Giants 100 event the first taste of nostalgia that will ‘absolutely’ lead to urgency

Joe Schoen has been around for more than two years now as the Giants’ general manager, so he has met, briefly or more intimately, many of the renowned players who were assembled under one roof for A Night With Legends, the gala event held Thursday night.

This was a remarkable gathering — featuring Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor, Harry Carson, Michael Strahan and Bill Parcells. There were also 14 members of the Giants’ Ring of Honor, and one of them, a quiet individual and former hard-charging tight end, was especially on Schoen’s radar.

Schoen was born in Elkhart, Ind., and as a youngster grew to love the NFL at a time when the Giants were among the kings of the league.

“Mark Bavaro played at Notre Dame, and my dad used to take me to the spring games as a kid,’’ Schoen said. “Somewhere in a box in a storage unit somewhere there’s a picture of me and Mark Bavaro, and I have to find it. I’m excited to meet Mark Bavaro, to me that’s the one.’’

It was mission accomplished for Schoen, who was able to chat with Bavaro, usually a man of few words, and later described him as a “great guy.’’

Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are the caretakers of the franchise, entrusted by the Mara and Tisch ownership families to usher in success — something the new regime did in 2022, winning nine regular-season games, plus achieving the first playoff victory since 2011. It is something Schoen and Daboll failed to build on, as the Giants slumped to 6-11 in 2023.