opponents would've solved that instance, though I'd have to check to be sure.
The linebackers of the Parcells era are legendary, but the Giants had some really good linebackers throughout those bad years in the '70s...Jim Files, of course, Ron Hornsby, Pat Hughes, Brian Kelley, Brad Van Pelt. Some pretty good players stuck on bad teams.
The New York Giants had their first winning season since 1963, when they went 9-5 in 1970. Star running back Ron Johnson was the Giants
first-ever 1,000-yard rusher, gaining 1,027 yards.
The addition of Ron Johnson was the most exciting move the Giants made between 1960 and 1981 when LT was drafted.. He was the most exciting player on the G Men during that time was well. Great memories.
My favorite Giant's season, despite the 5 Super Bowls. Listening to Marty Glickman on the radio during their great run was amazing.
As a 10 year old who wasn't old enough to remember those early '60s teams this was also my favorite season. If they only had expanded playoffs,,,
FIVE Super BOWL SLOTS AND 4 WINS..
RIP #30 Ron Johnson. Great player, classy person. First Giant to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
RJ22 He was a fine tail back. Any old Giant fans remember who they aquired him from and how and why he was available? Answers, Cleveland Browns and Ron was sitting behind the great Leroy Kelly who had replaced the one and only Jim Brown. All by memory,. No Google and BTW, Johnson played college ball at Michigan if memory serves. Never forget what Kelly said about Ron. Kids a top flight back and the difference between us is simple,b" I need 6 inches to get through the line, Ron needs 9". Love it!!!
@@michaelbelfer6513 The Giants traded Homer Jones for Johnson. Can't remember if there were any other pieces to the trade, but Jones only lasted one underwhelming season in Cleveland.
@@cka2nd, That trade was highest robbery, which I'm astounded that the Browns fell for, as Jones' swift decline due to knee injuries was evident for all to see throughout '69.
Ron turned everything around immediately for that franchise. GIving the team a legitimate breakaway threat, a legit All Pro. Excitement after many, many years of offensive mediocrity.
Love old Yankee stadium, Fran Tarkenton, Ron Johnson, Tucker Fredrickson.
Bob Tucker was my favorite football player, ever.
Ron Johnson was a really outstanding back for us when healthy...
+Jeff Smith - I just have to ask - Are you the Jeff Smith who also played LB for the Giants?
+Buster Nutt - Or was it Tackle? Sorry, I'm getting old. I think it was Tackle'
+Buster Nutt Johnson was the #1 draft pic of the Browns in 69"came to the Giants in a trade for Homer Jones in 1970...
LB from USC. 1 season....1966...then a knee injury.
@@boobzac LB...
This was my first year as a Giant fan at 8 yrs of age. I remember some memorable games the 35-33 win over the Redskins in Yankee Stadium with 21 4th quarter points to overcome a 33-14 deficit. The 23-20 comeback victory over the Cowboys. And the 22-10 victory over the Jets @ Shea. Only to see the G-men lose the final game of the season to the Rams in Yankee Stadium 5 days before Christmas 30-3 and miss out on the playoffs. There would be many more losing seasons before they'd finally reach the Promised land in 1986. 46 years and 4 Super Bowl Championships later, STILL rooting, and still recalling that first season as a GIANT FAN.
I remember that game through fresh teenage eyes. I believe all they needed was a win or tie and they would have won the division and onto the playoffs. I was not prepared for that very disappointing loss. Little did I know then that it would take over a decade before I would see them in the playoffs and longer still before they won their first NFC East title.
Omg. I was 15 and out of my mind over this team. Ron Johnson was a beautiful runner. Don Hermann ran precise routes. Fred Dryer. Bob Tucker! Tarkenton is my fav QB. Spider Lockhart. Clifton McNeil. Willie Young. Scott Eaton. Tark did more with less than any QB I’ve ever seen.
Wow! Jim Files and the 1970 Giants.
I was 14 years old and a huge fan. Great season, but you broke my heart with that season ending loss
Thanks for the memories
I was 17. When Gogolak kicked a field goal to put us up 3-0 I was so psyched. Boy was I in for a shock. I remember that game like it was yesterday.
Me too.And then I called up DJ Jack Spector at his house and he said "Bad loss but I"m taking the family out to dinner".LOL BTW Jerry Shay broke his leg in that game.
