The Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) is an organization of researchers whose mission is to preserve and, in some cases, reconstruct professional American football history. It was founded on June 22, 1979 in Canton, Ohio by writer/historian Bob Carroll and six other football researchers and is currently headed by an executive committee led by its president, George Bozeka, and executive director Leon Elder. Membership in the organization includes some of professional football's foremost historians and authors. The organization is based in Guilford, New York.

The PFRA publishes books and a bimonthly magazine, The Coffin Corner, devoted to topics in professional football history. The organization also gives out awards each year for outstanding achievement in the field of football research.

The Coffin Corner

The Coffin Corner is a semimonthly magazine devoted to topics in professional football history. PFRA members publish their research findings in the articles, regardless of prior writing experience. In the case of newer authors and first-time contributors, the magazine's editors assist, anonymously, in helping develop the narratives for publication. The $35.00 annual membership in the organization includes a subscription to six issues of The Coffin Corner, as well as access to the "Members Only" section of their website, which contains detailed research on a variety of pro football subjects.

Books In cooperation with McFarland & Company, the PFRA is now working on the third installment in its "Great Teams in Pro Football History" series, edited by George Bozeka. Individual members of the association volunteer to author the different chapters, profiling in detail the players, the coaching staff, the preseason, regular season and postseason, and other elements of a team's season. The 1966 Green Bay Packers: Profiles of Vince Lombardi's Super Bowl I Champions was released in 2016, and The 1958 Baltimore Colts: Profiles of the NFL's First Sudden Death Champions followed in 2018. Writing is underway for the chapters of a book about the 1951 Los Angeles Rams season, was released in 2022. The fourth book, about the 1964 Buffalo Bills season, will follow in 2024.

Committees and research projects

The PFRA maintains ongoing database projects, with committees of members who update the record as information develops, or as it is discovered in the course of research. Select committees may be disbanded as their work is completed.

All-America Football Conference (chair: Ken Crippen) Hall of Very Good Committee The Hall of Very Good highlights outstanding players not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (chair: Andy Piascik) Biography Committee Responsible for writing biographies of every NFL player. (chairs: Greg Tranter, Jeffrey J. Miller, George Bozeka) Education Committee Collects and develops educational problems involving football for use in schools. (chair: Neal Golden) Linescore Committee Responsible for compiling linescores for all professional games played since 1920. (chair: Gary Selby) Gamebooks Committee The goal of the PFRA Gamebooks Committee is to collect gamebooks and play-by-play accounts for all of the games in NFL history. These can be a valuable tool for researchers, but acquiring them can be an arduous task. The goal is to share the collective efforts of a number of researchers and pool the results in one location, hopefully to foster future research. (chairs: Giovanni Malaty and Rupert Patrick) Membership Committee For the PFRA's internal purposes. Pre-NFL Pro Football Committee Researches all professional football prior to 1920, such as the Ohio League, Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit, the Chicago and Philadelphia circuits, and the New York Pro Football League. (chair: Roy Sye) Uniforms Compiles all information on NFL, AFL and AAFC uniforms from 1933 to the present. (chair: Tim Brulia) Oral History Chronicles PFRA interviews with former NFL players. (chair: Ken Crippen) NFL Officials Compiles a list of all NFL officials, their positions and their uniform numbers. (chair: Gary Najman-Vainer)

Hall of Very Good The "Hall of Very Good" is a project done to highlight the best players, coaches and contributors not yet inducted into the Hall of Fame. The * indicates that person was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame afterwards.

