Roosevelt “Rosey” Grier spoke with us about a series of recently discovered, previously unpublished photographs of the New York Giants by LIFE photographer George Silk.
“So much about the game was different back then, of course. For example, almost all the players had to have other jobs in the off-season, because you couldn’t live off of what they were paying us at that time. So, again, there goes your year-round workout — because you had to go out and earn a living. I was extremely fortunate in that I made more money in entertainment than I did in football. In the summer months, I went on tours with rhythm and blues groups, MCing the shows, sometimes singing. But for most of the other players, as much as they loved the game, they had to focus on other jobs in order to take care of their families throughout the year.”
