The 1965 New York Giants season was the franchise's 41st season in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. The

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) *Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...

were led by fifth-year head coach

Allie Sherman Alex "Allie" Sherman (February 10, 1923 – January 3, 2015) was an American football player and coach who played 51 games in six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as a quarterback and defensive back, and afterward served as head coa ...

and finished with a 7–7 record, which placed them in a tie for second in the Eastern Conference with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

, four games behind the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

. The Cowboys won both meetings with the Giants and gained the berth as the conference runner-up in the

third place In sociology, the third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). Examples of third places include churches, cafes, clubs, public ...

Playoff Bowl The Playoff Bowl (officially known as the Bert Bell Benefit Bowl) was a post-season game for third place in the National Football League (NFL), played ten times following the through seasons, all at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It was or ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. During the offseason, the Giants traded for quarterback

Earl Morrall Earl Edwin Morrall (May 17, 1934 – April 25, 2014) was an American football player who was a quarterback (and occasional punter) in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons, both a starter and reserve. In the latter capacity, he be ...

. New York began with two wins in their first three games, and held a 4–4 mark before a two-game losing streak. They won three of their next four games before losing the regular season finale, their second game against the Cowboys. Morrall started all 14 games for the Giants, throwing 22 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions.

Tucker Frederickson Ivan Charles "Tucker" Frederickson (born January 12, 1943) is a former American football running back for the New York Giants of the NFL. He was an All-American in college, a Heisman Trophy runner-up, the #1 pick of the 1965 NFL draft, and a Pro ...

topped the team with 659 yards rushing; he had six touchdowns, including five on the ground. Joe Morrison led the with 41 receptions, while Homer Jones had a team-high 709 receiving yards and six touchdown catches. Defensively, Spider Lockhart and

Dick Lynch Richard Dennis Lynch (April 29, 1936 – September 24, 2008) was an American football defensive back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants. He was a one-time Pro Bowler in 1963, when he led the NFL ...

each had four interceptions, and

Jim Katcavage James Richard Katcavage (October 28, 1934 – February 22, 1995) was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) who played thirteen seasons for the New York Giants. From 1952 until 1956, Katcavage played c ...

had 5.5 sacks to lead New York. Frederickson and tackle

Rosey Brown Roosevelt "Rosey" Brown Jr. (October 20, 1932 – June 9, 2004) was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants from 1953 to 1965. He previously played coll ...

were selected for the 1966 Pro Bowl.

Offseason

* January 22, 1965: Y. A. Tittle, 38, announced his retirement from professional football. * June 29, 1965: Giants president

Jack Mara John V. Mara (March 21, 1908 – June 29, 1965) was a co-owner of the New York Giants, an American football team that plays in the National Football League. Jack was the son of Elizabeth "Lizette" (née Barclay) and Tim Mara and brother of Wel ...

died at age 57. * July 1965: Head coach

signed a ten-year contract, at $50,000 per year. He was fired in September 1969.

NFL Draft

In the 1965 NFL draft, the Giants had the first overall selection and took running back

; future hall of famers taken later in the first round were

Joe Namath Joseph William Namath (; ; born May 31, 1943) is a former American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He played college foot ...

Gale Sayers Gale Eugene Sayers (May 30, 1943September 23, 2020) was an American professional football player who was both a halfback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). In a relatively brief but highly productive NFL career, Sa ...

, and Dick Butkus.

Roster

Schedule

Notes: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1

Week 2

Standings

References

1960s in the Bronx

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

New York Giants seasons {{NewYorkGiants-season-stub