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Number 82 and the NY Giants Player Who Wore It Best
Dec 21, 1991; E. Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants receiver Mark Ingram Sr. (82) carries the ball against the Houston Oilers at Giants Stadium. RVR Photos-Imagn Images

The countdown to the start of the New York Giants’ 2025 season is underway, as we’re now 82 days away and counting from the opening kickoff against division rivals 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 82 in at Least One Regular Season Game

Ray Poole (1947-1952), Cliff Anderson (1953), Tom Scott (1959-1964), McKinley Boston (1968-1969), Gary Ballman (1973), Ray Rhodes (1974-1976), Ernest Pough (1978), Danny Pittman (1980-1983), Vyto Kab (1985), Mark Ingram (1987-1992), Joe Taibi (1987), Omar Douglas (1994-1996), Thabiti Davis (2000-2001), Herman Moore (2002), Visanthe Shiancoe (2003-2006), Mario Manningham (2008-2011), Rueben Randle (2012-2015), Roger Lewis (2016), Scott Simonson (2018-2019), Kaden Smith (2019-2021), Daniel Bellinger (2022-2024).

*Jersey numbers per Pro Football Reference

Which Giants Player Wore It Best?

Wide receiver Mark Ingram, Sr. delivered one of the biggest third-down plays in New York Giants history during Super Bowl XXV, a play that, in a game where both teams could ill-afford to squander scoring drives.

The play in question came on the Giants’ first drive of the third quarter on a 3rd-and-13 with the Giants down 12-10 at the time.

With the Giants on the Bills’ 32-yard line, Ingram came down with the pass from quarterback Jeff Hostetler for a 14-yard gain, eluding multiple would-be tacklers thanks to spin moves to keep the scoring drive alive. 

With the drive continuing, the Giants were able to take a 17-12 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by game MVP Ottis Anderson. The Giants would go on to win the game 20-19 thanks to Bills kicker Scott Norwood’s missed 47-yard field goal attempt.

Although the MVP award went to Anderson (righfully so), Ingram did his part in the game, finishing as the Giants’ top receiver with five receptions for 77 yards. His historic third-down play was voted No. 73 of the Top 100 Greatest Plays in NFL history

Ingram, who played six seasons for the Giants, two for the Dolphins, and one each for the Packers and Eagles, finished his career in 1996, having appeared in 128 games with 84 starts, caught 265 balls for 3,926 yards (14.8 yards per reception), and scored 26 touchdowns. 

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Who’s Wearing It Now?

Tight end Daniel Bellinger wears No. 82 for the Giants. Bellinger was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. After initially starting as the team’s TE1, the Giants have since reduced his role to TE2, first by trading for veteran Darren Waller in 2023 and then by drafting Theo Johnson last year.

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This article first appeared on New York Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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