Ernie Accorsi
| Current position: | |||
| Special Adviser, Detroit Lions | |||
| Born: | |||
| October 29, 1941 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |||
| Alma Mater: | |||
| Wake Forest, B.A. 1963 (Journalism) | |||
| * Baltimore Colts (Public Relations Director) (1970–1974)-(Super Bowl V Champion)
(As a Public Relations Director) | |||
Ernie Accorsi (born October 29, 1941) [1] is a former American football executive. He served as the general manager of the New York Giants of the National Football League. Accorsi had held the position from January 8, 1998, when he took over for the legendary George Young until his retirement on January 16, 2007. He was succeeded by Jerry Reese.[2]
Education and early career
A 1963 graduate of Wake Forest University with a degree in journalism, Accorsi served in the U.S. Army before getting his start in sports as a reporter for the Charlotte News. He later wrote for the Baltimore Sun and the Philadelphia Inquirer before moving to the athletic departments at St. Joseph's University (PA) and then Penn State. Accorsi began his NFL career in 1970 with the Baltimore Colts as its Public Relations Director, worked on former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle’s staff in the league office in 1975 before rejoining the Colts two years later as Assistant General Manager.
Baltimore Colts
Accorsi was promoted to General Manager in 1982.[3] The Colts finished 0–8–1 in the strike-shortened 1982 season, thereby earning the right to select Stanford University quarterback John Elway with the first overall pick.[3] Elway, however, refused to play for Baltimore, and using leverage as a draftee of the New York Yankees baseball club, forced a trade to Denver Broncos.[4] The team finished 7–9 in 1983, but that would be their last season in Baltimore.[3] He resigned as GM after the 1983 season.[5]
Cleveland Browns
In 1985, Accorsi was hired by then Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell to serve as the team's new General Manager and Executive Vice President of Football Operations, serving for seven seasons.[1] Accorsi was responsible for the acquisition of quarterback Bernie Kosar in the 1985 supplemental draft.[6] During his tenure the Browns made 5 playoff appearances and got to the AFC Championship Game three times, but lost each time to Elway's Broncos.[7] He resigned in 1992.[8]
New York Giants
Accorsi joined the Giants in 1994 and served as an assistant to the general manager until he succeeded Young in 1998.
The Giants made one Super Bowl appearance under Accorsi in Super Bowl XXXV, which they lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 34-7, won two NFC East division titles (2000, 2005) while making the playoffs four times (2000, 2002, 2005, 2006).[7]
Accorsi's highest profile personnel move came at the 2004 NFL Draft, where he traded Giants first round draft choice quarterback Philip Rivers and three draft picks (a third-round pick in 2004 and first-round and 5th-round picks in 2005) to the San Diego Chargers for Number 1 overall draft choice quarterback Eli Manning, giving the Giants a young franchise quarterback. The move met with the approval of Giants fans, who cheered loudly when the trade was announced by Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Manning then led the Giants to playoff appearances in 2005 and 2006. In 2007, Manning led the Giants to three straight road playoff victories, culminating in a victory over the then-undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Following the 2011 season, Manning would capture the Super Bowl XLVI title. Manning was named MVP of both Super Bowl XLII and XLVI, confirming Accorsi's belief that Manning was a star talent.[9]
Accorsi was also responsible for drafting Osi Umenyiora, Chris Snee, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, and Brandon Jacobs, as well as signing Antonio Pierce, Kareem McKenzie, Plaxico Burress, and Fred Robbins as free agents. He hired former head coach Tom Coughlin after the dismissal of Jim Fassel following the 2003 season.[10] Accorsi retired in 2007.
Consultant work
On November 9, 2012, Accorsi was hired by the Carolina Panthers as a consultant after general manager Marty Hurney was fired.[11]
On December 29, 2014, it was announced that Accorsi has been hired by the Chicago Bears as a consultant for their general manager search after Phil Emery was fired.[12]
On November 25, 2015, Accorsi was named a consultant for the Detroit Lions's search for a new General Manager.
Special Adviser to the Detroit Lions
After Accorsi assisted the Lions in their search for general manager Bob Quinn, Accorsi was named as a permanent Special Adviser to the club on January 10, 2016[13]
Previous positions
He served as Penn State's Assistant Sports Publicity Director in the late 1960s.
Personal
Accorsi is a 1963 graduate of Wake Forest University.
Accorsi served as an analyst for the NFL Network coverage of the 2008 Senior Bowl.
See also
References
- 1 2 The DAILY goes One-On-One with Former NFL GM Ernie Accorsi, SportsBusinessDaily.com article, March 1, 2007, accessed April 28, 2012.
- ↑ "Reese'S Rise Fit For King. Named Big Blue Gm". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- 1 2 3 Kirk, Kaptain (March 7, 2011). "The Deal of the Century and How John Elway became a Bronco". SB Nation.
- ↑ Blanchat, Jack (May 3, 2012). "Football: A look back at Stanford's other No. 1 picks". The Stanford Daily.
- ↑ Pierson, Don (January 19, 2001). "Ernie Accorsi Is The Giants' Gm But Has Ties To Baltimore's Storied Football Past". Chicago Tribune.
- ↑ Grossi, Tony (October 3, 2012). "Former Browns GM Ernie Accorsi bucked Giants conservatism in trading for QB Eli Manning". ESPN.
- 1 2 "Ernie Accorsi". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
- ↑ Smith, Timothy W. (May 3, 1992). "NOTEBOOK; Shake-Up in Cleveland? No, Just a Resignation". The New York Times.
- ↑ Conor Orr (December 5, 2013). "Eli Manning-Philip Rivers trade: 10 years later, Ernie Accorsi knows he made the right call". The Star-Ledger.
- ↑ Paul Schwartz (January 14, 2004). "Accorsi: Well Didn't Push Me To Coughlin". New York Post.
- ↑ "Ernie Accorsi hired by Carolina Panthers as consultant". National Football League. 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
- ↑ "Bears bring Ernie Accorsi in to consult, squatting on staff".
- ↑ Simmons, Howard. "Former Giants leader now with Lions front office - Ernie Accorsi to stay on as advisor in Detroit". New York Daily News. New York Daily News. Retrieved 11 January 2016.