I was 19 and little did I know that the end of the 1970 season would usher in a decade of bad football and tough times for Giants fans.
I was only 12 years old then, but already a die-hard Giants fan. Highlight was beating the Jets but losing to the Rams the last game of the year was heart-breaking. The game was televised on a large screen at our local pal (police athletic league!) in little Italy on Mulberry Streeet. I will never forget it! Tucker Frederickson was my heroe then, even though he had those uneventful 2 -3 yard plunges. Good ol days🏈
In the end the win didn't matter for the Rams either--they missed the playoffs too as SF beat Oakland later that same day and clinched the Western Division title
just saw that Ron Johnson died, having been suffering from Alzhemier's for years. RIP and thanks for the memories
Thank you.
Real sorry to hear this. Much respect to Ron Johnson as he and my man Larry Brown for my Washington team had great games against each other. Two of the most underrated backs ever in NFL history!
I met Ron Johnson in 1992 in Mickey mantle old restaurant, ron was a great guy
One of my childhood heros, R.I.P. Ron.
RIP Mr. Johnson--I wonder if his football career played a role in the development of his AZ (?CTE)
Thank you Jim. What a season that was, and what a memory for me as a young boy in suburban NJ. LIfelong memories of listening to your games on the radio with my dad while raking leaves and cutting the grass in our backyard. The best times of my life. We actually got to know Don Hermann, who with his brother and friends did our roof one summer during (or right after college before the NFL). Can you imagine an NFL player today working a roofing job in the offseason? I know Don did very well in construction after he retired. Thank you so much Jim. You and your teammates made a difference in one young man's life.
Hi Jim. Thanks for the great memories. I hope all is well with you. You were a very good player. I've been a NYG fan since 1961 and thought they would win every year. Thought it finally came in 1970 but oh that last game. I cried that night. It was the only shining light I had until 1981 when you know who showed up and now there are four Super Bowls to our credit. The passing of Ron Johnson RIP. It hit me hard since he was my favorite player. Good health to you.
My whole childhood of following the NY Giants is right here. Didn't see a winner again until '81 and thankfully a few SBer Bowls after that
I have been a Giants fan since 1967.
Thanks for the memories.
Me too...
Thanks Tombstone! You sure were a hero of mine back in the day and I understand and respect why you retired after 1973. I only wish you could have played with Mr Carson & then Mr Taylors/Banks/Reasons at the end of your career, had it lasted into the 1980's. Life was so much simpler in 1970 and so was football. Mr Thomas's knee was clearly in bounds and in today's dissected and picked apart to the "the hair on his arm was touching the tape on the foot on the...." sigh, football? The NYG's win that game vs Saints in week 3, host a playoff game and if win that home playoff game? host NFC champ game, since Rams 31-3 loss would not have mattered in week 14, and just maybe NYG's face Unitas led Colts in SB 5 with incredible drama of 1958/59 champ games being pushed faster than a hot dog cart outside old old Yankee stadium.... It was that close to happening when looking back 45 years ago. Dang!
If the Giants had ever won anything significant in this era, Tarkenton would have been crowned "King of New York City". He did add some excitement to Giant football, though..
Fran was nothing short of awesome, with a weak OL most of those years
Hey Jim !!! Im 54 but still keep your football cards with all my other favorites . You were tough and my Fav defender as a kid. Thanks for the videos , these Giants for better or worse were my Giants !!!
This was old school football. Some vicious hitting and loved hearing them too @22:00. NYG fan forever.
Thanks Jim! One of the best Giant teams. Thrilling victories, exciting and action-packed games. Still stunned by the loss to the Rams. Great memories though. Hope you’re doing well!
After watching the 1972 highlights I posted that I had never seen them before. Then I found the 1970 highlights and I had never seen this one either. I thoroughly enjoyed both. How did I miss these after all these years?
Jim, I remember watching you when you played for the Giants. Man I knew every player on those Giants teams when I was growing up and I lived and died every week with the Giants. I remember getting in trouble the week of the Ram game and my parents punished me by not letting me watch the game. They couldn't have done anything worse to me at the time. It was torture. I couldn't even listen to it on the radio. I don't remember what I did but I sure do remember the punishment!
Thanks posting the video and thanks for the great memories.
