Dave Gettleman was the football coach at Spackenkill High in Poughkeepsie when then-Giants general manager George Young changed the fortunes of the franchise forever by drafting a Hall of Fame Giant who would revolutionize defense in the NFL.
It was inside the Grand Ballroom of the New York Sheraton Hotel when then-commissioner Pete Rozelle announced:
“New York Giants first-round selection: Lawrence Taylor, linebacker, North Carolina.”
“There was a possibility I was gonna be the first player picked, but when George Rogers was the first player picked [by the Saints], I got up, went to the refrigerator, got a beer, by the time I got back, they were on No.