Hall of Fame linebacker Harry Carson was a rookie in 1976 when Bill Arnsparger, the former Giants coach and Dolphins defensive whiz who died Friday at 88, was fired by the Giants after a 0-7 start.
Carson didn’t have the kind of personal relationship with Arnsparger that he had with then-linebackers coach Marty Schottenheimer, but he could see the stress mounting on Arnsparger with each loss, and ultimately a 27-0 defeat in the second-ever game at Giants Stadium was his last as an NFL head coach.
With John McVay taking over, Don Shula immediately brought Arnsparger back to Miami to once again run the Dolphins defense he had built into a championship unit during the undefeated 1972 season and again in 1973 before taking over the Giants job.