Wellington Mara: The Face of New York Football

Wellington Mara: 1916-2005. An article about a man that needs no introduction.
    A great man passed away today. He was a football man in every sense of the word. He was involved in the New York Giants organization for over 80 years. To me, that alone is an astonishing accomplishment. Starting at age 9 at the lowest end of the ladder (he was a ball boy), to becoming owner and CEO of the Giants organization.  From helping out to pick a new commissioner, to being at every practice, game and in the locker room until he literally couldn’t any more, Mara was a landmark person in the history of the Giants, as well as the National Football League.

    Like I said, he started as a ball boy when he was 9 years old and his father, Tim Mara owned the team. From the start he had an impact on the Giants. Most home teams, in this case the Giants in the Polo Grounds at the time, have their benches underneath the press box. The way the Polo Grounds were configured, shadows were cast on the bench. Little Wellington had a harsh cold at the time, so his mother ordered Tim Mara to move the bench to the other side of the stadium, which was bathed in sunlight. Ever since then, both in the Polo Grounds and the Meadowlands, the Giants bench has been on the opposite side of the field. Once, a Giants coach complained that the opposing coordinators sitting in the press box could read the Giants signals. Mara coolly replied with “Get better signals”.

    He was a co-owner with his brother Jack, with Jack handling the business aspect, while Wellington handled the football decisions. Mara brought in Hall of Famers such as Frank Gifford and Giants greats such as Y.A. Tittle and Pat Summerall. One quark about Mr. Mara was that from the NFL Championships and Super Bowls the Giants won, the only championship ring he wore was from 1956. About 30 years ago, he handed the football decisions to others and was a spirit and contributor to the organization as the owner. He was the one who fired Jim Fassel after the 2003 season and hired Tom Coughlin.

    Mara was a good soul who loved the game. He was influential in the National Football League, holding positions as President of the NFL’s labor arm, President of the NFC, and as a member of the Hall of Fame executive committee. He was inducted in 1997. He extended his arms out to include all Giants, as members of the Mara family. He believed that there were no ex-Giants, just old Giants. One of his close friends was Frank Gifford, the Hall of Fame Giant that was selected in the 1952 NFL Draft. Gifford threw a party for Mara a few years ago celebrating his 79 years, and there were many of these “old Giants” in attendance, such as Phil Simms, Lawrence Taylor, and Jeff Hostetler, just to name a few.

    Mara was there with the Giants through everything. Through trades, free agency, being at the bottom or the top of the division, Mara stuck through it all. He was at every practice, training camp and game, until he literally couldn’t anymore. Although his passing is sad, it makes me feel good that the last game he saw was the dramatic come from behind victory on Sunday that the G-men pulled off against the Broncos. He saw the future of the Giants, Eli Manning, lead the Giants down the field for the winning touchdown. May he Rest in Peace.

Wellington Mara 1916-2005