Nos. 81-90 Revealed on Top 100 All-time Giants List

Fans will probably recognize a lot of the names in this next group of 10.

In this Jan. 1, 2012 photos, New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw (44) gets high fives from fans after defeating the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. 2423f561 00001 / TYSON TRISH/The Record via Imagn Content

The countdown to No. 1 (as if we don’t know who that will be) is on for the New York Giants, who released the second batch of players on Thursday, making the franchise’s top 100 greatest Giants of all time.  

Many of the names ranked between No. 81 and 90 should be easily recognizable by Giants fans, as they include six Super Bowl participants (five of whom were on winning championship teams) and a trio of legacy greats, including one who still holds a franchise record for most receiving touchdowns by a tight end.

Here is the list…

No. 81:  OT Frank Cope 

Cope joined the Giants in 1938 out of Santa Clara College and would go on to spend his entire career with the franchise. Along the way, he was one of four Giants named to the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team, joining teammates Mel Hein, Tuffy Leemans, and Ken Strong. Cope was named a first-team All-Pro in 1945 and was a two-time Pro Bowler  (1938 and 1940). He appeared in 98 games as a Giant.

Dec 11, 2011; Dallas, TX, USA; New York Giants tackle Kareem McKenzie (67) in action against the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. / Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

No. 82: OT Kareem McKenzie

“K-Mac” or “The Professor” as I called him (the latter given his cerebral nature), came to the Giants in 2005 as an unrestricted free agent after four years with the Jets. 

With David Diehl, Shaun O’Hara, Rich Seubert, and Chris Snee, McKenzie was part of one of the best offensive lines in team history. This unit started 38 games together and successfully won Super Bowl XLII. 

That offensive line combination also helped the 2008 Giants lead the league in rushing (157.4 yards/game), with two running backs, Brandon Jacobs and Ahamd Bradshaw, each topping the century mark in rushing yardage. 

Jan 6, 2002; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Giants quarterback Kerry Collins (5) in action against the Green Bay Packers at Giants Stadium. / Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY Sports

No. 83. QB Kerry Collins

Collins, whom the Giants acquired as a free agent in 1999, ranks third all-time among Giants quarterbacks in completions (1,447), fourth in yards (16,875), and sixth in touchdown passes (81). 

He will probably be best remembered for engineering a 41-0 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the 2000 NFC Championship Game. He threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns in that contest, both still standing as Giants postseason records. 

Although Collins and the 2000 Giants came up way short in their attempt to win Super Bowl XXXV (the franchise’s only Super Bowl loss in five appearances), Collins was a key figure on the team that the late Wellington Mara, in mocking the critics who called the Giants “the worst team ever to win the home-field advantage in the National Football League," called “the worst team ever to win the NFC championship." 

No. 84: RB Ahmad Bradshaw

It’s not very often teams get anywhere near the type of production out of their seventh-round draft picks as the Giants did with Bradshaw. Yet the scrappy running back, the team’s seventh-round pick in 2007, did just that, delivering two 1,000-rushing yard seasons for the Giants over his six-year career and proving himself to be a threat out of the backfield. 

Bradshaw ranks seventh in rushing yards (4,232), eighth in carries (921), and ninth in rushing touchdowns (32). If all that plus his Super Bowl heroics in 2007 and 2011 weren’t enough to justify his inclusion on this list, throw in his 1,788 kickoff-return yards, which are the fourth most in franchise history. 

No. 85: RB/PR/KOR David Meggett

A fifth-round draft pick by the Giants in 1989, Meggett became one of the best return specialists of his time. When he retired in 1998, Meggett held the NFL record for punt return yards with 3,708 yards, later broken by Brian Mitchell. 

Meggett, considered a scatback type of runner thanks to his smallish size but elite agility and slippery running style, holds the franchise record in punt-return yards (2,230), punt-return average (11.0 yards), punt-return touchdowns (six), and kick returns (146), and is second in franchise history with 2,989 kick return yards. 

The former Towson State back played for the Giants until 1994 before joining the Patriots the following season. He earned two Pro Bowl berths in 1989 with the Giants and 1996 with the Patriots. Meggett, who was part of the Giants’ Super Bowl XXV team, was also named a second-team All-Pro in 1990 while with the Giants.