Wonderful memories thanks for posting , i would love to see the opening of the NFL game on CBS during the 60's that was a classic opening! !
Giants Road uniforms are cool. Also Rams Blue and White uniforms.
Throwing those vintage commercials in are a nice touch
This was the one OK year in that long wait to be great again. I was month shy of ten when the Bears beat us in '63 title game. Yup no luck that day or for very many until George Young came along. Remember how great Fredrick son was before the knee? I remember reading Tucker being described as " the next Jim Taylor with speed and moves". His rookie year, with that line? He was on his way. That was some draft; Sayers, Namath, Butkus, Nobus, all in the hall. Great, great memories, go Jints!!
I was a great Tucker Fredrickson fan also... loved it when the NY announcers used to call him "the big boy from Auburn"...but you still have to question the 65 draft...imagine Gale Sayers in a Giants uniform!!!!
This is awesome! Love the commercials too.
i was 15 in 70. tark and ron johnson were my favs. this vid made my day! thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One game I remember is the game they lost to the Rams. I remember because the game was blacked out where I lived in northern N.J. That often happened in those days, home games being blacked out. I drove down to where my friend was going to school in Glassboro. All I remember is Tarkenton running for his life and the age being over almost before it started.
The Eagles uniforms (especially the home with the kelly green jerseys) are the best ever. Need to go back to these. White helmet with simple kelly green wings. Total cool.
+Carol Griffith Actually, I hated those uniforms! The ones they had before, with the green helmets and candy stripes on the uniforms, were the best!! Those white helmets looked like aspirins!
+michael swanson I agree. The uniforms the Eagles wore from 1965-1968 were their best ever.
+bigjoe4110 As a matter of fact, I would take the Washington uniforms from that same time period, with the spear on the helmet.
The Redskin uniforms of that period were great also.
You are correct Carol. The 1971 Eagles unis were their best ever even though that team wasn't their best. Clean green and white and simple unlike the garbage they wear now.
Usually John Facenda or Harry Kalas would have narrated the summary of an NFL team's season--but because of Frank Gifford's great playing history with the Giants and his announcing skill first nurtured on CBS (and just starting then with ABC's Monday Night Football) he did this film. RIP Mr. Gifford
+david graham R I P Lanky Frankie jajajajajaja
John Facenda was not only revered for his voice over work with NFL films but also as an outstanding news announcer in Philadelphia. Mr. Facenda's was the dominant news broadcast on CBS WCAU-TV (beating the combined ratings of the two other network affiliates). He was an extremely religious man who when he found out that his Catholic parish priest didn't have a watch-he unselfishly gave him his. For a while he and another CBS announcer Jack Whitaker co-owned a bowling alley in East Noritton, Pennsylvania that still exists today
Dave Volsky 0
Hey Jim. Thanks for your great play with the Football Giants. During that era I never missed watching a game. The Rams game killed me.
Ken
At the end of the 1970 movie was the start of 1971. I'll never forget that 42-40 win over the Packers in Dan Devine's first game as the Packers Coach and he broke his leg in that game.
Ron Johnson only played 2 games, Tucker Fredrickson was injured again in his final year and the defense fell apart and Pete Gogolak stunk.
Fran Tarkington had a great season in 1970 so did Fred Dryer and Ron Johnson.
So true and it seems as though if the organization had a plan in place the decade might have been a little different. Almost seems like the origin of the “West Coast Offense”.
I want to hear Marty glickman do the play by play !
Thank you for uploading this, Mr. Files.
Thank you for your dedication to the Giants Jim!
This great video brought back many wonderful memories; also one I'd had forgotten with that last game against the rams. Though this play wasn't really mentioned, I remember that Tarkenton had thrown a TD but the play was called back due to a penalty, I think on Aaron Thomas. They ended up settling for a FG instead. I really believed almost a half-century ago and now that that penalty wiped out the momentum the giant offense was building with that dominating drive. In any event, I figured this 1970 season was to be the start of a nice run for the giants. That nice run would have to wait for the next decade. Thank you for uploading this video.
I remember the 70 and 72 Giants, first with Tarkenton, and later with Norm Snead. Very close to the wild-card both years ( 9-5). Still remember the offensive line , with Greg Larson, Doug Van Horne and Willie Young, and of course, Spider Lockhart in the defensive backfield..
