Ernie Accorsi, Architect of Two Giants Super Bowl Teams, Dies at 84

Former NFL executive Ernie Accorsi, who served as general manager for the Giants, Browns, and Colts, died Saturday at the age of 84.

Longtime NFL executive Ernie Accorsi died Saturday at the age of 84, the New York Giants announced on Sunday. Accorsi served as a general manager for three different franchises across four decades, most notably leading the Giants front office from 1998 to 2006. During his tenure in New York, he hired head coach Tom Coughlin in 2004 and executed a draft-day trade for quarterback Eli Manning that same year.

Accorsi constructed the core of a roster that reached three Super Bowls and secured two Lombardi Trophies, including the Super Bowl XLII upset of the undefeated New England Patriots. His draft selections included franchise mainstays Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Chris Snee, and Brandon Jacobs. Before his retirement in 2006, he spent four years as assistant general manager under George Young starting in 1994.

A graduate of Wake Forest, Accorsi's career as a primary executive began with the Baltimore Colts, where he served as general manager from 1982 to 1983. He later held the same role for the Cleveland Browns between 1985 and 1992. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Giants owner John Mara confirmed his passing, noting his influence on the league's history and championship-caliber team building.