Mara married the late Wellington Mara in 1954 and had been a fixture in the Giants organization ever since, and to hear the players tell it, she brought far more than football expertise.
Ann Mara, who died Sunday morning at age 85, enjoyed a ride down the Canyon of Heroes with Michael Bloomberg (c.) following the Giants win in Super Bowl XLVI.
Ann Mara was best known for that moment after Super Bowl XLVI, when she chastised Terry Bradshaw for picking against her beloved Giants. But the matriarch of the Giants was more than that one feisty moment.
Mara died early Sunday morning at the age of 85, because of complications from a head injury she had suffered during a mid-January fall on the ice. By Sunday afternoon, those who knew her were recalling a warm smile and a never-say-die attitude that came together in perfect balance.
"She lived a wonderful life in service to God, her family and football. In that order. And she will be missed by us all," Giants Hall of Famer Frank Gifford and wife Kathie Lee Gifford told the News.
Mara married the late Wellington Mara in 1954 and had been a fixture in the Giants organization ever since, and to hear the players tell it, she brought far more than football expertise. Former Giants corner Terrell Thomas said on Twitter that Mara "instilled integrity, class and respect throughout the entire Giants organization." Safety Antrel Rolle, in a lengthy Twitter post, said she brought the franchise "class and genuineness."
"Today we gained an ANGEL," Rolle wrote. "Mrs Ann Mara was an all around blessinng in the 5 years that I was fortunate enough to be in her presence. She has a legacy that will forever live on in her children, grandchildren & great grandchildren. Normally when u see a family with such class and genuineness you know it has to come from somewhere. That somewhere has to be Mrs. Mara. Football is a lot but it is not everything. I have never seem ownership take such pride in a franchise like this family does. From top to bottom."
But football always held a special place in Ann Mara's heart, and Rolle recalled a special moment before Super Bowl XLVI, as the team was boarding its flight to Indianapolis, a week before upsetting the New England Patriots. Mara had suffered an "accident," Rolle said, but it would not keep her from traveling with the team to the biggest game of the year.
"The team all knew about this fall," Rolle said. "Sure enough as we board the plan to Indy...I look to the left and who do I see dressed in all black looking as good as she wants to look WITH AN ARM SLING! I knew then that we had all our troops aboard and ready for this battle we were facing."
Steelers owner Dan Rooney, a longtime friend of the Mara family, called Ann Mara "genuinely a special person," admiring how she managed to impact the NFL while still focusing on her family.
"Ann always took care of her family and was genuinely a special person to everyone who knew her," Rooney said in a statement. "Her contributions to the NFL were second to none, and the entire league will miss her greatly."
The Giants do not plan to let anyone forget her, said Rolle.
"There will forever be a 53 man roster for the NYG plus 1 woman!" he tweeted. "You never want to lose anyone, but today we gained an ANGEL. RIP Mrs. Ann Mara. We love you dearly and we will continue to honor you."
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