George Young Could Finally Get His Just Desserts With Hall of Fame Nod

This could be George Young’s last and best chance to land his rightful place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The former New York Giants general manager is currently a finalist for the Hall of Fame’s special Centennial Class of 2020.

Young, who was ‘appointed’ the Giants’ GM back in 1979 as a compromise candidate by then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, is one of 10 contributors in nomination for the Hall. Contributors are classified individuals other than a player or coach.

The selection committee is comprised of members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, Hall of Famers, coaches, football executives and several leading football historians. 

Only three of the finalists will be elected to the Hall of Fame as part of the special expanded Class of 2020.

Young served as Giants general manager from 1979-97, taking the franchise out of the “Wilderness Years” brought on by a long-standing feud between the Maras and making them a model for the rest of the league to emulate. 

During Young’s tenure, the Giants would become a league power under the guidance of head coach Bill Parcells and his defensive coordinator, Bill Belichick winning two Super Bowls and setting the franchise up for longterm success. 

Young drafted some the of greatest players in Giants’ history: Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms, Michael Strahan, Tiki Barber, Amani Toomer, Mark Bavaro, Jesse Armstead, Rodney Hampton and Carl Banks just to name a few. 

He made key trades, acquiring players such as Ottis Anderson and Rob Carpenter and adroitly found players on the free agent market, most notably after the dissolution of the USFL, adding Bart Oates and Sean Landeta.

Young was a scholar of the game and a gentleman as well. He brought the Giants back to prominence and then left them in the very capable hands of  his friend, Ernie Accorsi, moving on to become the NFL’s czar of football operations. He sadly passed away in 2001at the age of 71.

Accorsi was asked recently how he thought Young would handle being a finalist for the Hall of Fame. 

“I think about George every day,” Accorsi said. “I remember one time he said to me, ‘Only players should be in the Hall of Fame.’ He wouldn’t have made a big deal about it and he wouldn’t have admitted it, but it would have meant the world to him…I’m just sorry he isn’t here to enjoy it. But, hopefully, he can look down and see it. He’s certainly deserving of enshrinement, that’s for sure.”

He’s got our vote.