Number 53 and the New York Giants Player Who Wore It Best

We’re down to 53 days and counting until the start of the New York Giants’ 2025 opening kickoff against the Washington Commanders. And today we have another no-brainer pick for our “who wore it best” feature. 

Who Wore No. 53  in at Least One Regular Season Game*

G/LB John Rapacz (1950-54), OL Greg Larson (1961-73), MLB Harry Carson (1976-88), C Lance Scott (1997-98), MLB Brandon Short (2000-03), MLB Wesly Mallard (2004), ILB Reggie Torbor (2005-07), LS/LB Bryan Kehl (2008-09), LB Keith Bulluck (2010), LB Greg Jones (2011), LB Marcus Dowtin (2013), LB Dan Connor (2013), LB Jameel McClain (2014), LB Jasper Brinkley (2015), LB Deontae Skinner (2016), LB Connor Barwin (2018), DE Oshane Ximines (2019-23), ILB Darius Muasau (2024-Present)

*Jersey numbers per Pro Football Reference.

Which Giants Player Wore It Best?

There’s only one answer to this question, and that just so happens to be the man who wore No. 53 the longest: middle linebacker Harry Carson, aka “the captain.”

Carson, a ten-time team captain for Big Blue, was a fourth-round pick out of South Carolina State in 1976, where he played defensive end and never missed a game. 

When he arrived at the Giants, then linebackers coach Marty Schottenheimer believed that the young defender might make a better linebacker. So Schottenheimer, with Carson’s blessing, sought to help him make the conversion. 

The conversion was a resounding success. In 1976, his first season, he was voted to the NFL’s All-Rookie team, and he went on to have a long and productive career as a key component of the Giants' great defenses of the 1980s. 

Carson, known for his fiery play and his caring nature toward his teammates, led the Giants' defense in tackles for five seasons and earned nine Pro Bowls, including seven straight from 1982 to 1988. He was also named first- or second-team All-Pro six times in his career.

Before Super Bowl XXI, the first of the Giants' five appearances in the big game, head coach Bill Parcells handpicked Carson from among the team’s three captains–quarterback Phil Simms and defensive end George Martin being the other two–to participate in the coin toss before the game. 

The Broncos, the Giants’ opponent in that game, sent all nine of their captains to the coin toss, the moment and symbolism not being lost on Carson, who considered that moment and what it stood for as one of the greatest of his career. 

The inventor of the famed Gatorade shower in 1986, Carson was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 after several frustrating years of being snubbed by the election committee. 

He is also a member of the team’s Ring of Honor and last year was voted No. 7 on the team’s Top 100 Giants players in franchise history. 

For all Carson, who was also inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 2002, accomplished, it remains a headscratcher that his jersey number remains in circulation to this day.

Who’s Wearing It Now?