San Francisco acquired quarterback Arnie Galiffa from New…
San Francisco acquired quarterback Arnie Galiffa from New York in August 1954 for defensive end Bob Van Doren. Galiffa appeared in four regular-season games for the 49ers without a start, completing three of 12 passes for 54 yards and throwing four interceptions. He left the NFL after that season. The return was limited, but San Francisco at least received regular-season snaps from the player it acquired.
New York Giants Received
- player Bob Van Doren
San Francisco 49ers Received
- player Arnie Galiffa
Trade Analysis
San Francisco's official trade history records a clean player-for-player exchange in 1954: the 49ers acquired quarterback Arnie Galiffa from the New York Giants for defensive end Bob Van Doren. The legacy row's unidentified and undisclosed-consideration placeholders are unsupported and should be removed. Pro Football Archives places Galiffa's 49ers transaction on August 10, 1954, which is more specific than the older row's August 4 date and matches his documented move into San Francisco's 1954 roster.
Galiffa gave the 49ers only a brief reserve-quarterback contribution. San Francisco's own 1954 statistics show him appearing in four games, completing three of 12 passes for 54 yards and throwing four interceptions. Pro Football Archives likewise credits him with four 49ers games and no starts. He had previously appeared in three games with one start for the Giants in 1953, but that earlier New York production predates the trade and is not part of San Francisco's return.
Van Doren brought even less post-trade value to New York. Pro Football Reference credits him with 10 NFL games and three starts, all for San Francisco in 1953. There is no 1954 Giants regular-season appearance in his career record. The 49ers had originally acquired him from Cleveland in 1953 for a 1954 draft choice, but once he was sent to New York his NFL playing career effectively ended before producing a game for the Giants.
Neither side found a durable contributor. Galiffa moved to the Canadian game after the 1954 NFL season and later had productive CFL quarterback years, but those results came after San Francisco no longer had him and therefore do not count as 49ers trade value. Van Doren likewise generated no downstream NFL value for New York that can be tied to this transaction.
The hindsight edge belongs only slightly to San Francisco. Four reserve appearances and 54 passing yards are a very small return, and the four interceptions make clear that Galiffa was not an effective long-term answer. Still, the Giants received no regular-season game from Van Doren. A C- for San Francisco and D for New York reflects that narrow difference without treating minimal playing time as meaningful success.