Ernie Accorsi, the former New York Giants general manager who traded for Eli Manning, died Saturday at 84. The Giants announced his death Sunday, saying he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family.
Accorsi was born Oct. 29, 1941, in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
He ran the Giants from 1998 through 2006 after four seasons as an assistant under George Young. In his nine years as general manager, the Giants won NFC East titles in 2000 and 2005, made the playoffs four times and reached Super Bowl XXXV.
He retired after the 2006 season. The Giants won the Super Bowl the next season and gave him a championship ring.
His signature move came at the 2004 draft. The Chargers took Manning first overall, and the Giants selected Philip Rivers fourth. The teams then traded, with New York sending Rivers, a 2004 third-round pick and first- and fifth-round picks in 2005 to San Diego for Manning.
Manning became the winningest quarterback in franchise history and was MVP of Super Bowls XLII and XLVI.
“I know the Giants organization owes a lot of thanks to Ernie Accorsi and what he was able to do for the organization,” Manning said in a statement released by the team.
Giants president John Mara said Accorsi helped shape the course of the franchise’s history and called him a trusted adviser and friend.
Accorsi’s career in professional football spanned 37 years.
He began in 1970 as public relations director of the Baltimore Colts. After two years as an assistant to the NFC president, he returned to the Colts as assistant general manager from 1977 to 1981, then served as general manager in 1982 and 1983.
He left Baltimore on Feb. 7, 1984, and joined the Cleveland Browns’ front office on March 4, 24 days before the Colts moved to Indianapolis.
Named Browns general manager in 1985, Accorsi selected Bernie Kosar in that year’s supplemental draft. Cleveland won four AFC Central titles in his first five years in charge of football operations and reached the AFC Championship Game in 1986, 1987 and 1989. He left the organization in 1992.
Over his last 16 years as a general manager, his teams made nine playoff appearances and won six division titles. The Giants, Browns and Colts combined for 143 regular-season and postseason wins under him.
Before football, he worked as a sportswriter at the Charlotte News, the Baltimore Sun and the Philadelphia Inquirer, and in the athletic departments at St. Joseph’s and Penn State. He graduated from Wake Forest in 1963 and entered the school’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
On Nov. 14, 2016, Accorsi was inducted into the Giants’ Ring of Honor alongside Tom Coughlin and Justin Tuck. He was the second general manager to receive the honor.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Accorsi, a co-chair of the General Managers Advisory Committee, helped guide the league and strengthen the game.
The Giants play at the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.
