Tim Mara Timothy James " Tim " Mara ( July 29 , 1887 – February 16 , 1959 ) was the founder and administrator for the New York Giants of the National Football League . The Giants ' , under Mara , would win NFL championships in 1934 , 1938 , and 1956 and divisional titles in 1933 , 1939 , 1941 , 1944 , 1946 , 1958 , 1959 . Early life . Mara was born into poverty on New York ' s Lower East Side . At the age of 13 , he quit school in order to find work to support his mother . His first job was as an usher in a theater . He then worked as a newsboy selling newspapers on the streets . This job brought him into contact with many of New York ’ s bookmakers ( or bookies ) , which was a legal business at the time . He soon became a runner for the bookies , earning five percent of the bets he collected and receiving tips from winners when he delivered their cash . By age 18 , he was an established bookmaker himself . New York Giants . Formation of the Giants . 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 to offer boxing promoter Billy Gibson a franchise . Gibson , the former owner of the NFL ' s last New York Franchise , the New York Brickley Giants , refused the offer . However he referred Carr to his friend Tim Mara . While Mara did not know much about football , Mara ' s friend , Dr . Harry March , did . March , a former physician for the Canton Bulldogs of the pre - NFL " Ohio League " and the future author of the first professional football history book " " , soon became the club ' s first secretary . This backing led Mara to purchase the NFL franchise for New York at a cost of $ 500 . Mara and March , even signed Jim Thorpe to play several half games in order to boost attendance . However many of the New York sports fans still took to college football and stayed away from the pro sport . During the Giants ' first season , attendance was so poor that that Mara lost over $ 40 , 000 . To tap into New York ' s college football fans , Mara tried to sign ex - college football superstar Red Grange only to find that he aleady was a member of the Chicago Bears . However still looking for a way to cash in on Grange ' s popularity , Mara scheduled a game against the Bears to be played at the Polo Grounds . The gate receipts totalled $ 143 , 000 for that one game against Grange and Bears , and Mara recovered all of his losses for the 1925 season . Battle with the AFL and first NFL Championship . In 1926 , Grange and his manager , C . C . Pyle , formed the first American Football League with a New York franchise to compete with the Giants . New York ' s coach Bob Folwell and star tackle , Century Milstead , left to join the AFL ' s Philadelphia Quakers . This led Mara to increase the salaries of all his players by $ 50 a game to prevent them from leaving the Giants ' too . He also signed many players to full - season contracts . Mara suffered $ 60 , 000 in financial losses that season . However all but four of the AFL franchises finished the 1926 season . Mara then challenged the AFL champion Philadelphia Quakers to a game and they accepted . In the first inter - league post - season confrontation , the seventh - place Giants defeated the AFL ’ s champion , 31 - 0 . The AFL folded soon after . By now , Mara was now willing to admit the Yankees into the NFL , as the only survivor of the defunct AFL . He even allowed the team to play its home games at Yankee Stadium . However Mara was able to dictate the Yankees ' schedule . When the Giants were in the Polo Grounds , the Yankees were to be on the road . The next year , the Giants went 11 - 1 - 1 and Mara had his first championship . At the end of the 1928 season , Pyle turned his Yankees ' franchise over to Mara . In 1929 Dan Blaine , the owner of the Staten Island Stapletons , applied for an NFL franchise . However he first needed permission from Mara to set up his franchise , because Staten Island was within Mara ' s exclusive territory . But Mara actually had an extra franchise since the Yankees folded after the 1928 season , so the franchise again went back to Mara and he passed those franchise ' s rights on to Staten Island . Takeover of the Wolverines . In 1929 , Mara was looking for a player who might approach Grange in fan appeal . He saw Benny Friedman of the Detroit Wolverines was the best option available . When he couldn ’ t make a deal for Friedman , Mara simply bought the entire Detroit franchise for $ 10 , 000 . For the next few years , Mara had ultimate ownership of three NFL franchises however , he never interfered with the management of any of the teams that operated under his leases . Great Depression era . During the Great Depression in 1930 , New York Mayor Jimmy Walker approached Mara about playing a charity exhibition game , which he quickly agreed . The Giants defeated the Notre Dame All - Stars , which included the legendary Four Horsemen . The Giants easily outscored Notre Dame , 21 - 0 . As a result of the game , Mara and the Giants raised $ 115 , 153 for the New York City Unemployment Fund . Mara died on February 16 , 1959 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963 . Battles with other rival leagues . In 1936 and 1937 , Mara successfully battled for New York ' s pro football market against Brooklyn Tigers and the New York Yankees of the second American Football League . He also successfully outlasted the third New York Yankees of the third American Football League . However from 1946 to 1949 , Mara engaged in an all - out war with the All - America Football Conference . Mara and the Giants were faced with two AAFC opponents in the New York City area , the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers . Again Mara fought hard for New Yorks pro football fanbase and eventually won . When the two leagues parially merged after the 1949 season , Mara demanded and got the best players from the combined New York - Brooklyn franchise that had operated in 1949 . Legacy . Mara died in 1959 at the age of 71 . His vast contributions to the NFL were recognized with his 1963 election to charter membership in the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Family . He was the father of the late Wellington Mara , who also is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame , and Jack Mara . His grandson , John Mara is currently the Giants ' president . He is the great - grandfather to the actresses Rooney and Kate Mara .