On Wednesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 60 semi-finalists for the Class of 2024. Of those 60 members, six are former New York Giants.
Those six members are two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Tom Coughlin as well as former head coach Dan Reeves, and four players Carl Banks, Charlie Conerly, Ottis Anderson and Everson Walls. Here, we take a look at all of them.
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Tom Coughlin
Of the six semi-finalists, Tom Coughlin has the best chance of being inducted. In 20 years as a head coach, he has a regular season record of 170-150 (102-90 with the New York Giants and has a postseason record of 12-7 (8-3 with the Giants). His 182 victories in the regular season and postseason are the 12th most in NFL history.
He was the Giants’ head coach from 2004 -2015 and will always be remembered for his crowning achievements in leading New York to two victories in the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI. In those two wins, he got the better of Bill Belichick who many consider the best coach in NFL history, which will only enhance his chances of being inducted.
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Dan Reeves
Reeves spent 23 years as an NFL head coach where he has a 190-165-2 record in the regular season. He spent four seasons with the Giants from 1993 to 1996 and during his tenure had a record of 31-33 and was 1-1 in the playoffs. He was named AP NFL Coach of the Year in his first season with the Giants, and in 1998 with the Atlanta Falcons.
He passed away on January 1st, 2022 at the age of 77.
Carl Banks
Banks spent nine of his 12 seasons in the NFL with Giants from 1984 to 1992 where he was instrumental in helping New York win Super Bowls XXI and XXV. Despite playing alongside two Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson for much of his career, Banks was able to stand out on his own. He was named First Team All-Pro in 1987, and he was named to the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade team.
In 173 regular season games, Banks was credited with 860 tackles (642 solo) and had 39.5 sacks and three interceptions.
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Ottis “OJ” Anderson
Anderson spent his first seven and a half seasons with the St Louis Cardinals before coming to the New York Giants midway thru the 1986 season via trade. He would play sparingly from 1986-1988 but had one of his best seasons in 1989 when he rushed for 1,023 yards and scored 14 rushing touchdowns while helping the team to a division title.
He is best remembered for being the MVP of Super Bowl XXV where the Giants defeated the Bills 20-19 thanks to Anderson’s 102 yards on 21 carries and scored one touchdown. For his career, he rushed for 10,273 yards which is the 30th most in NFL history.
Everson Walls
After playing his first nine seasons with the Dallas Cowboys from 1981-1989, Walls joined the Giants via free agency in 1990 and helped them win a Super Bowl. In his first season with Big Blue, he recorded six interceptions including his first career touchdown on a 28-yard pick-six in New York’s 21-10 victory over Washington in Week 8.
For his career, Walls recorded 57 interceptions and was named first-team All-Pro three times, and was voted to four Pro Bowls. He also led the NFL in interceptions three times (1981, 1982, 1985).
Charlie Conerly
Conerly played quarterback for New York from 1948-1961 and led the team to the NFL Championship in 1956. He was the NFL Rookie of the Year in 1948, and the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1959. At the time of his retirement, he held several franchise career passing records including most completions (1,418), passing yards (19,488), and passing touchdowns (173). He passed away at the age of 74 on February 13th, 1996.
Later this month, the committees will whittle down the 60 members to 24 and advance to the final stage of the Hall of Fame voting process.