No. 86: DB Erich Barnes

Barnes only spent four seasons with the Giants (1961-1964) after spending his first three seasons in the league with the Bears, who traded him to the Giants after the 1960 season in a three-team trade. 

During his time in Blue, Barnes was named first-team All-Pro in 1961 and second-team in 1962 and 1964. He finished his career with six Pro Bowl berths, including all four seasons with the Giants. A dynamic ball hawk, Barnes picked off  45 career passes, including 18 for the Giants.

In 1961, Barnes set a Giants record and tied the then-NFL mark when he intercepted a pass against Dallas and returned it 102 yards for a touchdown, one of his seven interceptions for 195 yards that season. Barnes was traded to the Cleveland Browns after the 1964 season, where he played until 1971, his last season in the NFL.

Sep 8, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; New York Giants cornerback Corey Webster (23) on the sidelines during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. The Dallas Cowboys beat the New York Giants 36-31. / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

No. 87: CB Corey Webster

Webster is a classic example of resiliency. A second-round pick in 2005 out of LSU, Webster struggled early on in his career under Tim Lewis, his first defensive coordinator. But when Steve Spagnuolo came on board in 2007, Webster’s career received a much-needed shot in the arm.  

Webster, who became the last player “to catch a pass” from legendary Packers quarterback Brett Favre during his time with Green Bay, started 93 of 121 regular-season games and 10 postseason outings, including Super Bowls XLII and XLVI. 

He is one of six Giants to record multiple interceptions in a single postseason run and is the franchise leader with 97 passes defensed. His 20 career interceptions are tied for tenth in team history.

 No. 88: TE Howard Cross

When it came to blocking tight ends, there were none better back in the day than Cross. A sixth-round draft pick out of Alabama in 1989, Cross, the 1988 Jacobs Blocking Trophy award winner, spent his entire NFL career with the Giants, helping them to win Super Bowl XXV. 

Cross, who was also part of the Giants’ Super Bowl XXXV team, appeared in 207 career games as a Giant, the most ever by a single player at the time of his retirement in 2001. Although Cross wasn’t as well known for his pass-catching abilities, he played a big part in the Giants ' Super Bowl XXV win over Buffalo, catching four passes for 39 yards, all four of his receptions going for first downs. 

Dec 13, 1997; E. Rutherford, NJ, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Giants defensive back Jason Sehorn (31) against the Washington Redskins at Giants Stadium. / RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

No. 89: CB Jason Sehorn

Sehorn was a second-round Giants draft pick in 1994 out of USC, a man whose elite athletic skills helped him become one of the finest at his position during his career. Sehorn initially started his NFL career as a strong safety but was soon converted to cornerback. In 1996, he became a starter and soon became one of the faces of the franchise during his era. 

The Giants, wanting to capitalize as much as possible on Sehorn’s athleticism, had him return kickoffs in 1998. That experiment ended poorly when he tore two ligaments in his right knee during a preseason game. He returned the following year but had that season cut short due to a broken leg.  

Before injuries began to affect his athletic ability, Sehorn would rack up 19 interceptions with four returned for touchdowns, tying the franchise record with Emlen Tunnell and Dick Lynch. 

Sehorn also holds the Giants' all-time postseason record with four interceptions, including a 32-yard return for a touchdown in the 2000 Divisional Round against the rival Eagles and a pick a week later in the NFC Championship Game, which the Giants pummeled the Minnesota Vikings 41-0.

No. 90: TE Aaron Thomas

Thomas, who played for the Giants from 1962-1970, holds the franchise record for receiving touchdowns by a tight end (35). A fourth-round pick by the 49ers in 1961, Thomas joined the Giants two games into the 1962 season, where he joined quarterback Y.A. Tittle, who had been traded to the Giants by the 49ers the season prior.  

Thomas appeared in 117 games as a Giant, and his 247 receptions rank fifth in the franchise’s record books. Also, his 17.2 yards per reception is the third-highest average in team history among those with a minimum of 200 receptions, regardless of position.

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