| 1953 New York Giants season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Owner | Tim Mara |
| Head coach | Steve Owen |
| Home stadium | Polo Grounds |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–9 |
| Division place | 5thNFL Eastern |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
The1953New York Giantsseason was the franchise's 29th season in theNational Football League. The Giants were looking to improve on their 7–5 record from the previous season. However, the Giants hit rock bottom in 1953, losing their first three games of the season on their way to a disappointing 3–9 record and in 5th place in their division. The season included a 62–14 loss to theCleveland Browns, the 62 points being the second most points surrendered in franchise history at the time as they had given up 63 points the year before in 1952 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, until it was surpassed by the 1966 team that gave up 72 points toWashington in the highest scoring game in NFL history.
Head coachSteve Owen was fired at the end of the season. After his departure, rumors emerged that future legendary coachVince Lombardi was a candidate to replace him as the next head coach. However, the Giants ultimately settled onJim Lee Howell as their next coach, while Lombardi was hired as co-offensive coordinator.
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 27 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 7–21 | 0–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 49,579 | Recap | ||
| 2 | October 3 | atPittsburgh Steelers | L 14–24 | 0–2 | Forbes Field | 31,500 | Recap | ||
| 3 | October 11 | atWashington Redskins | L 9–13 | 0–3 | Griffith Stadium | 26,241 | Recap | ||
| 4 | October 18 | Chicago Cardinals | W 21–7 | 1–3 | Polo Grounds | 30,301 | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 25 | Cleveland Browns | L 0–7 | 1–4 | Polo Grounds | 30,773 | Recap | ||
| 6 | November 1 | atChicago Cardinals | W 23–20 | 2–4 | Comiskey Park | 17,499 | Recap | ||
| 7 | November 8 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L 7–30 | 2–5 | Connie Mack Stadium | 24,331 | Recap | ||
| 8 | November 15 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 10–14 | 2–6 | Polo Grounds | 20,411 | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 22 | Washington Redskins | L 21–24 | 2–7 | Polo Grounds | 16,887 | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 29 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 37–28 | 3–7 | Polo Grounds | 20,294 | Recap | ||
| 11 | December 6 | atCleveland Browns | L 14–62 | 3–8 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 40,235 | Recap | ||
| 12 | December 13 | Detroit Lions | L 16–27 | 3–9 | Polo Grounds | 28,390 | Recap | ||
| Note: Intra-conference opponents are inbold text. | |||||||||
| NFL Eastern Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Cleveland Browns | 11 | 1 | 0 | .917 | 9–1 | 348 | 162 | L1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 4 | 1 | .636 | 6–3–1 | 352 | 215 | W1 | |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 5 | 1 | .545 | 6–3–1 | 208 | 215 | L1 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 5–5 | 211 | 263 | W2 | |
| New York Giants | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 3–7 | 179 | 277 | L2 | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 1 | 10 | 1 | .091 | 0–10 | 190 | 337 | W1 | |
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB)
Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL)
| Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Reserve
|
Before the end of the 1953 season, the New York Daily News had a headline in their paper thatVince Lombardi was the top candidate to become the Giants new head coach.[1] Although Giants co-ownerWellington Mara was a classmate of Lombardi atFordham University, the Giants were actually interested in Army head coach, ColonelRed Blaik. Blaik had declined the job, but recommended Lombardi, who was his offensive co-ordinator at Army.[2] Despite being Red Blaik's top aide, Vince Lombardi was anxious and frustrated. Three other Army assistants, includingMurray Warmath were now head coaches.[3] In June, Lombardi had turned forty years old. Lombardi would be hired as the offensive co-ordinator for the 1954 season.[4]