Too bad the NFL didn't have expanded playoffs the way they do today. Giants would have been in them in '70 and '72.
If Giants win that last game, they would have won the NFC East as they had a better divisional record (6-2) than the Cowboys (5-3).
@@andrewpadaetz5549 If Giants didn't get screwed by that horrible call in the Saints game, they would have finished at 10-4 and won the NFC East.
I remember that year very well. I was a 10 year old Giant fan and remembered how excited I was before that last game. That game, though, was just terrible, but I remembered rooting for the 49ers to beat the Raiders later in the day so that the Rams would be eliminated also. They did, and at least the Rams didn't get in also.
Hey Jim, thanks for sharing!! So many great memories & great chance to relive them!
Im a Bills fan but love the 70s and I recall my Dad went to the opener vs Chicago. He was a huge Giants fan. I never got to a game at Yankee Stadium for football and really would have loved to have been there. It was so intimidating to me always as I was 16 then. I recall listening to Marty Glickman on radio listening to the Bills game-without OJ so that sucked. I always wonder how OJ would have done in that game-probably not so good as Bills O-Line sucked and Giants were on a roll.
These old uniforms are the best. I understand the connection with the uniforms of the 1980s and the success but these uniforms are really classic. I guess the Giants changed uniforms because they had been bad for so long, but these uniforms are the best, imo.
Great posts JIM, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!!!
Tucker Frederickson could have been a star, but just suffered from too many knee injuries. Ron Johnson became the focus of the running game, and for a few years, he was one of the best..
In 1965, Tucker Frederickson was one of the "Baby Bulls" along with Ernie Wheelwright,Steve Thurlow and Ernie Koy.
1970 was a very competitive year in the NFC for the single wild-card berth. Detroit, La and the Giants were in it to the final gun, with Detroit eventually winning out. The Lions were red hot down the stretch, beating such teams as SF, LA and Oakland to take the wild-card..
Giants declined in 71, rose back up in 72, went back into the cellar in 73, and basically stayed there for the rest of the decade..
+MassVt ,
I remember it like yesterday.I know what the Detriot Lions and Cleveland Browns fans feel like.
+MassVt I remember they went 6 - 0 in the preseason and were picked to win the Super Bowl in 1973 due to that. But they ended in the cellar.
+Elmer Fudd --Catch the fan reaction in the stands after Ron Johnson scores the winning TD against the Redskins, capping a big 4th-quarter comeback. Wild!!
+MassVt Part of the Giants problem from the mid 60s through the early-to-mid 70s was that they were caught in CBS' mishandling of the New York Yankees, as CBS let Yankee Stadium deteriorate, and when George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees in 1973, one of his first major acts was to renovate Yankee Stadium, which left not only the Yankees, but also the New York Giants without a true home field for a couple of years, and without a representative home field for more than a decade.
Of course, that wasn't their only problem, but from about 1968-'75, the lack of a worthy place to call home was an impediment. One of the amazing things to me is that, while the NFL had explosive growth during the 70s, the nation's largest city and it's two NFL teams were on the sidelines, because New York was not really a part of the NFL picture during the entire decade of the 1970s.
+cjs83172 --Yes the focus of football was certainly not in NYC in the 70s, in either conference. The Giants continued to be the featured team on CBC in the northeast, but most of us were much more interested in the Cowboys, Vikings, Rams and Redskins ( i.e the "good" teams), and these teams were usually televised for the 4:00 PM /national broadcast slot..
Jim Files. I seem to recall an Opening day game in Green Bay possibly 73 where the Giants beat the Packers 42-40 and Jim Files saved the day late with an interception. Am I right on that Jim. Thanks for your years as a Giant. Those early difficulties in the 70's & 80's made those Super Bowl championships that much sweeter. But still many great childhood memories rooting on the Giants. Fran Tarkenton QB sneak late in a game in Atlanta in 71 to steal a victory.
Oklahoma's Orange Bowl victory vs. Tennessee following the '67 sesaon is somewhere on TH-cam. Jim was a sophomore for Chuck Fairbanks' first OU squad which went 10-1, with the lone loss coming to Texas 9-7.
+David Steinle As far as I and many other people are concerned, the 1967 Oklahoma team were the national champions. Their 10-1 record was against stiffer competition than the 10-1 USC put up.
