Ernie Accorsi, the New York Giants general manager who brought Tom Coughlin to the franchise and engineered the trade for Eli Manning, died on Saturday in Camden, N.J. He was 84.
The cause was cancer, according to his son, Michael. Accorsi spent 37 years in the National Football League, including nine seasons as the Giants’ general manager from 1998-2006.
His most consequential decision for the Giants came at the 2004 NFL college draft. Accorsi arranged a draft-day trade with the Chargers to acquire Manning in exchange for Philip Rivers. Manning went on to become the quarterback of Giants teams that won Super Bowl championships in the 2007 and 2011 seasons.
Accorsi had left the Giants in 2006, before the team’s victory in Super Bowl XLII. The Giants team he helped build upset the New England Patriots in that game. He received championship rings from the club’s title runs in the ’07 and ’11 seasons.
His work in New York also included bringing Coughlin to the organisation. Coughlin later joined Accorsi in the Giants Ring of Honor, where they were inducted in 2016 alongside Justin Tuck.
During Accorsi’s tenure, the Giants won two National Football Conference East titles, reached the playoffs four times and won a National Football Conference Championship in 2001. He became the second general manager inducted into the Giants Ring of Honor.
In a 2024 interview, Accorsi recalled the public response to the teams formed during his time with the club. “People began stopping me on the street in Manhattan to say how much they loved Eli and those teams.”
Giants owner John Mara said Accorsi’s influence extended through a significant period in the franchise’s history. “Ernie helped shape the course of New York Giants history through his vision, leadership and unwavering belief in building a championship organization.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said: “Ernie Accorsi was one of the most respected football minds in NFL history and a dear friend whose wisdom and perspective I valued tremendously.”
Before joining the Giants, Accorsi served as general manager of the Baltimore Colts from 1982-83 and the Cleveland Browns from 1985-92. He also served as co-chair of the General Managers Advisory Committee.
Accorsi was born in Hershey, Pa., on 29 October 1941. His career spanned front offices and league leadership, though his enduring connection to the Giants rested on the decisions that brought Coughlin and Manning to New York and preceded the franchise’s two championship seasons.
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