Born: August 14, 1916, New York City
Wellington Mara was a man whose entire lifetime was dedicated to the National Football League and his family-owned Giants. He was one of the most important and influential figures in the history of professional football, a man credited with many of the ideas and innovations that have made the NFL the nation’s most popular professional sports league. Back when Mara was a young boy taking in the game from the sidelines, the Giants players dubbed him “The Duke” and years later, the NFL game ball took on this nickname too. To this day, each official NFL football has “The Duke” printed into the leather paneling, immortalizing Mara’s legacy to the league.
Wellington is the most beloved and influential Giant in history and one of the most significant figures not just in the NFL, but in American sports. He was a vital member of the franchise for each of its first 81 years until his death in 2005. Mara was instrumental in helping the Giants make 26 postseason appearances, including 18 divisional championships and six NFL championships, among them the Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV titles. Despite his ties to the team, Mara was recognized for always putting the league’s interests ahead of what was best for the Giants. He was an invaluable contributor to the NFL as a member of many ownership committees. In 1997, Mara was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining his father, Tim Mara, as the first father-son duo elected to the Hall.
After completing his education, Mara joined the New York Giants under the leadership of his father, Tim Mara. He eventually became the cornerstone of the Giants franchise for over eight decades, taking on various leadership roles.
Notable Accomplishments:
In 2005, the Giants’ 81st season marked the completion of Mara’s 81-year tenure with the team.
Recognized for his unwavering commitment to the league’s growth, Mara’s dedication earned him the nickname “The Duke” – a name that was immortalized in the official NFL football.
Born: 1920 in Portmarnock, Ireland
Joe Carr grew up in Portmarnock Golf Club as the adopted son of the Steward and Stewardess. He learnt his early golf at Portmarnock playing with his Dad in the evenings after school and went on to become a member of Sutton Golf Club a 9-hole course across the estuary. He played out of Sutton for all his whole career and won his first major tournament, the East of Ireland Amateur, at just 19 years old. He went onto win 40 championships in all, over a long unrivalled career. These included winning three Amateur Championships. Joe is the most capped player in the history of the Walker Cup playing 11 times, was the first Irishman to be Captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the first Irishman in the World Golf Hall of Fame and the first Irishman to play in the US Masters, in which he played three times in 1967, 1968 and 1969. He is the most decorated Irish Amateur of all time and many of his records will never be broken. He was married to Dorothy Carr and has five sons and a daughter and lived in a house overlooking the second green at Sutton Golf Club in Dublin.
Major Wins:
Carr won The Amateur Championship three times (1953, 1958, and 1960), and he was a runner-up in 1968. He also made his mark in U.S. tournaments, including being low amateur at the Open Championship in 1956 and 1958.
International Representation:
After retiring from competitive golf in 1971, Carr designed the Old Head at Kinsale in Cork and redesigned Dromoland Castle golf course
Honors: