Giants Honor Late Patriarch Wellington Mara with New Documentary

Wellington Mara went from a ball boy to one of the most prominent NFL team owners ever.

October 23, 2024; The Paley Center for Media, New York, USA; Neil Zender, Roger Goodell, and Susan Mara McDonnell discuss "THE DUKE: The Giant Life of Wellington Mara. / Victoria Jonach

As part of their ongoing 100th anniversary celebration, the New York Giants, in cooperation with NFL Films, unvveiled The Duke: The Giant Life of Wellington Mara, a new documentary outlining the rise and contributions of the team's late patriarch.

The documentary, which was show for a select guest list Wednesday night at the Paley Center in New York, highlights Mara’s remarkable legacy, emphasizing his pivotal role in transforming the Giants and the NFL into the institutions they are today.

Filmmaker Neil Zender emphasized Mara's many talents, including his scouting abilities, how he shaped the NFL’s business model, and the incredible relationships he made along the way. 

Mara started as the ball boy for the Giants in 1925 when his father, Tim, founded the team for the bargain price of $500. Tim Mara eventually passed along the ownership to his sons Jack and Wellington, the latter of whom was nicknamed "The Duke."

When Jack passed away in 1965, his half went to his children, headed by his son Tim, Wellington's nephew, until Tim Mara's family sold their share of the team after the 1990 Super Bowl to the family of PReston Robert Tisch.

Wellington, the father of current Giants co-owner John Mara, remained as the franchise's president until he passed away in 2005. In his time as the team’s leader, the Giants won two Super Bowls, 16 NFL/NFC divisional titles, and four NFL championships.

Mara didn’t just lead the Giants, though. He was responsible for many of the most significant transformations in the league as a whole. He merged the NFL and AFL, was one of the most prominent supporters of revenue sharing, and is the reason why “The Duke” is written on Wilson footballs to this day.

Before the screening, Giants radio play-by-play man Bob Papa sat down with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Susan Mara McDonnell (one of Wellington and Ann Mara's children), and Zender.

Zender said the greatest challenge in creating the film was the lack of material in the NFL Films archives. He quickly recognized that reflecting on the past wasn’t the best approach to illustrate Mara’s overall impact.

“If you want to understand Wellington Mara, and how important he is, don’t look in the past. Look in the present,” Zender said. 

“I don’t think there’s any person who experiences a football game, whether they’re watching it or they’re playing it, is not experiencing something that Wellington Mara played a [role in].” 

One of the main takeaways of the film and who Mara was, was his constant efforts to improve the league.

McDonnell highlighted his commitment to the NFL, even during his service in the Navy from 1941 to 1945.

“I came across hundreds of his personal letters that he wrote during his service…and letters that he wrote afterward; he saved everything. There were draft lists and draft notes from the 1940s up until the year that he died. There were many, many letters to all three commissioners describing ways to make the league better, make the game better, and make officiating better,” she said.

After the film, John Mara expressed his satisfaction with the film, crediting his sister (Susan) for her hard work that went into the project.

“It captured my father really well,” said Mara. “Seeing players speak about him was particularly emotional.”

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