No. 62 and the New York Giants Player Who Wore It Best

We’re now 62 days away from the opening kickoff against the Washington Commanders. To count down the days until then, we look at the best players to wear the corresponding number for the Giants.

Who Wore #62 in at Least One Regular Season Game*

LB Ben Apuna (1980), OG Carl Butkus (1949), OG Scott Davis (1993-94), OG Darrell Dess (1959-64, 1966-69), OG Dick Enderle (1972-75), OL Conrad Goode (1984-85), OT Devery Hamilton (2022), OG Wayne Lucier (2003-04), OL Jalen Mayfield (2023), OL Ron Mikolajczyk (1976-79), OG Bob Mischak (1958), OG Bill Murray (1951), OG Glenn Parker (2000-01), OG Mitch Petrus (2010-12), OG Chad Slade (2020), OG Jack Spinks (1956), OG-LB George Tobin (1947), OG Stan West (1955), LB Mike Whittington (1981), OL Jason Whittle (1998-99).

*Jersey numbers per Pro Football Reference.

Which Giants Player Wore It Best?

Guard Darrell Dess spent two tenures with the Giants, helping protect future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Y.A. Tittle and Fran Tarkenton.

Dess started at left guard during the team’s four NFL Championship Game appearances from 1959-63; then, he returned for a second stint (1966-69) and started at right guard in 1967-68. 

He did not receive nearly the fanfare as the rest of his teammates along the offensive line, although he was a locker room favorite. Dess fought off back issues and knee surgery during his career, yet played 13 NFL seasons, including 120 regular-season games (89 starts) over his 10 years in New York.

The Giants first acquired Dess from Pittsburgh in a 1959 trade for fullback C.R. Roberts, who had spent the previous two seasons in the CFL. Dess had just finished his rookie year with the Steelers - they picked him up after he had been drafted and waived by Washington. 

More importantly, the Giants were impressed at how well he fared against stellar defensive tackle Rosey Grier, prompting the trade. Dess became a full-time starter in 1960 and held the spot on his way to Pro Bowl teams in 1962-63, including a 1963 second-team All-Pro selection as the Giants put up a franchise-best 32 points per game. 

But less than a month after the 1964 season, Tittle retired, and the team needed a quarterback; so Dess was shipped to Detroit in a deal for Earl Morrall a month before the 1965 season. A few weeks later, the Lions dealt Dess to Washington.

A week into the 1966 season, the Giants traded for Dess a second time, shipping RB Steve Thurlow and LB Jim Carroll to Washington. 

Dess, troubled after knee surgery, left training camp in 1967, but quickly changed his mind and became the opening day starter as right guard in front of the newly-acquired Tarkenton. 

The Giants finished 7-7 behind the NFL’s third-ranked offense and repeated their record in 1968 before Dess finished his career backing up Doug Van Horn in 1969.

In 2024, Dess was named 92nd on the list of the all-time Giants’ Top 100 Players as selected by an independent committee of journalists, NFL/Pro Football Hall of Fame executives, and superfans polled by the team.

Who’s Wearing It Now?

The Giants did not assign No. 62 to any player during this off-season. Reserve offensive lineman Jaylen Mayfield (2023) was the last player to have the number when he was released before the 2024 season.

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