I'm sure the Vikings were closely watching the play of Fran Tarkenton at this time as it was clear that Gary Cuozzo wasn't going to be their QB going forward--clearly they had a fantastic defense but they didn't want to wait nurturing a QB from the draft and they knew of Tarkenton's ability from when he played in Minnesota under Norm Van Bronklin (who preceeded Bud Grant)-hence the trade that brought him back to Minnesota
VanB was one mean SOB and hated Tark's scrambling so he rode him hard and blamed him for everything. That's why Tark wanted out of Minnesota.
@@fscap811, I'm pretty sure that Tarkenton made his demand before Van Brocklin resigned, but I've long wondered if he had an inkling that was going to happen, whether he might have held off on the trade request and remained with the Vikings? However, he might well have found getting synced up with Grant to be problematic, at least, when the latter was just getting his manner of molding the team into a winning organization started.
Nothing but the hits the n.y. giants!
Can you imagine Well Mara getting rid of Fred Dryer because he did not fit the Giants image???????
Loved this video 1970 was the est thanks Jim #58
Fred Dryer, #89, who went on to play with the Rams and then star in the hit cop show "Hunter".
Not a New York Guy.
+Robert Tiscione He played for the Giants at that time and then for the Rams.
I understand but he was a California guy and back then New York and California culture was light years apart. Mara could not understand him and vice versa.
wow thanks jim for posting I have never seen this
Tucker Fredrickson simply couldn’t be stopped
Every year NFL films does a season review of all the teams. Wow, Frank Gifford was doing those reviews in the early 70s and I believe he is still doing them. That is at least 40 years of doing the annual Giant review for NFL Films. A true Giant,
Frank mentioned "kickoff returns"...anyone out there old enough to remember those? Brings back fond memories...like sub $1.00 a gallon gasoline :)
Alex Webster did a great job of coaching the Giants despite the fact he had little coaching experience.
I remember watching this live and that Aaron Thomas play drove me nuts. The stupid ref mistakenly thought the field design in the end zone was the out of bounds!!! No recourse back then so you just had to suffer.
ticket frederickson is my great uncle so far I'm following his steps
Any relation to "Tucker"
Wow really? That is awesome Sam. I remember very well watching the Giants-Wash. game as an 11 year old on Nov. 15, 1970. That was your great uncle’s best game ever and he broke my heart that afternoon as I have been a fan here in DC since ‘69 when Vince Lombardi was our coach for just that year. I would love to meet your great uncle one day. He was a tough physical back! Hope he is doing well!
No doubt Tarkentons best year in an NyG uniform. He had both the ability to carry a team but also a knack for the game killing mistake, always trying to do too much out there but so beautiful to watch. I love Tark. There's so many what ifs to this season. What if they don't have let downs against the Eagles, Bears, and Saints? This should have been a playoff team and they could have done some damage had they gotten there. Hopes are ruined when Tark and Ron Johnson get hurt in 71, Tark goes back to Minnesota, Norm Snead has one good year in 72 then the whole thing falls apart. I love Frank Gifford as a narrator too. Good stuff
They should have won the Saints game...got robbed of a TD by ref's bad call.
1970 exciting year for Giant fans. 9-5 in 1970 is the same as 11-5 today and still no playoffs. A bitter pill to swallow!
More like 10-6 or 11-6 with the 17-game schedule. Probably would make the playoffs today.
2:34. Being a Giant fan I wished they had instant replay then. If so the Giants would have been in the playoffs that year
You just hit the nail on the head. The giants were ripped off. The Tulane Stadium end zone sideline lines were a joke
Am I nuts. This is the coolest NFL music I've ever heard . that and the music in the Giants 68 loss to falcons (week 5 highlights) and 1971 revenge game at atlanta (week 9).
Awesome effort, no les than 6 defenders right in the punters face 2:16
+Jim Files The TH-cam sight Grey Beard has the highlight films for the '71 and '72 Giants.
Hello to Jim Files. An All-Star on and off the field!
My dad had season tickets,went to them all
I remember the blackout being lifted for the game at Shea because it was a Giants road game.
+Jim Files Did u have any idea how many infomercials Tarkenton would wind up doing?
