Ernie Accorsi, the former NFL general manager whose career stretched from the Baltimore Colts to the Cleveland Browns to the New York Giants, has died at 84, the Giants announced Sunday.
For all the places his work took him, Accorsi never really left Hershey. He was born there on Oct. 29, 1941, grew up playing on the fields across from the chocolate plant, and remained tied to central Pennsylvania throughout his life.
His connection to football started early. As a teenager, he spent $2.50 to watch an NFL preseason game in Hershey in 1956, when Johnny Unitas was making his pro debut.
Accorsi graduated from Hershey High School in 1959, then attended Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Before moving into sports management, he worked as a reporter for the Charlotte News, the Baltimore Sun and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
That reporting career included one of the big scoops of his era: he broke the news of Wilt Chamberlain’s trade from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Los Angeles Lakers. He later spoke with now-retired PennLive columnist David Jones about what it was like to watch Chamberlain play.
He also built a long friendship with former Penn State coach Joe Paterno, one that lasted more than 40 years. Accorsi worked at Penn State as an assistant sports information director from 1969 to 1970, before he was hired by the then-Baltimore Colts.
“I can tell you that there wasn’t a day that went by during my time at Penn State that I didn’t learn something from that man,” Accorsi told PennLive’s Bob Flounders after Paterno’s death in 2012.
From there, Accorsi climbed steadily on the NFL’s executive side. He became general manager of the Colts from 1982-1983, general manager of the Browns from 1985-1992 and general manager of the Giants from 1998-2006.
His imprint on the Giants was huge. He was the second general manager inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor, and he helped bring in coach Tom Coughlin while also brokering the draft deal that landed Eli Manning.
After he retired in 2006, the Giants tied him to their 2007 Super Bowl title and gave him a championship ring. Accorsi later told the Patriot-News’ Andrew Linker what he said to the team as he stepped away.
“I told them to trust each other and be good teammates, because there’s a championship in this room. Those are the last words I said to them. ... I just didn’t know it would happen this year.”
Across 16 years as a general manager, Accorsi’s teams won six division championships among the nine that reached the playoffs.
Back home, his accomplishments were recognized in 2009 with induction into the Capital Area Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, followed by the Hershey Hall of Fame in 2012.
Even in retirement, Hershey stayed central to his life. He served as a speaker for the John Travers Awards, and in 2009 he summed up his lifelong connection to the town this way:
“No matter where ever I lived, Hershey has always been home,” he said in 2009.
Accorsi’s son Patrick, in a joint Facebook post with his family announcing his death, also recalled a teenage exchange that captured the confidence he carried long before he became a football power broker.
“Ernie, what career would you like to pursue?” his Hershey High School guidance counselor asked.
“I am going to be the General Manager of the New York Yankees,” he responded.
The counselor tried to point him in another direction. Four decades later, when Accorsi was inducted into the Hershey High School Hall of Fame, he had a chance to set the record straight with that same guidance counselor.
In Other News...
Steelers Fans Noticed One Awkward CBS Booth Moment Right Away
Jim Nantz and J.J. Watt were on the call for the Patriots-Steelers game on CBS, with Watt now in the lead analyst seat after Tony Romo went on leave following his July OWI arrest. For Pittsburgh fans tuning in, the broadcast brought a fresh pairing and the usual spotlight that comes with a national window, especially when a marquee AFC team is involved.
One moment, though, stood out almost immediately when Nantz repeated a story Watt had just told about Mike McCarthy receiving a game ball from Aaron Rodgers. The overlap was awkward enough to notice in real time, and it added an unexpected wrinkle to CBSs current setup, with Watt still listed alongside Nantz and Tracy Wolfson for upcoming games while Romo remains off the air. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers May Be Bringing Back A Familiar WR At The Right Time
Isaiah Hodgins only passed through Pittsburgh briefly after joining the Steelers practice squad on Sept. 17, following his release from the San Francisco 49ers, but his connection to the team may not be done yet. He later moved on when the New York Giants signed him to their active roster on Nov. 13, closing out that stop with the Steelers and sending him back into the leagues familiar cycle of roster churn and receiver-needy teams.
Now Hodgins has fueled speculation with a Steelers logo on his Instagram story and a bio update pointing to Pittsburgh, a small social-media clue that has caught attention for a team dealing with injuries at wide receiver. Whether it turns into a real reunion remains to be seen, but the timing makes sense for a Steelers group that could use more depth, and Hodgins name is suddenly back in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Rodgers Already Faces A Steelers Debate Nobody Wanted
Aaron Rodgers is already drawing fresh scrutiny in Pittsburgh after a rough opening stretch has left the Steelers searching for answers on offense. Through two games, Rodgers has completed 59.5% of his passes with one touchdown and one interception, and the unit around him has not looked like the kind of smooth fit the Steelers hoped for when they brought him in.
Rob Gronkowski added another layer to the conversation during a podcast discussion with Julian Edelman, questioning Rodgers decision to return to the NFL for the 2026 season and suggesting he might end up wishing he had retired last year. For a team trying to steady its offense, the noise around Rodgers is growing quickly, and the bigger question now is whether Pittsburgh can quiet it before the debate starts to shape everything around the season. [Read more 🡒]