New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers will have some big shoes to fill when he takes to the field for the first time in the regular season, sporting a number that hasn’t been worn in nearly 90 years.
The team announced on Wednesday that the sixth-overall pick in 2024 will wear No. 1 after receiving permission from the family of Ray Flaherty. The former player and head coach was the first professional football player to have his number retired in 1935 and has not been used by any member of the Giants since.
“I understand the responsibility, and I will do everything in my power to honor the Flaherty family and this organization,” Nabers said in a statement released by the team. “I will wear the number with great pride. Can’t wait for the season to start.”
Flaherty played for the Giants in 1929, then again from 1931 to his retirement as a player in 1935. He was an NFL champion with the team in 1934 and in 1932, led the league in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He passed away in 1994 at the age of 90.
According to a report by the New York Post’s Steve Serby, the Flaherty family and the Giants intend to re-retire No. 1 once Nabers ends his tenure with the Giants.
Nabers, 21, was drafted out of Louisiana State University, where he was named a unanimous All-American in 2023. Declaring for the NFL Draft in 2024, he left LSU as their all-time leader in receiving yards with 3,003.