New York acquired veteran guards Al Barry and Joe Skibinski…
New York acquired veteran guards Al Barry and Joe Skibinski from Green Bay on September 15, 1958 for the Giants' 1959 seventh-round pick, No. 83. Barry immediately became New York's starting left guard, playing 24 regular-season games with 23 starts across 1958-59 as the Giants reached consecutive NFL Championship Games. Skibinski retired after roughly two weeks because of injury. Green Bay used No. 83 on tackle Gary Raid, who never played an NFL regular-season game.
Green Bay Packers Received
- pick 1959 seventh-round pick (#83-Gary Raid)
New York Giants Received
- player Al Barry
- player Joe Skibinski
Trade Analysis
The September 15, 1958 transaction is well documented and much simpler than the legacy row. Green Bay historical reporting says coach Scooter McLean traded veteran guards Joe Skibinski and Al Barry to the New York Giants for draft consideration just before the season. The Packers' later 1959 draft coverage identifies the payment more precisely: tackle Gary Raid, selected at No. 83 in the seventh round, represented the Giants choice received for Barry. Pro Football Archives likewise lists No. 83 as a Green Bay selection acquired from New York. Those sources support one seventh-round pick as Green Bay's return, not the duplicate undisclosed consideration and extra unidentified pick contained in the old record.
Barry gave New York immediate starting value. Pro Football Reference credits him with all 12 games and 12 starts at left guard in 1958, followed by 12 games and 11 starts in 1959. He therefore delivered 24 regular-season appearances and 23 starts across two seasons. New York reached the NFL Championship Game in both years, and Barry is listed in the Giants' historical starting lineup at left guard. The trade did not make him the singular reason for those team results, but it did give the Giants a dependable starting lineman during two championship-level seasons.
Skibinski's contribution was much shorter. Green Bay historical reporting says he went to New York in the same deal but retired after roughly two weeks because of injuries. Pro Football Reference shows no Giants regular-season games for him; his recorded NFL career consists of earlier service with Cleveland and Green Bay. That distinction is important because the transaction sent two players to New York, but only Barry created measurable post-trade regular-season value. Skibinski should remain in the asset package without being assigned starts or games he did not play.
Green Bay used the acquired seventh-round selection on Gary Raid of Willamette. Packers reporting from June 1959 explicitly calls Raid the draft-choice payment received from the Giants for Barry, and Pro Football Reference lists Raid at No. 83 with no NFL regular-season games. The Packers therefore recovered a real draft asset but did not convert it into regular-season production. New York wins the trade comfortably in hindsight: a B+ reflects two years and 23 starts from Barry for a seventh-round price, while Green Bay receives a D+ because the resulting pick produced no NFL games. The grades stop short of the extremes because Barry's Giants tenure lasted only two seasons and Skibinski added no field value.