2003 – Gino Cappelletti, Carl Eller*, Pat Fischer, Benny Friedman*, Gene Hickerson*, Jerry Kramer*, Johnny Robinson*, Mac Speedie*, Mick Tingelhoff*, Al Wistert 2004 – Gene Brito, John Brodie, Jack Butler*, Chris Hanburger*, Bob Hayes*, Billy Howton, Jim Marshall, Al Nesser, Dave Robinson*, Duke Slater* 2005 – Maxie Baughan, Jim Benton, LaVern Dilweg, Pat Harder, Floyd Little*, Tommy Nobis, Pete Retzlaff, Tobin Rote, Lou Rymkus, Del Shofner 2006 – Charlie Conerly, John Hadl, Chuck Howley*, Alex Karras*, Eugene Lipscomb, Kyle Rote, Dick Stanfel*, Otis Taylor, Fuzzy Thurston, Dan Towler 2007 – Frankie Albert, Roger Brown, Timmy Brown, Marshall Goldberg, Jim Lee Howell, Glenn Presnell, Dick Schafrath, Jake Scott, Ed Sprinkle*, Paul "Tank" Younger 2008 – Dick Barwegan, Randy Gradishar*, Bob Hoernschemeyer, Cecil Isbell, Buddy Parker, Spec Sanders, Jim Ray Smith, Billy Wilson 2009 – Bruno Banducci, Harold Carmichael*, Blanton Collier, Boyd Dowler, Claude Humphrey*, Ken Kavanaugh, Verne Lewellen, Walt Sweeney 2010 – Robert Brazile*, Ed Budde, Don Coryell*, Ox Emerson, Chuck Foreman, Bob Gain, Riley Matheson, Jimmy Patton, Drew Pearson*, Ken Riley* 2011 – Ken Anderson, Cliff Branch*, Bobby Dillon*, Cliff Harris*, Harold Jackson, Andy Russell, Lou Saban, Tom Sestak, Jerry Smith 2012 – Bill Bergey, Curley Culp*, Kenny Easley*, Lester Hayes, Jack Kemp, Eddie Meador, L. C. Greenwood, Ray Wietecha, Swede Youngstrom 2013 – Erich Barnes, Mike Curtis, Roman Gabriel, Cookie Gilchrist, Bob Kuechenberg, Daryle Lamonica, Lemar Parrish, Donnie Shell*, Jim Tyrer 2014 – Larry Brown, Nolan Cromwell, Larry Grantham, Charlie Hennigan, Harlon Hill, Winston Hill*, George Kunz, Ken Stabler* 2015 – Alan Ameche, Rick Casares, Bill Forester, Rich Jackson, Chuck Knox, Ted Nesser, Gene Washington 2016 – Gary Collins, Gale Gillingham, Jim Katcavage, Joe Klecko*, Harvey Martin, Don Perkins, Duane Putnam, Isiah Robertson, Louis Wright 2017 – Bobby Boyd, Todd Christensen, Joe Fortunato, Dave Grayson, Cornell Green, Dan Reeves, Bob Skoronski 2018 – Lyle Alzado, Dick Anderson, Ken Gray, Lee Roy Jordan, Earl Morrall, Ralph Neely, Fred Smerlas 2019 – Joey Browner, Deron Cherry, Roger Craig*, Abner Haynes, Joe Jacoby, Art Powell, Everson Walls, Ed White 2020 – Ottis Anderson, Jay Hilgenberg, Ed Jones, Ron McDole, Karl Mecklenburg, Richie Petitbon, Sterling Sharpe*, Buddy Young 2021 – Grady Alderman, Russ Francis, Mike Kenn, Tony Latone, Stanley Morgan, John Niland, Clark Shaughnessy, Bill Stanfill, Bob Vogel, Abe Woodson 2022 – Mark Bavaro, Matt Blair, Mark Gastineau, Keith Jackson, Bert Jones, Bucko Kilroy, Clay Matthews, Jr., Lionel Taylor 2023 — Coy Bacon, Ray Childress, John David Crow, Earl Faison, Leon Gray, Nick Lowery, Michael Dean Perry, Buck Shaw, Jeff Van Note 2024 - Henry Ellard, Jim Lachey, Albert Lewis, Jerry Mays, Lydell Mitchell, Marvin Powell, Pat Swilling 2025 - Jim Bakken, Charley Brock, George Christensen, Clem Daniels, Chris Hinton, Kent Hull, Greg Lloyd, Wilber Marshall, Nate Newton, Mike Stratton

Ralph Hay Award The Ralph Hay Award, named after the Canton Bulldogs owner whose Hupmobile Automobile showroom was the site of the NFL's first organizational meeting, is awarded for "lifetime achievement in pro football research and historiography."

