New York Giants to honor Frank Gifford on jersey

The New York Giants will honor Frank Gifford on their jerseys this season.

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The New York Giants lost one of the faces of their franchise when Frank Gifford passed away on Sunday at the age of 84. Gifford was one of the rare athletes that transcended sports. According to Art Stapleton of the Record, the Giants plan to honor not only Gifford on their jersey, but also Ann Mara, the wife of original team owner Wellington Mara.

I'm told #Giants are planning to honor Mrs. Mara and Frank Gifford on their uniform for this season, but details are still being worked out.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) August 10, 2015

The Giants drafted Gifford with their first round pick back in 1952 and he stayed with the club until 1964. Gifford played both ways at a time when players still did that. He scored 34 touchdowns on the ground, 43 through the air and even threw for 14 scores.

He won NFL MVP in 1956 when he amassed 1,422 yards from scrimmage and helped lead the Giants to the NFL championship.

After his career, Gifford’s celebrity grew by becoming a part of the Monday Night Football telecasts from 1971 to 1997, as well as his marriage to TV personality Kathie Lee.

New York Giants’ owner John Mara went on Rich Eisen’s radio show and talked about Gifford.

"He was a larger-than-life figure for me and somebody I idolized right away,” Mara said. “Like many kids who grew up in my generation, we all wanted to be Mickey Mantle or Frank Gifford.We rose to prominence, as did professional football, during that period. All of a sudden our team is selling out every Sunday, something that’s continued to this day. And a lot of that is attributable to players like Frank Gifford who came along during that era.”"

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