George Young

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 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.

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 – 1984, 1986, 1990, 1993, and 1997. Young also served as chairman of the NFL’s Competition Committee.

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.

George Bernard Young was born on September 22, 1930, in Baltimore, Maryland, where he was an outstanding football player at Calvert Hall High School. He attended Bucknell University where he was a starting defensive tackle for three seasons, team captain in 1951, and 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 drafted by the Dallas Texans.

Young then began a coaching career in the Baltimore school system at Calvert Hall and City College High School. During a 15-year span, his teams won six Maryland state championships. 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.