1966 New York Giants season
OwnerWellington Mara
Head coachAllie Sherman
Home fieldYankee Stadium
Local radioWNEW[1]
Results
Record1–12–1
Division place8th NFL Eastern
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersCB Spider Lockhart

The 1966 New York Giants season was the franchise's 42nd season in the National Football League (NFL). The season saw the Giants looking to improve on their 7–7 record from 1965. However, they finished in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 1–12–1 record, the worst in franchise history.[2][3] The 12 losses set a single-season team record that was matched four times before being broken in 2017.[4]

The 1966 Giants surrendered the most points in NFL history for a 14-game season.[5][6] They allowed 501 points in 14 games, or an average of 35.8 points per game.[3] This total broke the league record for the most points given up in a season.[7] The next most points allowed by a Giants team was 451 in the 2019 season, which was 16 games.[3] The Giants allowed opponents to score more than 30 points in eight of the 14 games, and gave up over 50 points three times.[2] They are the only team in history to give up 500 points in a 14-game season.[5][6]

On November 27, the Giants played the highest-scoring game in NFL history, losing to the Washington Redskins, 72–41[8] and making them the last team until the 2023 Denver Broncos to surrender at least 70 points in a regular season game.[9] It was the first of three straight games in which the Giants gave up more than 45 points; they allowed 49 points against the Cleveland Browns and 47 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.[2]

Off-season

NFL Draft

Roster

1966 New York Giants roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 11 at Pittsburgh Steelers T 34–34 0–0–1 Pitt Stadium 37,693
2 September 18 at Dallas Cowboys L 7–52 0–1–1 Cotton Bowl 60,010
3 September 25 at Philadelphia Eagles L 17–35 0–2–1 Franklin Field 60,177
4 October 2 Cleveland Browns L 7–28 0–3–1 Yankee Stadium 62,916
5 October 9 at St. Louis Cardinals L 19–24 0–4–1 Busch Memorial Stadium 43,893
6 October 16 Washington Redskins W 13–10 1–4–1 Yankee Stadium 62,865
7 October 23 Philadelphia Eagles L 3–31 1–5–1 Yankee Stadium 63,018
8 Bye
9 November 6 St. Louis Cardinals L 17–20 1–6–1 Yankee Stadium 62,967
10 November 13 at Los Angeles Rams L 14–55 1–7–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 34,746
11 November 20 Atlanta Falcons L 16–27 1–8–1 Yankee Stadium 62,746
12 November 27 at Washington Redskins L 41–72 1–9–1 D.C. Stadium 50,439
13 December 4 at Cleveland Browns L 40–49 1–10–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 61,651
14 December 11 Pittsburgh Steelers L 28–47 1–11–1 Yankee Stadium 62,658
15 December 18 Dallas Cowboys L 7–17 1–12–1 Yankee Stadium 62,735

[2]

Game summaries

Week 1 at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week One: New York Giants (0–0) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (0–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 10 01734
Steelers 7 7 17334

at Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh

  • Date: September 11
  • Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 2 at Dallas Cowboys

Week Two: New York Giants (0–0–1) at Dallas Cowboys (0–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 7 007
Cowboys 7 24 14752

at Cotton Bowl, Dallas

  • Date: September 18
  • Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 3 at Philadelphia Eagles

Week Three: New York Giants (0–1–1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1–1)
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 3 7717
Eagles 7 14 7735

at Franklin Field, Philadelphia

  • Date: September 25
  • Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 4 vs Cleveland Browns

Week Four: New York Giants (0–2–1) vs Cleveland Browns (1–2)
Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 7 7 01428
Giants 0 7 007

at Yankee Stadium, New York City

  • Date: October 2
  • Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 5 at St. Louis Cardinals

Week Five: New York Giants (0–3–1) at St. Louis Cardinals (4–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 10 3 0619
Cardinals 0 0 71724

at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis

  • Date: October 9
  • Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 6 vs Washington Redskins

Week Six: New York Giants (0–4–1) vs Washington Redskins (3–2)
Period 1 2 34Total
Redskins 3 7 0010
Giants 0 3 01013

at Yankee Stadium, New York

  • Date: October 16
  • Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 7 vs Philadelphia Eagles

Week Seven: New York Giants (1–4–1) vs Philadelphia Eagles (3–3)
Period 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 24 0731
Giants 3 0 003

at Yankee Stadium, New York City

  • Date: October 23
  • Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 9 vs St. Louis Cardinals

