Ernie Accorsi, longtime NFL executive and Giants GM, dies at 84 - ESPN

Longtime NFL executive Ernie Accorsi, the architect of the New York Giants team that pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, has died. He was 84.

The Giants announced Sunday that Accorsi died Saturday, surrounded by his family.

«Ernie helped shape the course of New York Giants history through his vision, leadership and unwavering belief in building a championship organization,» Giants owner John Mara said in a statement. «Beyond his accomplishments as a football executive, he was a trusted advisor and dear friend. His legacy will forever be part of the Giants, and he will be greatly missed.»

Said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement: «Ernie Accorsi was one of the most respected football minds in NFL history and a dear friend whose wisdom and perspective I valued tremendously. Throughout his remarkable career, he shaped championship-caliber clubs and earned the admiration of everyone who worked with him.»

Accorsi spent parts of four decades in top front-office roles around the NFL and served as general manager for three teams, most recently the Giants from 1998 to 2006.

He served as general manager of the Cleveland Browns from 1985 to 1992 before joining the Giants as their assistant GM in 1994, working under Hall of Fame executive George Young. He replaced Young as the general manager four years later and built the core of a team that reached three Super Bowls and won two Lombardi Trophies.

Under Accorsi, the Giants hired two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Tom Coughlin in 2004 and pulled off the draft-day trade for star quarterback Eli Manning later that year.

«Ernie will always be remembered, and I say this out of great respect — he's the guy that made the trade for Eli Manning,» Coughlin