Favorite Giants game is the 62-10 rout of the Eagles, still their highest scoring game ever. Jim - do you remember that game well?
Off stride. Skins walloped giants, 72 to 41, in 1966. Redskins rushed onto the field with seconds remaining to kick a field goal. Very humiliating
@@paulmond6351, Huff was out for blood and reveled in anything that could be done to run up the score. Granted, the Giants were godawful that year, up there with some of the worst teams in League history.
Holy c---.This is Jim Files from Big Blue?Oh my memories..WoW!!!!!
C L A S S I C
RIP, Big Red...
Great memories
Mr. Files, do you wish you could have been back in Norman for the 1971 Game of the Century?
where do you find more of this music
+gunslinger
Search for (I won't mention where, to avoid the spam police) Autumn Thunder: 40 Years OF NFL Films Music box set
Does anyone recognize the music beginning at 19:15 mark?
Jim Files for the safety, against the Jets!
That blown call in the Saints game changed the course of NFL history. Giants would have won the NFC East Division that year and Dallas would have been out of the playoffs, never making it to SB V. Fran tarkenton probably stays with the Giants for the remainder of his career.
Jon Burrows, The Cowboys wouldn't have been the wild card team instead of the Lions? Both had all of their losses against conference opponents and they didn't meet, obviously. Given the rules in place at the time, what would have given the nod to Detroit? If accurate, it would've been unfortunate, as after their mid-season turnaround, they were clearly the class of the NFC, and I believe they would've likely easily handled this good Giants team, even on the road. In fact, they were the superior team in the Super Bowl, and if not for Morton's inhibiting elbow injury and Schaecter's woeful call on Thomas' fumble, they would have comfortably beaten the Colts. But that's another story.
Jim, you were one of my favorite Giants. One thing that I remembered about you is that you did a T.V. commercial that ran for awhile during the NFL season.but just can't remember what the product was for. For curiosity sake I would appreciate it if you can reply and tell me what the product was.
Ted65 My memory came back-You did an :Old Spice" commercial.
I remember in 1972 Jim Files did a commercial for a deodorant called Manpower- he was seen running off the field after a game, stopped by a reporter, his wife was there, too, and they talked about the deodorant he uses, and his wife did a lot of talking (with her cool southern-accent!), then Jim lifted the reporter up with his hands and said, "Don't I smell nice?!" Really funny! I also thought that Jim must have been a very good and popular player to get that notoriety.
I don't even like the NY football Giants, and this video made me want to have been on that team!
How slow was Bobby D?
Amazing that the Giants beat the Cowboys fairly easily at home (and Dallas ended up in the Super Bowl), but also got smoked by a poor Eagles team and a good, not great Rams team. The defense was not quite there yet, but much improved. Yes, indeed "the Real Bonanza was Jim Files." Wonder how the Giant would have fared in the 70s with Fred Dryer and Fran Tarkenton staying in NY.... The defense became the Giants strong suit in that decade, as the QB position sadly became more and more inconsistent as the years went on post Tarkenton.. Ron Johnson and Jim Files were the MVPs of the decade of the 70s, with special mention for Bob Tucker. If we only had that 1 consistent QB, we could have really contended for a title.
Bob tucker is my grandpa
The Yankees also had a good year in 1970 - 93-69
As a Yanks fan, I loved 1970, but hated seeing them finish a distant second with 93 wins...15 games behind the Orioles!!
I did not know that the New York Giants had a winning record in the 1970's.
70 and 72 seasons were their only winning seasons that decade. From mid 60s to early 80s, they were one of the worst
+loyaldude10
I've only bet on one football game in my entire life...so far.
I bet a grade 7 schoolmate/team mate, that the lowly '75 football Giants would beat his Bills (and O.J.) on MNF...Giants won!
Do you remember that season and that upset?
And as a loyal Giants fan I suffered through every one of those rotten seasons...but the amazing thing is that when September of the next season came around, my hopes, while not high, still had me thinking this might be the year. But, it usually turned out to be another 4 or 5 win season for them. Back then, I would have never believed that the Giants could be in a Super Bowl, never mind winning 4 out of 5.
Do You have 1976 team highlights?
Peter Nee Sorry, Peter. I do not have the '76 highlights.