Week Nine: New York Giants (1–5–1) at St. Louis Cardinals (6–1–1)
Period 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 0 3 14320
Giants 0 7 01017

at Yankee Stadium, New York City

  • Date: November 6
  • Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 10 at Los Angeles Rams

Week Ten: New York Giants (1–6–1) at Los Angeles Rams (4–5)
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 7 0714
Rams 14 10 102155

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles

  • Date: November 13
  • Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 11 vs Atlanta Falcons

Week Eleven: New York Giants (1–7–1) vs Atlanta Falcons (0–9)
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 7 6 7727
Giants 0 3 7616

at Yankee Stadium, New York City

  • Date: November 20
  • Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 12 at Washington Redskins

Week Twelve: New York Giants (1–8–1) at Washington Redskins (5–6)
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 14 141341
Redskins 13 21 142472

at D.C. Stadium, Washington D.C.

  • Date: November 27
  • Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information

This is the only game in NFL history with the final score of 72–41.[10]

Week 13 at Cleveland Browns

Week Thirteen: New York Giants (1–9–1) at Cleveland Browns (7–4)
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 14 17 6340
Browns 7 7 142149

at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland

  • Date: December 4
  • Game weather: 18 °F (−8 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 14 vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Fourteen: New York Giants (1–10–1) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (3–8–1)
Period 1 2 34Total
Steelers 5 14 21747
Giants 0 14 7728

at Yankee Stadium, New York City

  • Date: December 11
  • Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 15 vs Dallas Cowboys

Week Fifteen: New York Giants (1–11–1) vs Dallas Cowboys (9–3–1)
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 0 01017
Giants 0 0 077

at Yankee Stadium, New York City

  • Date: December 18
  • Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C)
  • Box Score
Game information


Standings

NFL Eastern Conference
W L T PCT CONF PF PA STK
Dallas Cowboys 10 3 1 .769 9–3–1 445 239 W1
Philadelphia Eagles 9 5 0 .643 8–5 326 340 W4
Cleveland Browns 9 5 0 .643 9–4 403 259 W1
St. Louis Cardinals 8 5 1 .615 7–5–1 264 265 L3
Washington Redskins 7 7 0 .500 7–6 351 355 L1
Pittsburgh Steelers 5 8 1 .385 4–8–1 316 347 W2
Atlanta Falcons 3 11 0 .214 2–5 204 437 L1
New York Giants 1 12 1 .077 1–11–1 263 501 L8

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Statistics

Team leaders

Category Player(s) Value Rank
Passing yards Gary Wood 1,142 15th
Passing touchdowns Earl Morrall/Tom Kennedy 7 t12th
Rushing yards Chuck Mercein 327 29th
Rushing touchdowns Gary Wood 3 27th
Receiving yards Homer Jones 1,044 4th
Receiving touchdowns Homer Jones 8 t6th
Points Pete Gogolak 77 17th
Kickoff return yards Clarence Childs 855 3rd
Punt return yards Spider Lockhart 113 10th
Interceptions Spider Lockhart 6 t4th
Sacks Jim Katcavage 6.5 t24th

Note that sack totals from 1960 to 1981 are considered unofficial by the NFL.[11]

League rankings

Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 15)
Passing offense 2,475 176.8 9th
Rushing offense 1,457 104.1 12th
Total offense 3,932 280.8 9th
Passing defense 2,892 206.6 14th
Rushing defense 2,053 146.6 14th
Total defense 4,945 353.2 14th

See also

References

  1. ^ Jaker, Bill; Sulek, Frank; Kanze, Peter (1998). The Airwaves of New York: Illustrated Histories of 156 AM Stations in the Metropolitan Area, 1921–1996. McFarland & Company. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-7864-3872-3.
  2. ^ a b c d "1966 New York Giants". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  4. ^ Henry, Tyler (December 24, 2017). "Giants set unwanted franchise record with 13th loss". USA Today. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Team Game Finder Query Results: In a single season, from 1960 to 1977, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points Allowed". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  6. ^ a b Pasquarelli, Len (May 18, 2009). "Schedule expansion gaining momentum". ESPN. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  7. ^ Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago, Illinois: Triumph Books. p. 143. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.
  8. ^ "Redskins Set Mark In 72–41 Win Over Giants". Park City Daily News. Associated Press. November 28, 1966. p. 9. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  9. ^ De la Fuente, Homero; Almasy, Steve (September 24, 2023). "Miami Dolphins score 70 points and take a knee rather than take a shot at NFL scoring mark". CNN. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  10. ^ "All Games in Pro Football History with a 72 to 41 score". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  11. ^ "Pre-1982 Sacks Added To Pro Football Reference". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
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