New York Brickley Giants

New York Giants (informally known as "Brickley's Giants") was a professional football team with the American Professional Football Association (now NFL) whose only season played was in 1921. The team has also been referred to as Brickley's Giants and Brickley's Brooklyn Giants. The Brickley's Giants was the first of 17 professional football teams to represent New York City at one time or another. The team was originally founded in 1919 by Charles Brickley, who received All-American honors while at Harvard. Brickley's Giants played two games in their only season, losing to the Buffalo All-Americans, 55-0, and the Cleveland Tigers, 17-0. It was the second shortest lived franchise in NFL history, behind only the Tonawanda Kardex, who played only one game in the same 1921 season.

1919 team
The team was sponsored by the New York Giants professional baseball team, and coached by Brickley, a Halfback who was generally considered the finest kicker of his day. Home games were to be played at the Polo Grounds.

The team was originally formed with the intent of competing in 1919. However after the team's first practice, the 1919 schedule, that began with an opening day game against the Massillon Tigers, was scratched because of conflict with New York's blue laws. In 1919 the city allowed professional baseball on Sunday and the Giants thought the law would also apply to football. However, it was ruled that professional football was still outlawed on Sundays, so the team disbanded.

1921 team
The team regrouped in 1921, with the financial backing from boxing promoter, Billy Gibson. Aside from Brickley, the team had no college stars. Joining Charles with the Giants was his brother George Brickley, who played baseball as an outfielder with the Philadelphia Athletics. The 1921 version of the team played several exhibition games, but only two league games, losing to the Buffalo All-Americans in October, and again to the Cleveland Tigers that December. In between games between NFL clubs, the Giants played a number of non-league games against lesser teams. The franchise played two seasons as an independent and folded after the 1923 season. The 1921 Giants, played their home games at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

Legacy
In 1925, the NFL was in need of a franchise in a large city market, that could be used to showcase the league. NFL President, Joseph Carr traveled to New York City to offer Billy Gibson, a franchise. Gibson, was choosen by Carr since he own the league's last New York franchise, the Brickley Giants. However Gibson refused the offer for a new franchise, but he did refer Carr to a friend of his, Tim Mara. Mara then established the modern-day New York Giants franchise.

Other than the name, there is no relation between the Brickley Giants and the modern New York Giants franchise.