The New York Giants announced Sunday afternoon that former general manager Ernie Accorsi passed away on Saturday night at the age of 84.
Accorsi was born on October 29th, 1941 in Hershey Pennsylvania and spent 37 years as an NFL executive, the final 12 of which were spent with the Giants. He first joined the Giants’ front office as an assistant under George Young, serving in that capacity for four years. Accorsi became the Giants’ GM in 1998 and ran the Giants’ front office until 2026.
Accorsi built
the Giants’ 2000 NFC Championship team, and along with Jerry Reese and Dave Gettleman, laid the foundation for the Giants’ 2007 Super Bowl Championship.
Prior to joining the Giants, Accorsi worked for the Baltimore Colts (1970-1974, 1976-1983), and the Cleveland Browns (1985-1992). He was famous for his “Planet Theory” of drafting, as well as originating the adage that “You can never have enough pass rushers.”
Accorsi’s crowning achievement came in 2004 with the hiring of Tom Coughlin and the bold trade of fourth overall pick Philip Rivers, as well as three draft picks, to the Los Angeles Chargers for Eli Manning. Though Accorsi retired before the Giants’ legendary 2007 season, he was still given a Super Bowl ring for his work in laying the foundation for that team. Accorsi was inducted into the Giants’ Ring Of Honor in 2016 along with Michael Strahan.
Coughlin recounted after Accorsi’s passing,
“Ernie was very decisive, very opinionated. His mind was as sharp as a tack. He loved to laugh. He was a great storyteller, great storyteller. He loved to have an audience and laugh, and then everyone else would laugh with him. He was great with punchlines. He was one of those. He was very loyal. Very, very loyal. My experience, of course, Ernie and John Mara interviewed me when I became the head coach back in 2004. I didn’t realize that within a couple of years, Ernie was getting ready to retire. Nevertheless, we had a great challenge and we went forward from there. I always enjoyed working with Ernie, I always enjoyed talking with Ernie.”
“Ernie will always be remembered, and I say this out of great respect, he’s the guy that made the trade for Eli Manning. That will go down in Giants history as one of the great moves of all time. Was it risky? Sure it was risky. Ernie did it. Shut the door, went in, he did it on his own. It was his move. He had followed Eli from the time Eli was a very young player at Ole Miss, and he was convinced that Eli was the franchise quarterback that the Giants needed. He was not going to be deterred.”
Giants’ president John Mara said of Accorsi,
“Ernie helped shape the course of New York Giants history through his vision, leadership and unwavering belief in building a championship organization. Beyond his accomplishments as a football executive, he was a trusted advisor and dear friend. His legacy will forever be part of the Giants, and he will be greatly missed.”
Our thoughts are with all those who knew and loved Ernie Accorsi.
Rest in peace.
