Forty years’ worth of columns from one of the New York Times ’ most popular sportswriters   Former New York Times columnist Ira Berkow captures the spirit of the Giants in this unforgettable collection of opinions, stories, and observations from his long and distinguished career. From memories of Fran Tarkenton and Bill Parcells to reflections on Eli Manning and Phil Simms, this work stands as a remarkable collection bringing to life Giants’ personalities through the critical and comedic commentary of Ira Berkow. Ira Berkow shared the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2001, was a finalist for the Pulitzer for commentary in 1988, and was a sports columnist and feature writer for the New York Times for more than 25 years. He is the bestselling author of 23 books, including Maxwell Street: Survival in a Bazaar , Red: A Biography of Red Smith , and Summers in the Bronx: Attila the Hun and Other Yankee Stories . He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 and also received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Roosevelt University in Chicago. He lives in New York City. Giants Among Men Y.A., L.T., Big Tuna, & Other New York Giants Stories By Ira Berkow Triumph Books Copyright © 2015 Ira Berkow All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-62937-046-0 Contents Introduction, I. Giant QBs, Pocket-Size and Otherwise, Y.A. Tittle: At Home and Abroad, When Simms Saw Red, The Respect Phil Simms Has Earned, Fran Tarkenton: Not All NFL Greats Are Given Their Due, Kerry Collins Turns Corner, On and Off the Field, David Brown Hopes to Wear Out Giants Fans, Jeff Hostetler: Brush with Death Bonds a Family, II. A Clutch of Big Blue Coaches, Bill Parcells: What's a Jersey Guy?, The Giants' Rookie Head Coach and the Ghost, Dan Reeves: Can 70,000 People Be Wrong?, III. On the Line, or Thereabouts, Lawrence Taylor: The Great, Flawed Warrior, Gary Reasons' Rather Reasoned Head, Calloway Oversteps the Line, The Smell in the Giants' Locker Room, Emotional Pain and a Bullet Doom Ex-Football Star, Leave Those Nose Tackles Alone, Lloyd, He's an Eagle, but Stan Walters' Family Still Roots for the Giants, The Surprising Story of Oberlin Joe and George Sauer, Jim Parker: Sunday's Woes, Mike Karney: A Christmas Wish Remembered, Brian Urlacher: Key to the Bears, The Fridge at the Thanksgiving Table, Dick Plasman: With a Hole in His Head, IV. A Cluster of Kickers, Matt Bahr: Where the Kick Fits In, Eric Schubert's Windy Symphony, The Kick Norwood Can't Forget, Vinatieri's Rare Miss Makes No Difference, Justice Byron White: Friend and Mentor to Nick Lowery, Tom Dempsey: Star to Bum, How Lou Groza Changed the Game, V. On the Run, Rob Carpenter Carries the Giants, Sayers and Piccolo: Time to Remember a Colorful Bond, Frenchy Fuqua Is Alive and Still Doing Swell, John Riggins and Life Without Blockers, Larry Csonka: Monster? Hardly, VI. Rival QBs, Johnny Unitas: An Immortal Doesn't Look Back, Terry Bradshaw: Pittsburgh's Benighted Knight, Ben Roethlisberger: Steelers' Secret Weapon Nearly Remained One, Not Time for Flutie to Ride Off into the Sunset, Troy Aikman: So Strong, So Vulnerable, Jim Plunkett: Who Was "Ready", Joe Namath at Candlelight, Doug Williams and Joe Gilliam: History Is Tidy; Lives Aren't, Perseverance Paid Off Big for John Elway, Detroit Fans Cheer for the Quarterback without the Union Label, Footballs Just Kept Disappearing, VII. Coaches across the Field, Vince Lombardi: Super Bowl Locker Room Oration, Vince Lombardi Jr.: "It's Hard to Be Me.", Marv Levy: How the Bills Build Their Vocabulary, Mike Ditka and the Heart of Grabowski, At One Time, Paul Brown Jumped for Joy, Too, VIII. Legends across the Ages, Red Grange: The Ghost Galloped Into History, Bronko Nagurski Appears!, When Johnny Blood Rode, Jim Thorpe and the "Scoop", Sid Luckman: "I Remember It All As If It Were Yesterday", Marshall Goldberg Led Two Teams to Football Titles, IX. At Issue, O.J. Simpson and the Worship of False Sports Gods, Dr. King and the Super Bowl, At the Super Bowl: Gas Masks and Face Masks, What Is She Doing in Here?, A "Touchdown" Teaches a Lesson for Life, Jerry Smith: The Courage of the Gentle, It's Time for "Redskins" to Exit, A Bevy of Bruises, For the Big Game, Inspiration Before Perspiration, X. A Trio of U.S. Presidents and Shoulder Pads, The Giants Meet the Gipper, Richard Nixon's Football Origins, Gerald Ford: A Lineman's Dream Come True, XI. Prior to the Pros, When Bear Bryant Consulted Ann Landers, John Gagliardi: An Unconventional Tradition of Success, Football as First Fiddle, Herschel Walker's Rights, XII. Strictly Personal, Going to the Root of the Super Bowl, Harry Gilmer: A Gift That I Kept on Kicking, The Hawk Lives, Joe Crisco and Joe Tuna, Henry Thoreau: Football to the Beat of a Different Drum, On Sports in October, About the Author, CHAPTER 1 Y.A. Tittle: At Home