Allie Sherman obit

Former NY Giants coach Allie Sherman dead at 91

 

He was not on the list.

Former Giants head coach Allie Sherman died in his Manhattan home on Saturday. Sherman, who led the Giants to three NFL championship games from 1961-63, was 91. The death was announced by his family on Monday.

Sherman, a Brooklyn native, coached the Giants from 1961 until 1969, earning two NFL Coach of the Year awards in 1961 and 1962, the first time in league history that a coach won that honor in back-to-back seasons. It was one of many firsts for Sherman, who was also one of the first head coaches to cross over into the media, serving as an on-air analyst after his coachiing days were over.

Sherman was savvy with the media, among the first in the NFL to take press questions daily.

Sherman was also a forerunner in the way he built his staff: In 1965 an 1966, he added two former Giants to his coaching corps, Emlen Tunnell and Rosey Brown, the first two African-American assistants in the league.

"Allie was a great coach and an even better man," said John Mara, the Giants' president and chief executive officer. "He was a special friend, and I will miss him dearly."

Sherman played 51 games in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1943 to 1947, before transitioning into coaching. He began his NFL coaching career as a Giants backfield coach under Steve Owen in 1949, left the franchise in 1953, when Owen retired. He returned in 1957 as a scout, took over as offensive coordinator in 1959, and eventually ascended to head coach in 1961.

With the Eagles he played with greats such as Steve Van Buren, Al Wistert, Greasy Neale, Bucko Kilroy, Pete Pihos, Vic Sears, Alex Wojciechowicz and Joe Muha.

"Allie was special," said Steve Tisch, the team's chairman and executive vice president. "Like my father (Bob), Allie was from Brooklyn. Allie was one of us. Can you imagine being the person hired to replace Vince Lombardi on a coaching staff in 1959? Allie did it, and he did it well."

On the field, he coached a host of Giants greats, including quarterbacks Charley Conerly and Y.A. Tittle, receiver Del Shofner, Frank Gifford, and defensive lineman Andy Robustelli. He coached only Big Blue during his eight-year career, going 57-51-4.

"He wanted to succeed and he did," Gifford said. "He did a great job as far as I'm concerned.

"Allie was a friend of mine," Gifford added. "There were a lot of times after practice when we were in Yankee Stadium and he would come over if I wasn't looking like I was happy. He wanted to know what was wrong. He would pull up his little stool, we'd sit down and we'd talk. He was a coach and a friend. Coaching was a different kind of role in his life.

"He taught me a hell of a lot. I came from USC as a single-wing tailback and defensive player. Tom Landry wanted to keep me on defense, and Allie wanted me on offense, so I caused a little bit of a riot there. He was a great guy."

Sherman is survived by his wife Joan, son Randy, daughters Lori Sherman and Robin Klausner and two grandchildren. He is a member of the National Jewish Sport Hall of Fame in Long Island, and the Brooklyn College graduate is a member of that school's Hall of Fame as well.

 

As a player:

 

    Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Steagles (1943)

    Philadelphia Eagles (1944–1947)

 

As a coach:

 

    New York Giants (1949–1952)

    Running backs coach

    Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1953–1956)

    Head coach

    New York Giants (1959–1960)

    Offensive coordinator

    New York Giants (1961–1968)

    Head coach