The New York Giants’ history and heritage are inextricably tied to professional football since one would not have survived without the other in the early days of the league. Tim Mara, who is now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, bought a franchise for $500 in 1925 and committed another $25,000 before the Giants’ inaugural season finished to keep the team alive.

As a result, a team in New York was guaranteed. A club in the nation’s largest metropolis was an absolute requirement for a new NFL looking for national coverage and fan attendance.

Tim Mara’s Early Life

Mara was born into poverty on New York City’s Lower East Side. He is the son of Elizabeth (née Harris) and John Mara, a police officer of Irish origin. He dropped out of school at the age of 13 in order to find a job to help his mother.

His first employment was as a theater usher. He subsequently went on to sell newspapers on the streets as a newsboy. As a result of this profession, he met a lot of New York’s bookmakers (or bookies).

He quickly rose through the ranks of the bookmakers’ runner, earning 5% of the bets he collected and collecting tips from winners when he delivered their winnings. By the age of 18, he had established himself as a bookmaker.

Tim Mara Lifetime at New York Giants

Timothy James Mara was born on July 29, 1887, and died on February 16, 1959. He was the first owner of the National Football League’s New York Giants (NFL). Under Mara’s leadership, the Giants won NFL Championships in 1927, 1934, 1938, and 1956, as well as division titles in 1933, 1935, 1939, 1941, 1944, 1946, and 1958.

Tim Mara’s Family as Share Holders In New York Giants

Mara’s sons, Jack and Wellington Mara, each got a 50 percent ownership in the Giants. Wellington, like his father, is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Timothy J. Mara, his grandson via Jack, eventually became a part-owner of the Giants, and John Mara, a son of Wellington, is now the Giants’ president and part-owner. Only the Chicago Bears (owned by the Halas-McCaskey family since 1921) have been owned by a single family for as long as the Giants. Timothy J. Mara, on behalf of his mother and sister, sold their half-interest in the club in 1991.