Jim Files very 1st nfl game I saw on tv was that season. giants 35-33 over the redskins. at yankee stadium. been a giants fan ever since
+Jim Files But whatever ones u have, feel free to share. Also, if u are interested, there is a youtube page called "Kevin Reidy" which has a number of complete episodes of "This Week in Pro Football" from the era in which u played. If u type "Kevin Reidy TH-cam" into the search engine u should have no problem finding it.
The Rams were just bad-ass. Giants shouldn't have lost to New Orleans, though. Saints won only two games in 1970.
A rough stretch of years for the Giants and Eagles.
Not true for a few years around 1970. Lots of promise after Allie Sherman was fired. Certainly during not this stretch with Tark, Johnson, Tucker, Dryer and Files.
Ron Johnson war eagle? I think he was thinking of Tucker F.
Jeff Smith Johnson played for Michigan.
He owned Brigg Owens on this one 11:36
Hi Jim, thanks for posting. I was a huge fan of the Giants teams from the early 70's and was crushed by what happened in 73 after a perfect 6-0 pre-season and promising 8-6 season in 72. Can you recall exactly why the team faltered in 73 - was it having to play in CT at Yale Bowl and the logistical problems that presented or was the team simply not that good? I've also wondered why you retired at such an early age. Thanks.
peterhook72 We never seemed to find the right "chemistry" after Tarkenton left. It's hard to know what causes that or what prevents that from happening. I left football to go into the ministry. My heart just wasn't in football anymore.
+Jim Files - Fortunately for you, you found the right place to put your heart into. Praise The Lord!
+Jim Files Do u have any regrets about that?
lack of talent......
+Jim Files I think Tarkenton is probably more famous for his Tony Robbins infomercials than for his football career.
Jim on the tackle 7:28
What song is at 12:29?
Michael Head its called "paranoia" by Basil Kirchin
Thanks dude. Been looking for it for a while.
you guys should have won the saints game -that pass from tarkenton at end of game was a touchdown- I remember as a young kid listening to the great comeback against the redskins on the radio in the blackout days.
cmiscssd The blocked punt the Saints scored on was also an abomination. How do you let four guys have a free shot at the punt?
David Steinle Fran Tarkenton wrote a great book journaling the 1970 season called broken patterns
Yes,I own a copy...
Giants at Yankee Stadium, the way it should be!!!
And the Bears at Wrigley, the Lions at Tiger Stadium, and the Colts at Memorial Stadium.
Are you NY Giants 1970 first round draft choice Jim Files?
Yes, I am that Jim Files from 1970. I played four seasons with the Giants, 1970-1973.
Jim Files Wow! I was 6 in 1970 and just becoming aware of football.I have some recollection of the Jet game and remember watching the game in St.Louis with my grandfather.The announcers praised you guys so much that day that I mark it as the moment I became a Giant fan.I recall being heartbroken when I heard of the loss to the Rams.(Home games weren't on tv in NY back then).Loved the video.I think its the first time I have ever seen footage from the game with the Jets at Shea.Pretty sure I have at least one of your football cards still stashed at my parents place.Thank you for the memories.
Jim Files---damn---I remember you and that entire season so well. I think you were runner up rookie of yr. How the hell did you guys lose to the Eagles on that Mon night? Nonetheless, it was an exciting season, despite the Rams game
@@jdf9525 still have your '74 #394 tops football card Jim, priceless memories. Thanks 😊 for posting.
Question: If the Giants had beaten the Rams, would that have knocked Dallas or Detroit from the playoffs? I know the Cowboys would have been in second, but I was wondering whether they would have been the wild card.
Greg Ford Dallas and Detroit would have flipped a coin for wild card - not enough tiebreakers-following year many more tiebreakers were added
@@cmiscssd, Thanks. I asked about that upthread. That's pretty startling to consider that the League didn't have the proper contingencies in place to deal with such a scenario. I'd imagine record against common opponents would've solved that instance, though I'd have to check to be sure.
I'm pretty sure that the Giants regretted trading Fred Dryer. I do know that the Rams greatly benefited from it..
MassVt Not so very good move by Mr. Mara...
Yes, remember the game where he had two safeties VS the Packers in '73, simply amazing.
Between the next 16 to 20 years, The New York Giants would become a much better team.
only 1 of 2 winning seasons from 1964-1980