Wake Forest Athletics
In Memory of Wake Forest Sports Hall of Famer and Longtime NFL Executive Ernie Accorsi
9/23/2026 9:27:00 AM | General
The 1963 Wake Forest graduate helped build winners with the Colts, Browns and Giants over a nearly four-decade career in professional football.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest Athletics mourns the passing of Ernie Accorsi ('63), a member of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame and one of the most respected executives in NFL history. He was 84.
Accorsi was born Oct. 29, 1941, in Hershey, Pa. He never competed as a Demon Deacon athlete, but Wake Forest is where he found his calling in sports. As a student, he was sports editor of the Old Gold and Black and sports director of campus radio station WFDD.
He graduated in 1963 and was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 26, 2008.
After Wake Forest, Accorsi wrote sports for the Charlotte News, the Baltimore Sun and the Philadelphia Inquirer. He also worked in the athletic departments at both Saint Joseph's and Penn State. He moved into professional football in 1970 as public relations director of the Baltimore Colts. He then became the Colts' assistant general manager in 1977 and ascended to general manager in 1982.
Accorsi also served two years as assistant to the president of the National Football Conference. In 1985, he was named general manager of the Cleveland Browns. There, he orchestrated the supplemental draft selection of quarterback Bernie Kosar, and the Browns won the AFC Central title in four of the next five seasons.
He would go on to spend 13 seasons with the New York Giants. He started as an assistant to general manager George Young and became general manager in 1998. During his nine seasons as GM, the Giants won NFC East titles in 2000 and 2005, made four playoff appearances and reached Super Bowl XXXV.
His biggest move came on draft day in 2004, when he acquired quarterback Eli Manning from the then-San Diego Chargers. He also hired head coach Tom Coughlin. After Accorsi retired in 2007, those two cornerstones led the Giants to Super Bowl titles after the 2007 and 2011 seasons. In 2016, the Giants inducted him into their Ring of Honor. He was only the second general manager to receive that honor.
Accorsi was born Oct. 29, 1941, in Hershey, Pa. He never competed as a Demon Deacon athlete, but Wake Forest is where he found his calling in sports. As a student, he was sports editor of the Old Gold and Black and sports director of campus radio station WFDD.
He graduated in 1963 and was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 26, 2008.
After Wake Forest, Accorsi wrote sports for the Charlotte News, the Baltimore Sun and the Philadelphia Inquirer. He also worked in the athletic departments at both Saint Joseph's and Penn State. He moved into professional football in 1970 as public relations director of the Baltimore Colts. He then became the Colts' assistant general manager in 1977 and ascended to general manager in 1982.
Accorsi also served two years as assistant to the president of the National Football Conference. In 1985, he was named general manager of the Cleveland Browns. There, he orchestrated the supplemental draft selection of quarterback Bernie Kosar, and the Browns won the AFC Central title in four of the next five seasons.
He would go on to spend 13 seasons with the New York Giants. He started as an assistant to general manager George Young and became general manager in 1998. During his nine seasons as GM, the Giants won NFC East titles in 2000 and 2005, made four playoff appearances and reached Super Bowl XXXV.
His biggest move came on draft day in 2004, when he acquired quarterback Eli Manning from the then-San Diego Chargers. He also hired head coach Tom Coughlin. After Accorsi retired in 2007, those two cornerstones led the Giants to Super Bowl titles after the 2007 and 2011 seasons. In 2016, the Giants inducted him into their Ring of Honor. He was only the second general manager to receive that honor.
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