Jersey numbers

[GMENNATION]

Jersey numbers are one of the most popular topics post-NFL draft season, as draft picks and UDFAs pick numbers for rookie minicamp. So this seems like a good time to mention that I absolutely hate the Giants jersey number situation. They handed number retirements out like candy and now it’s an issue every year. I realize this is not a real problem – who cares – but I care! It’s part of the marketability of players. Anyway, here is my minimum criteria for number retirements:

Permanent retirement:

1.     Died while an active player (morbid, I know). This covers your Pat Tillmans, Thurman Munson in baseball, etc.

2.     Played more than half your career with the team AND are considered an all-time great in the entire sport years after your retirement. 

3.     Played more than half your career with the team AND won were a key player in multiple championships.

4.     Played more than half your career with the team AND hold the all-time record for a major statistical category (note: becomes not permanent if record is broken)

75-year retirement (from year of player retirement) Why 75 years? It reasonably spans multiple generations. At 50 years, you could feasibly still be alive and an active fan when one of your favorite players’ number retirements happens:

1.     Played more than half your career with the team AND finished your career in the top-10 of a major statistical category.

2.     Played more than half your career with the team AND were a key player in a championship.

3.     Played more than half your career with the team AND won an MVP while with the team

4.     Played more than half your career with the team AND was an All-Pro 3x while with the team

 

With these guidelines in mind, what would that do to our current jersey retirement situation?

1 - Ray Flaherty – no retirement. Should have never been retired.

4 - Tuffy Leemans – 75-year retirement. At least spent 8 seasons with the team, had multiple All-Pro selections and won a championship. Number would already be back in circulation.

7 - Mel Hein – 75-year retirement. He is deserving due to an incredibly long career for the Giants and excellence for the time. Number would already be back in circulation.

10 – Eli Manning - Permanent retirement. Eli is obviously deserving for multiple SBs, SB MVPs and tenure with the team

11 – Phil Simms – Permanent retirement. 2x SB champ incl. an MVP. He is on the lower end of permanent retirement because I don’t believe he’s seen as an all-time great in the sport and will fade into obscurity more over time.

14 - Y.A. Tittle / Ward Cuff – No retirement. Y.A. Tittle is obviously a HoF player, but he only played for the Giants for a few seasons. Even having statistical excellence during his tenure with the NYG, he never won a championship. Ward Cuff should not have his number retired. 

16 – Frank Gifford – permanent retirement. Still considered an all-time great. Spent entire career with NYG. 4x All-Pro

32 – Al Blozis – permanent retirement. Sadly was killed in action during playing career.

40 – Joe Morrison – no retirement. This is a classic ring of honor type player. Long career all with NYG. A great for his time. Never won anything.

42 – Charlie Conerly – 75-year retirement. Long tenure with NYG and a championship.

50 – Ken Strong – 75 year retirement. Played more than half his career with NYG and was a key player in a championship. Number would already be back in circulation.

56 – Lawrence Taylor – Permanent retirement. Widely considered on of the best players of all time. Redefined the LB position.

92 – Michael Strahan – permanent retirement. This may hurt many of us but Strahan only sneaks into my permanent retirement criteria due to holding the single-season sack record. Once that is broken, he would slip into the 75-year retirement.

 

With these rules, we would already have 1, 4, 7, 14, 40 and 50 back in circulation. 42 would open up in 12 years. Okay, go ahead and comment what you would change!

[Acgott]

I don’t care for these specific rules, but I do think we can add the retired jerseys back into circulation. Just do something simple like 10 years after retirement. We still have the ring of honor.

[minutemancl]

We definitely need some of these numbers back in circulation, mainly because they are heavily desired numbers, they were retired a lifetime ago, and the players they were retired for weren't even that great. You pointed out a few- 1, 40, 14 being the main offenders. 40 wasn't even ever supposed to be retired, just our head coach at the time thought it was being retired, announced it at the retirement press conference, and Wellington Mara didn't want to undermine his head coach so just said "sure".

14 was already put back into circulation just 15 years after it was retired for Y.A. Tittle. Time to bring it back out again. Maybe make it, and these other un-retired numbers, special legacy numbers like some college teams do with certain numbers. Something like only team captains can wear them.

The Yankees obviously have a ton of retired numbers as well, but the major league baseball active roster is 26 players. In the NFL, it is 53 and there are number restrictions for positions.