NFL free agency is just days away and the frenzy always brings out every team’s track record of successes and failures over the years. In a recent post, Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports compiled a list of each team’s greatest free agent signing.
For the New York Giants, DeArdo chose Hall of Fame defensive back Emlen Tunnell, who the Giants signed in 1948, way before the NFL-AFL Merger and modern-day free agency took root in the 1980s.
Tunnell was signed by the Giants as an undrafted rookie in 1948. Nicknamed “The Gremlin,” Tunnell helped the Giants capture their first league title in 1956. The best kickoff/punt returner of his era, Tunnell retired with 79 interceptions, the second-highest total in NFL history. Tunnell spent his final three seasons with the Packers, where he helped Vince Lombardi win his first of five NFL titles in 1961. Tunnell was named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team in 2019.
Tunnell was technically a free agent signing but not as we know them to be in today’s NFL. He was 24 years old and had dropped out of college (Iowa) where he still had eligibility due to financial constraints.
Tunnell went on be one the best players in league history and historically does not get the credit he deserves as part of the Giants’ 1956 NFL Championship team defense coached by Tom Landry.
I remember Tunnell as coach in the 1960s and 70s. He coached the Giants’ defensive backs under both Allie Sherman and Alex Webster. He was one the first African-American to play for the Giants and one of the first to coach in league history. He passed away in 1975 at age 51 after suffering a heart attack during a Giants’ practice session at Pace University.
Leave a Reply