Past winners have been:

2022 - George Bozeka 2021 - Joe Ziemba 2020 - Joe Zagorski 2019 - Rupert Patrick 2018 - John Turney 2017 – John Maxymuk 2016 – Mark L. Ford 2015 – Jack Clary 2014 – Pete Fierle 2013 – Cliff Christl 2012 – Chris Willis 2011 – Ken Crippen 2010 – Pete Palmer 2009 – Bob Carroll 2008 – Ralph Hickok 2007 – Vince Popo 2006 – Emil Klosinski 2005 – John Gunn 2004 – Jeffrey J. Miller 2003 – John Hogrogian 2002 – Ken Pullis 2001 – Tod Maher 2000 – Mel "Buck" Bashore 1999 – Stan Grosshandler 1998 – Seymour Siwoff 1997 – Total Sports Publishing 1996 – Don Smith 1995 – John Hogrogian 1994 – Jim Campbell 1993 – Robert Van Atta 1992 – Richard Cohen 1991 – Joe Horrigan 1990 – Bob Gill 1989 – Joe Plack 1988 – David Neft

Nelson Ross Award The Nelson Ross Award is presented annually by the PFRA for "outstanding achievement in pro football research and historiography."

Past winners are:

2022 – Lee Elder, Coach George Allen: A Football Life 2021 – Jeffrey J. Miller and Greg Tranter, Relics: The History of the Buffalo Bills in Objects and Memorabilia 2020 – Richard Bak, for his book When Lions Were Kings: The Detroit Lions and the Fabulous Fifties 2019 – Chris Serb, for his book War Football: World War I and the Birth of the NFL 2018 – Doug Farrar, for his book The Genius of Desperation: The Schematic Innovations that Made the Modern NFL 2017 – Ralph Hickok, for his book, Vagabond Halfback: The Saga of Johnny Blood McNally 2016 – James C. Sulecki, for his book, The Cleveland Rams: The NFL Champs Who Left Too Soon, 1936-1945 2015 – Ted Kluck, for his book Three-Week Professionals: Inside the 1987 NFL Players’ Strike 2014 – William J. Ryczek, for his book, Connecticut Gridiron: Football Minor Leaguers of the 1960s and 1970s 2013 – Ivan Urena, for his book, Pro Football Schedules: A Complete Historical Guide 1933 to the Present 2012 – Dan Daly, for his book, The National Forgotten League 2011 – Mark Speck, for his book, ...and a Dollar Short: The Empty Promises, Broken Dreams and Somewhat-Less-Than-Comic Misadventures of the 1974 Florida Blazers 2010 – Kate Buford, for her book, Native American Son: The Life and Sporting Legend of Jim Thorpe 2009 – Robert Lyons, for his book, On Any Given Sunday: A Life of Bert Bell 2008 – Sean Lahman, for his book, The Pro Football Historical Abstract 2007 – Andy Piascik, for his book, The Best Show in Football: The 1946-1955 Cleveland Browns 2006 – Matthew Algeo, for his book, Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles -- "The Steagles" -- Saved Pro Football During World War II 2005 – Chris Willis, for his book, Old Leather: An Oral History of Early Pro Football in Ohio, 1920-1935 2004 – Michael MacCambridge, for his book, America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured A Nation 2003 – Mark L. Ford, for his book, NFLX: NFL Exhibition Games 1950 to 2002 2002 – Bob Gill, Steve Brainerd, and Tod Maher, for their book, Minor League Football, 1960-1985 2001 – William J. Ryczek, for his book Crash of the Titans: The Early Years of the New York Jets and the AFL 2000 – Paul Reeths, for his book, "The USFL Chronicle" 1999 – Joe Ziemba, for his book, When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL 1998 – Keith McClellan, for his book, The Sunday Game: At the Dawn of Professional Football 1997 – Tod Maher & Bob Gill, for their book, The Pro Football Encyclopedia 1996 – John Hogrogian, for his book, All-Pros: The First 40 years 1995 – Phil Dietrich, for his book, Down Payments : Professional Football 1896-1930 1994 – Rick Korch 1993 – Myron J. "Jack" Smith Jr., for his book, Professional Football: The Official Pro Football Hall of Fame Bibliography 1992 – John M. Carroll, for his book, Fritz Pollard: Pioneer in Racial Advancement 1991 – Tod Maher, for his book, Wiffle: The World Football League Chronicle 1990 – Pearce Johnson, for his book, Professional Football in Rhode Island and Its National Connections 1989 – Bob Gill 1988 – Bob Braunwart

See also Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)

References

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