The 1983 New York Giants season was the franchise's 59th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 3–12–1 record, the team’s worst record since 1976.
In the 1983 NFL draft, the Giants selected defensive back Terry Kinard in the first round, with the 10th overall pick. The 1983 season was the first for the Giants under Bill Parcells, who had been offered the position after previous head coach Ray Perkins resigned before succeeding Bear Bryant as the coach for the University of Alabama. Parcells named Scott Brunner the team’s starting quarterback, ahead of Phil Simms and Jeff Rutledge; upset with the decision, Simms requested a trade at one point during the season. New York was 2–2 in their first four games of the season, before a three-game losing streak that left the club at 2–5. Against the Philadelphia Eagles in their sixth game, the Giants inserted Simms into their lineup in place of Brunner; shortly afterward, Simms suffered a season-ending injury.Whittingham, p. 202.
The St. Louis Cardinals hosted the Giants in a matchup on October 24 that the New York Daily News''' Gary Myers later called the worst game in the history of Monday Night Football''. After the Giants lost a lead late in the fourth quarter, the game went into overtime. The Cardinals missed three field goal attempts in the extra period, including two in the final 1:06, and the contest ended in a 20–20 tie. The Giants lost the following three games before a victory in Philadelphia, which was their final win of the season. Losses to the Los Angeles Raiders, St. Louis, Seattle, and Washington left the team’s final record at 3–12–1.
Ali Haji-Sheikh, the Giants' kicker, set a team record for points scored in a season; with 35 field goals and 22 conversions, he was responsible for 127 points. In addition, he set a team record for the longest field goal in a game versus Green Bay, with a 56-yard kick. Earnest Gray had 1,139 receiving yards, becoming the first Giants wide receiver in 15 years to exceed 1,000 yards.Whittingham, p. 205.
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 4 Los Angeles Rams L 6–16 0–1 Giants Stadium 75,281 2 September 11 at Atlanta Falcons W 16–13 1–1 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 58,075 3 September 18 at Dallas Cowboys L 13–28 1–2 Texas Stadium 62,347 4 September 26 Green Bay Packers W 27–3 2–2 Giants Stadium 75,308 5 October 2 San Diego Chargers L 34–41 2–3 Giants Stadium 73,892 6 October 9 Philadelphia Eagles L 13–17 2–4 Giants Stadium 73,291 7 October 16 at Kansas City Chiefs L 17–38 2–5 Arrowhead Stadium 55,449 8 October 24 at St. Louis Cardinals T 20–20 2–5–1 Busch Memorial Stadium 45,630 9 October 30 Dallas Cowboys L 20–38 2–6–1 Giants Stadium 76,142 10 November 7 at Detroit Lions L 9–15 2–7–1 Pontiac Silverdome 68,985 11 November 13 Washington Redskins L 17–33 2–8–1 Giants Stadium 71,482 12 November 20 at Philadelphia Eagles W 23–0 3–8–1 Veterans Stadium 57,977 13 November 27 at Los Angeles Raiders L 12–27 3–9–1 Anaheim Stadium 41,473 14 December 4 St. Louis Cardinals L 6–10 3–10–1 Giants Stadium 25,156 15 December 11 Seattle Seahawks L 12–17 3–11–1 Giants Stadium 48,945 16 December 17 at Washington Redskins L 22–31 3–12–1 RFK Stadium 53,874
Game summaries
Week 5: San Diego Chargers
Gill Byrd had an interception for San Diego.
Week 13: Los Angeles Raiders
Standings
References
External links 1983 New York Giants at Pro-Football-Reference.com 1983 New York Giants at jt-sw.com