George Young ( American football executive ) George Bernard Young ( September 22 , 1930 – December 8 , 2001 ) was an American football player , coach , and executive . He served as the general manager of the New York Giants from 1979 to 1997 . He was named NFL Executive of the Year five times . Early life . Young was born on September 22 , 1930 in Baltimore , Maryland . Young grew up in Baltimore ' s 10th Ward in a tough Irish - Catholic neighborhood , living over a bakery that was run by his mother ' s side of the family , just across the street from his father ' s bar . He was an outstanding football player at Calvert Hall College , a Catholic high school in Maryland just north of Baltimore . He attended Bucknell University where he was a starting defensive tackle for three seasons , team captain in 1951 , and a member of the Phi Lambda Theta Fraternity , which today is the Chi Phi Fraternity . He was named to the Little All - America first team and All - East first team in his senior year . Selected to play in the Blue - Gray game , he was selected by the Dallas Texans in the 1952 NFL Draft . Young then began a coaching career in the Baltimore area school system , briefly at Calvert Hall and then he took over the Baltimore City College football team . During a 15 - year span , his teams won six Maryland Scholastic Association championships . Tom Gatewood , tight end , and John Sykes , running back , were two of Coach Young ' s City athletes who would make it to the NFL , Kurt Schmoke , quarterback , and Curt Anderson , linebacker , established themselves in the political realm . Young was especially proud of his years as an educator , during which he taught history and political science . During that time he also earned two Master ' s degrees from Johns Hopkins University and Loyola College . In May 1987 , he was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Western Maryland College . Before being with the Giants . Prior to joining the Giants , Young was on the staffs of the Baltimore Colts ( 1968 – 1974 ) , holding positions of scout , offensive line coach , director of player personnel , and offensive coordinator , and the Miami Dolphins ( 1975 – 1978 ) , serving as director of personnel and pro scouting . New York Giants . George Young joined the National Football League as senior vice president of football operations on February 2 , 1998 , after serving 19 years as general manager of the New York Giants . The Giants had not made a postseason appearance in 15 years when Young was hired by the club in 1979 . In building the Giants he placed special emphasis on the NFL Draft . From his inaugural draft in 1979 through the 1995 selection process , he succeeded in signing every player drafted over that span , and from those drafts , a total of 119 players made the club at one time or another . Instrumental in his reversal of the Giants ’ fortunes was his drafting of standout players such as Phil Simms , Lawrence Taylor , Joe Morris , and Carl Banks , and selecting Bill Parcells as the club ’ s head coach . Success . During Young ' s tenure , the Giants earned eight playoff berths , highlighted by victories in Super Bowls XXI and XXV , and compiled an overall record of 155 - 139 - 2 . He was named NFL Executive of the Year an unprecedented five times : in 1984 , 1986 , 1990 , 1993 , and 1997 . Young also served as chairman of the NFL ' s Competition Committee . Decline . Despite Young ' s incredible success along with Giants Head of Player Personnel Tom Boisture during the 1980s , that success would not carry over into the 1990s . Young , an opponent of free agency seemed to lose his touch following the introduction of the free agency cycle following the 1992 regular season . He struggled to adapt to the system and as a result , signed several players to overvalued contracts while losing much of the Giants core talent to other franchises following free agency ' s inception . In addition , Young ' s draft magic seemed to disappear . From 1991 - 1996 , The Giants drafted six consecutive first round busts , although his later round selections included elite players , such as defensive end Michael Strahan , cornerback Phillippi Sparks , linebacker Jessie Armstead , cornerback Jason Sehorn , wide receiver Amani Toomer , and running back Tiki Barber . Young retired following the 1997 season , handing his duties over to long - time assistant Ernie Accorsi . Honors . The George Young Award is presented annually by The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum the person , Jewish or non - Jewish , who " has best exemplified the high ideals that George Young displayed " .