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In celebration of their 100th season, the New York Giants have been releasing a ranking of their top 100 players in franchise history.
The list, which was compiled by a committee of 14 individuals, continued this week with the release of numbers 40 through 31.
Among those who were ranked was guard Chris Snee.
Chris Snee was a stalwart on the Giants teams that won Super Bowls XLII and XLVI. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro. Snee started all 141 regular-season games and 11 postseason games in which he played.
“I think Chris was everything you could ever hope for in a player: toughness, integrity, and a lot of pride,” Giants president and chief executive officer John Mara said at the time of Snee’s retirement. “Winning mattered to him. I think he set a great example for all of the other players. He’s somebody we’re going to miss very much. He was one of the greatest offensive linemen in Giants history, and he’ll be on that Ring of Honor someday.”
Snee was a Pro Bowler in 2008–10 and in 2012. He was a selected All-Pro in 2010. From 2005 to 2011, he started 101 consecutive regular-season games (plus seven postseason games) before missing a game against Buffalo with a concussion. Snee was the last member of the terrific and popular offensive line that included Shaun O’Hara, Rich Seubert, David Diehl, and Kareem McKenzie from 2006 to 2010. At one time, the group started 38 consecutive regular-season games, then the league’s longest streak.
“I took pride in being out there every game,” Snee said. “You only get so many opportunities to play games, so I am thankful. There were games where I probably was 70 percent, less than that, but I thought I owed it to the organization and to my teammates, coaches, and the fans just to be out there. I’m getting paid to play that day, so I’m going to play.”
“To me, he was the best guard in all of football – no doubt,” said coach Tom Coughlin, who is Snee’s father-in-law. “No matter who you put him against, all of the great defensive tackles in the game, the 350[-pound] guys, the 340 guys, he blocked them. When he first came here, he was so, so committed and so driven to excel at the professional level.”
Snee, who spent the entirety of his 10-year career with the Giants, went to X to share his reaction to making the list.
This one means a lot! https://t.co/oHart8PJtC
— Chris Snee (@ChrisSnee76) August 13, 2024
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Snee married Kate Coughlin, the daughter of head coach Tom Coughlin. Coach Coughlin was with the Giants for the entirety of Snee’s career and helped jumpstart his son-in-law’s scouting career after he retired.
Given Snee’s impact with the Giants, it’s easy to see how he came in so high on the list. He is part of two very small and very special lists of Giants who played his entire career with the Giants and won two Super Bowls with the team.
The offensive line during those two Super Bowl runs was a crucial part of the team’s success during that time and Snee may have been arguably the best player on each of those units.
Snee continues to be a part of the Giants organization, now working as a scout.