Tyree, Hilliard Make Retirements Official
by Ed Valentine on Jul 30, 2010 12:23 PM EDT
in News
20 comments
Former New York Giants David Tyree and Ike Hilliard each retired as Giants today, and each spoke to the media about what doing so meant to them.
Here is part of Tyree's statement.
I never really saw my career even happening to begin with and once it did get off to a start it was kind of a fairy tale ride for a kid out of Essex County and the story couldn't have been written any better.
Tyree, of course, will always be a part of Giants' lore for the Helmet Catch in Super Bowl XLII. He spent seven years with the team and made the Pro Bowl in 2005 as a special teams player.
Here is part of Hilliard's statement.
I wouldn't change a thing, man, especially in terms of how I played the game. There would be so many things I look back in hindsight and say ‘I wish I would have done things a little bit differently' in terms of how I prepared, some of the things dealing with the media and certain teammates, etc., but as far as what I left on the grass, I did the best I could on a quarter by quarter basis. Whatever is said about my career and whatever opinion people have, so be it. But as far as everything on the grass, I'm very comfortable with what I did.
Hlliard played hard, played hurt and played well throughout his 12-year career -- the first eight seasons spent with the Giants. He caught 368 passes for the Giants from 1997-2004. He is justifiably proud of his career.
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hillard
i remeber hillard reminded me of barry sanders in a wr body this was b4 his rookie year where i belive he got his neck or spine injured and become a lil more stiff but i ll never forget his rookie year in a preaseaon game a kick off or punt return where i just thought he would reinvent wut a wrs yac should be great heart and great determination and i remeber that again chris calloway tutored hillard and armani and had a part in makin them who they are in giants lore today just a great tradition of team these past 20 years ive been following them daily “was a child b4 so i knew and was fan of gaints but wasnt seeing the intagibles yet just to young)”
He had a great "stop" move.
Both in college and the pros – he wasn’t all that fast, so he’d be aware he was about to get caught from behind and screeeeeeeeeech! put on the brakes…and watch the defender fly right past him. Played very tough for the Giants.
I left my swagger in my other pants.
Tyree
For every story about an over the top NFL player going bankrupt just years after the League that make you shake your head at the game, a player like Tyree comes along and reminds you what a real football player. Not only will he live on in Giants, Super Bowl, Pro Football lore, but he left the game in a classy style to take care of his family. He’s a player to be proud of.
Thank you David Tyree, and may a happy retirement await you.
Couldn't have put it any better.
Talk about an unsung hero. I wish him and his family nothing but the best and, if you just happen to read this, a personal thank you to you and your father for the card. You have my eternal gratitude.
A game of Chess is like a sword fight....you must think first....before you move.
by LoNJDTechnology on Jul 30, 2010 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ll always remember Ike Hilliard for 2 things…
- Brian Dawkins absolutely destroyed Hilliard on a late hit that put him out of commission for some time. Dawkins was a player that was a great hard hitter in addition to his other skills, but was always clean… except for this one hit, which was really bad. I’ve been defending Dawkins to Giants fans ever since.
- In 2003, one of my friends (a Giants fan) was in desperate need of a WR in our fantasy football league. I threw out a garbage offer just for the hell of it – Hilliard for Tony Gonzalez…. and he took it! My team went on to win the whole thing that year, with Gonzalez paying huge dividends. That trade has been brought up every year at our draft since.
Always respected Hilliard for how he played the game.
Formerly Bye, Dawk :(
That Dawkins hit
might have been the moment when natural dislike for an opposing team turned into irrevocable hatred. Especially since there was no foul, fine, or anything, leading to years of Eagles fans defending the hit as a good clean, play. Thank you for coming in to honestly admit what happened :)
We need more toilet paper, I'm taking my talents to South Beach.
by bigbluethruandthru on Jul 30, 2010 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Dawkins....
I respect the man greatly….but he was not as “clean” as you make him sound.
he wasn’t exactly Flozell Adams either but some of his WWF moves were a bit much at times….the forearms to the throat in particular I thought were not necessary.
