Long shot hit it big with the Giants Perry Williams

GIANT STEPS - FENNELLY FLASHBACK

- JOHN FENNELLY

When you think of the great New York Giants’ teams of the 1980s under head coach Bill Parcells, you think of Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms, Carl Banks, Mark Bavaro, Leonard Marshall and “the Suburbanites.” One player who gets glossed over is cornerback Perry Williams, who was a staple on those teams which won two Super Bowls. Williams was a seventh round pick out of North

Carolina State in 1983 who played under Pete Carroll, the defensive coordinator there at the time. The Giants did not know how lucky they had gotten. In fact, this was one of general manager George Young’s most productive drafts.

The Giants selected Clemson safety Terry Kinard with the tenth overall selection in ‘83, passing on three future Hall of Famers in Jim Kelly, Dan Marino and Darrell Green. Kinard would become a playmaker for the Giants and made the Pro Bowl in 1988. They followed up with another defensive player in the second round who would become a mainstay in LSU defensive end Leonard Marshall.

Also selected in that draft by Young was tackle Karl Nelson (fourth round), linebackers Andy Headen (eighth round) and Robbie Jones (12th round) and kicker Ali Haji-Sheikh (ninth round).