Pittsburgh acquired Phil King from New York on August 24,…
Pittsburgh acquired Phil King from New York on August 24, 1964. Contemporary and team records identify the Giants' return as Pittsburgh's 1965 third-round choice, No. 31 overall, which New York used on fullback Chuck Mercein. King played only eight games for the Steelers, rushing 26 times for 71 yards and one touchdown while adding four catches for 32 yards and another score. He moved on after the season, making Pittsburgh's return brief.
New York Giants Received
- pick 1965 third round pick (#31-Chuck Mercein)
Pittsburgh Steelers Received
- player Phil King
Trade Analysis
The compensation can be resolved more firmly than the legacy row suggests. New York's 1965 media guide says Chuck Mercein was selected with a third-round choice obtained from Pittsburgh in the Phil King trade, and the 1966 Giants guide repeats the same history. The completed 1965 draft ledger identifies that selection as No. 31 overall. Pro Sports Transactions traces No. 31 from Pittsburgh to New York for King as well. A later Steelers retrospective quotes a contemporary newspaper reference to 'two higher draft choices,' so the archival record is not perfectly uniform, but the Giants' own consecutive-year guides and the completed draft ledger support treating No. 31 as the documented compensation rather than leaving a generic 'high pick' placeholder.
King had been New York's leading rusher in 1963 with 613 yards, so Pittsburgh was buying a veteran with recent production. The move did not carry over. NFL records show King playing eight games for the Steelers in 1964, rushing 26 times for 71 yards and one touchdown. He also caught four passes for 32 yards and one score. That was his only season in Pittsburgh before he continued his career with Minnesota. TradeVerdicts therefore credits the Steelers only for that eight-game 1964 contribution, not for the production he later gave another club.
New York used the acquired No. 31 pick on Yale fullback Chuck Mercein. He appeared in 13 games as a rookie in 1965, rushing for 55 yards and two touchdowns with three receptions for 14 yards. In 1966 his role expanded: 13 games, 94 carries for 327 yards and 27 catches for 152 yards. He appeared in one more Giants game in 1967 before moving to Green Bay. Across his Giants tenure, Mercein totaled 27 regular-season appearances, 382 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 30 receptions and 166 receiving yards.
Mercein never became a long-term featured back in New York, but the Giants still received multiple seasons of usable roster value from a third-round selection acquired for a player who gave Pittsburgh one short season. That gap is meaningful even without inflating Mercein's later Green Bay career into New York value. The Steelers did get immediate veteran depth and two touchdowns from King, so the deal was not empty on their side, but the return ended almost immediately.
The hindsight edge therefore belongs to New York. A B- for the Giants and D+ for Pittsburgh reflects several seasons of Mercein depth against eight games of King production. The grade remains moderate rather than extreme because neither side acquired a star-level long-term centerpiece, and the archival note about the Steelers retrospective is preserved rather than ignored.