Ernie Accorsi, the former Giants general manager who snagged Eli Manning in a seismic draft trade and changed the course of the franchise, died Saturday night, the team announced Sunday. He was 84.
Accorsi had a brief battle with cancer.
The Hershey, Pa. native and former member of the U.S. Army was a sportswriter before he began his NFL executive career. He was a general manager for the Colts and Browns before joining the Giants front office in 1994 as an assistant GM to George Young. Accorsi became the GM in 1998 after Young’s retirement.
The Giants reached Super Bowl XXXV during Accorsi’s tenure, where they were defeated 34-7 by the Ravens.
But his move to get Manning at the 2004 draft put the Giants back on course to win a Super Bowl.
Accorsi retired after the 2006 season, giving way to Jerry Reese, but he played such a big part in building the Giants team that toppled the undefeated Patriots the following season in Super Bowl XLII that he received a Super Bowl ring. Manning would lead the Giants to a second ring.
“I was extremely sad to hear the news about Ernie,” Manning said in a statement released by the Giants. “I call Ernie every draft week for the last 12 years, maybe longer than that, and just thank him for making the trade and believing in me and bringing me to the New York Giants. I know he was the believer in me and kind of the reason I got here. I appreciated him so much for building such great teams and giving us the opportunity to win some championships here. He was always so fun to sit with and just talk, whether it’s the Giants or his time in Baltimore around the Colts. His stories around the NFL and the people he was around that shaped his career were always so entertaining. I know the Giants organization owes a lot of thanks to Ernie Accorsi and what he was able to do for the organization.”
