Joe Schoen has been around for more than two years now as the Giants’ general manager, so he has met, briefly or more intimately, many of the renowned players who were assembled under one roof for A Night With Legends, the gala event held Thursday night.
This was a remarkable gathering — featuring Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor, Harry Carson, Michael Strahan and Bill Parcells. There were also 14 members of the Giants’ Ring of Honor, and one of them, a quiet individual and former hard-charging tight end, was especially on Schoen’s radar.
Schoen was born in Elkhart, Ind., and as a youngster grew to love the NFL at a time when the Giants were among the kings of the league.
“Mark Bavaro played at Notre Dame, and my dad used to take me to the spring games as a kid,’’ Schoen said. “Somewhere in a box in a storage unit somewhere there’s a picture of me and Mark Bavaro, and I have to find it. I’m excited to meet Mark Bavaro, to me that’s the one.’’
It was mission accomplished for Schoen, who was able to chat with Bavaro, usually a man of few words, and later described him as a “great guy.’’
Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are the caretakers of the franchise, entrusted by the Mara and Tisch ownership families to usher in success — something the new regime did in 2022, winning nine regular-season games, plus achieving the first playoff victory since 2011. It is something Schoen and Daboll failed to build on, as the Giants slumped to 6-11 in 2023.
The 2024 campaign will include festivities commemorating the Giants’ 100th season, with plenty of hearkening back to the glory years. All that nostalgia could ratchet up the pressure to turn things around once and for all.
Urgency, anyone?
“Absolutely,’’ Schoen said. “We all want to be in the company of some of these greats, coaches, players, personnel.’’
Schoen then mentioned Ernie Accorsi, the former general manager who orchestrated the franchise-altering trade for Eli Manning and drafted and signed numerous players who comprised the 2007 Super Bowl championship team.
“I’ve gotten to know him, obviously I looked up to him as a young scout as well,’’ Schoen said of Accorsi.
The 2004 draft in that produced Manning was held at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, the same venue the Giants used 20 years later to bring together a sterling array of their former stars, plus two current players, Bobby Okereke and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Though it was an evening set aside to look back, it was impossible not to look ahead to try to figure out how far this year’s team is to getting it right.
Daboll, looking svelte after losing considerable weight this offseason, said he is “thankful’’ to be a part of such a historic franchise and understands the expectations. He was able to check in with Parcells and also Tom Coughlin — who both received huge ovations from the crowd, two former head coaches who produced the four Super Bowl trophies that are encased behind glass at the team facility.
“I’m fortunate for as long as I’ve been in this league to become friends with those guys,’’ Daboll said. “I would say good, friendly conversations, they’re unbelievable mentors for me to this day. Texts from Coach Coughlin, calls from Coach Parcells. I’ve talked to those guys a bunch, I’d say more recently since I got this job. Unbelievable coaches, shared great stories as they started out, thankful for both those guys.’’
Coughlin arrived more than 30 minutes early — he joked the navigation badly exaggerated how long the drive from New Jersey into Manhattan would take — and said he was looking forward to catching up with Daboll. Asked if he was going to impart any advice, Coughlin smiled and said, “He doesn’t need it.’’
Schoen recounted that he grew up idolizing Giants icons such as Taylor and Phil Simms, and in conjunction with the 100-year anniversary he has relished digging in on team history. He was especially interested in hearing about the scouting roots of team patriarch Wellington Mara and has actually seen old reports and draft rankings Mara put together when he ran the football operation in the 1950s and 1960s.
“Things I didn’t know, how the team was purchased, and just his love and passion for the game,’’ Schoen said. “To be a part of the 100th season is really cool for me. You see the list of people that are going to be here and your name is in that company, OK, who doesn’t belong? It’s pretty cool.’’
If Schoen and Daboll can return the Giants to the thrilling days of yesteryear, they will be on their way to belonging, forever.
