1976 was a big year for the New York Giants, who moved into a brand-new stadium named for them. Despite being one of the most storied franchises in the NFL, the team had never had a true home of its own. Since 1925 the Giants had played in historic New York venues such as the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium, and even spent a year sharing Shea Stadium with the New York Jets.
Plans for the stadium were mentioned publicly going back to the 1960s, and became real when New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority chairman Sonny Werblin signed the Giants to become tenants in a future stadium in 1971. Ground broke on the site in 1972 and was slated to open in 1975, but was delayed for a year.
After playing the first four games of the regular season on the road, the Giants played their first game in the new stadium on October 10, 1976. Their opponent was the Dallas Cowboys, and the program featured an illustration of Giants Stadium along with Tim and Wellington Mara. Tim (1887-1959) was the founder of the Giants, while his son Wellington was co-owner at the time Giants Stadium opened.
Here’s a ticket stub from the game, which shows the modest price of $9.
The Giants (and later the New York Jets) played in the stadium through the 2009 season, when both teams moved to MetLife Stadium. Giants Stadium was demolished over the course of several months between April and August 2010.