I’m not calling him dirty at all, but he ain’t that “clean” IMO.
"Throw the damn ball to Kevin Boss" - Andiamo708
I’m not so sure about the forearms to the throat – I don’t recall that stuff going on. As for the suplexes, OK, I agree the word clean doesn’t come to mind on those, but were they not awesome?
Formerly Bye, Dawk :(
they were....actually
in regards to the forearms….he hid them very well!!! this is a vet we’re talkin’ about here, not some dumb rookie. He knew what he was doing….
all in all, Dawk is a “clean” guy, but being an opposing fan, a few times I wanted to ring his neck…..
A guy who kinda reminded me of that was Mark Bavaro….no way was Mark a dirty player, but if it came between you and his QB, guess what, he was doing whatever it took to keep his teammate safe. Some of those holding penalties were just so obvious you could do nothing but laugh the way he’d just throw LBs and Dlinemen to the ground…..
"Throw the damn ball to Kevin Boss" - Andiamo708
Someone calling Dawkins "clean" really is laughable...
…the forearms are something I always remembered. He always lead with his helmet and hit to hurt. He was not a clean player at all. Not overly dirty, but he didn’t play to just stop the ball carrier. He played to put the ball carrier in the hospital. I would’ve loved him on the Giants, though.
One thing I ALWAYS hated about Dawkins was he was constantly taking shots at guys on the ground. Always laying on them longer than he should, always throwing some shots at them in a pile, etc.
Great player, though. You don’t see head hunters like him anymore.
Dawkins took shots
Back in the day he went for Bavaro’s knees on an incomplete pass. If memory serves he also made a statement to the media about doing it, too.
Clean??
he hits people with the crown of his helmet every tackle. I never wished injury on any player my whole life but if he broke his neck making one of those dirty ass tackles i wouldnt feel too bad.
Character guys.
Tyree had a rougher road though.. alcohol… benching.. I respect him for keeping himself together and exiling the things in life that were holding him back.
Toney does what the douglas do. And no one can do what he does b/c doing it without being Toney Douglas just doesnt make it do what it do
It's amazing
That the circus catch to win the Super Bowl was the last one Tyree ever made.
Take it one day at a time and enjoy life, David! You have much to be proud and thankful for in life.
You’re forever in our fan hearts for one of the great plays of all time.
Tyree and Hilliard
These were some great guys we had and I was not happy to see either of them go. Thank and good luck to both of you and you are permanently in Giants lore.
Today we had Hilliard and Tyree as Giants and now they are gone and Moss still is in uniform. I am sorry to see those guys go and disgusted that Moss just seems to hang around. Tyree could have been a great addition to our special teams and should have been kept for the training camp at least to see if it was possible to keep him instead of you know who……!!!
Being a New York Football Giants fan or a player is not a label but it is a calling!
Let Us Start A Movement: Bring Back Tyree and Get Rid of Moss!
One thing I always remember about HIlliard...
…was how maddeningly frustrating of a player he was at times. I loved the guy as a Giant, but man did he seem to never hit his full potential. I really thought he was going to be a lot more than he was. I always remember watching him and thinking that he just never hit that full potential that he had.
Hilliard
Aside from being an exciting, if not spectacular receiver (although who can forget those many third and nine situations where Hilliard caught a ten yard pass) Hilliard was one of the friendliest and most pleasant of Giants. I would take my son up to Albany every year to watch a couple of days of training camp. I remember that Ike Hilliard, even after a gruelling practice, would stand outside the practice field and sign autographs for as long as it took to sign one for every fan who wanted one. He was gentle, talkative and did not have a hint of arrogance. Those kind of things make a huge difference to fans (old and young). That turned him into one of my son’d favorite players.
Thanks from a MHS grad
I’m so glad that the Giants properly honored David Tyree. He deserved it. Class act to he end.
Just another Giants Fan in Chicago
by Dan from Chicago on Aug 1, 2010 12:55 PM EDT reply actions
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