Professional Football Researchers Association

Where you can meet PFRA Members:

Thursday, September 23rd, 7:00PM. Orland Park Public Library, 14921 Ravinia Avenue, Orland Park, IL. Joe Ziemba will present a special program commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Chicago Cardinals departing the City of Chicago.

Saturday, October 9th, 1:00PM. Mokena Public Library, 11327 W. 195th Street, Mokena, Illinois 60448. Joe Ziemba will present a program based on his book When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL.

June/July, 2012. PFRA Bi-Annual Meeting. NFL Films, Mount Laurel, NJ. Details to be announced soon.

New PFRA Mailing Address:
Professional Football Researchers Association
740 Deerfield Road
Warminster, PA 18974

Updated Information:
Members Only - Updated August 28, 2010 (Updated Game Officials, Updated All-Pros 1955-59)

All-America Football Conference Committee - Updated August 21, 2010 (Added Bob Kennedy Death Information)

Committees - Updated July 24, 2010 (Added World Football League Committee)

Oral History Committee - Updated June 27, 2010 (Added Bill Parcells and Gil Brandt)

Hall of Very Good Committee - Updated November 14, 2009 (Added Class of 2009)

WHAT'S IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE COFFIN CORNER (Volume 32, Number 4):
(Due to the membership by August 14, 2010)
Clark Shaughnessy and the 1949 Los Angeles Rams by TJ Troup. A recap of the 1949 season for the Los Angeles Rams.

Podolak's Playoff Picasso by Joe Zagorski. A story about Kansas City Chiefs' running back Ed Podolak and the 1971 Divisional Playoff Game against the Miami Dolphins.

1983 Olympics in Green Bay by Andrew Prein. a detailing of the October 17, 1983 game between the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins in which both teams combined to score 95 points.

History in the Present: Success Then Can Mean Success Now by Dave Bonchi. Coach Dave Bonchi goes into detail on the Wildcat formation.

PFRA Website Update by Ken Crippen. The executive director updates the membership on new additions to the PFRA website, including linescores, gamebooks, historical player draft, uniforms of past teams and player deaths.

Opportunity Seized: Muzzy Field and the Lost Game of the 1943 Green Bay Packers by Douglas S. Malan. A look at how the New London Diesels were able to schedule a game against the Green Bay Packers on November 28, 1943.

The Greatest Quarterback Draft Class - 1971 by Doug Bigelow. The author makes a case for the 1971 quarterback draft class being the greatest of all-time, over the Class of 1983.

The Merchants of Minerva by John Seaburn. A brief history of the Minerva Merchants, a semi-pro team from Ohio.

Research Notes by Joe Meeks. The author analyzes the 1933 rushing statistics, as well as the 1925 schedule of the New York Giants.

NEW FOOTBALL BOOKS BY PFRA MEMBERS:
From Baltimore to Broadway: Joe, the Jets, and the Super Bowl III Guarantee - by Ed Gruver. From Baltimore to Broadway is the first book that tells the complete story of Super Bowl III, from recollections of the Colts as well as the jets. The outcome of this seeming mismatch would impact far more than just the Jets and the Colts. The AFL had seen its previous two champions, Kansas City and Oakland, humbled by the Green Bay Packers in the first two Super Bowls. Had the Jets been beaten badly by Baltimore, as experts predicted, the worth of the coming merger between the warring leagues would have been damaged and the legitimacy of the Super Bowl as a true championship contest called further into question. Super Bowl III was a moment in time when the sport's past, present and future met in historical intersection. To the men who made it happen, who played a role in its final outcome, Super Bowl III is more than just a game that changed pro football. It's an event that changed their lives and continues to impact them to this day.

Game Changers: 50 Greatest Plays in Buffalo Bills Football History (50 Greatest Plays in Football History) - by Marv Levy and Jeff Miller. Jeffrey Miller has teamed up with Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy for his latest book, “Game Changers: The Greatest Plays in Buffalo Bills Football History” (Triumph). From “The Hit Heard ‘round the World” and “Big Ben” through “Wide Right” and “The Music City Miracle,” Miller and Levy relive the most unforgettable on-the-field moments in Bills history. The authors provide fascinating context for each of the plays, the back story, all the relevant circumstances, and the thoughts of many of those directly involved. Lushly illustrated with color and b&w photos that help you follow the play as it unfolds, “Game Changers” reanimates many of the most thrilling and heart-stopping moments in football.

Gridiron Gauntlet: The Story of the Men Who Integrated Pro Football, in Their Own Words - by Andy Piascik. One year before Jackie Robinson broke the color line in major league baseball, four black players joined the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams to become the first African-American pro football players in the modern era. Players who began their careers from 1946 to 1955 reminisce about the violence they faced on and off the field, the world of segregation and the violence it brought, but also of white players and coaches who assisted and supported their careers.

Nothing Comes Easy: My Life in Football - by Y.A. Tittle and Kristine Setting Clark. Tittle's autobiography covers his life beginning with his Marshall, Texas, schoolboy heroics, continues through his time at Louisiana State University, and includes his many years in the professional ranks. His football story culminates with the Giants climactic playoff loss to the Chicago Bears in 1963. This loss, Tittle's last chance at a championship, is captured in the Sports Illustrated Photo of the Century, showing Tittle kneeling on the field, bleeding from the head. As he describes the glorious and not so glorious games, players, life on the road, and his path after football, Tittle delivers the kind of awe-inspiring story that can only come from the man who has lived this incredible life. With a foreword written by his good friend and former teammate, Frank Gifford, Y.A.'s lively account of his life and Hall of Fame career will appeal to fans of all ages.

On Any Given Sunday: A Life of Bert Bell - by Bob Lyons. Bert Bell, a native of Philadelphia, has been called the most powerful executive figure in the history of professional football. He was responsible for helping to transform the game from a circus sideshow into what has become the most popular spectator sport in America. In On Any Given Sunday, the first biography of this important sports figure, historian Robert Lyons recounts the remarkable story of how de Benneville “Bert” Bell rejected the gentility of a high society lifestyle in favor of the tougher gridiron, and rose to become the founder of the Philadelphia Eagles and Commissioner of the National Football League.

The Original Buffalo Bills: A History of the All-America Football Conference Team - by Kenneth R. Crippen. The Buffalo Bills of the National Football League are known for having a fervent fan base, but the city's love affair with their football team dates back more than half a century. As members of the fledgling All-America Football Conference, the Buffalo Bills were one of the strongest teams in the league in 1948 and 1949, their final years of play. The team had such an impact on the city and on professional football that current franchise owner Ralph Wilson, when searching for a home for his American Football League team, settled in Buffalo and named the team in honor of the original Bills.

Quarterback Abstract - by John Maxymuk. Each quarterback's statistical information is presented here, from his scoring totals to his draft status and personal information. Author John Maxymuk has devised a sophisticated rating system that compares the quarterbacks across the decades. Who were they? What were their playing styles? How good were they? A full spectrum of numerical data is presented, from passing and rushing data to fourth-quarter game-winning-drive totals and won-lost records. Maxymuk also provides incisive analysis and interesting anecdotes, fleshing out each field general's personality.

This Day in Football: A Day-by-Day Record of the Events that Shaped the Game - by T.J. Troup. A full football season of facts, history, and nostalgia, this book will tell you the date the record for passes attempted was broken (94 on 11/1/53) as well as the game in which a defensive tackle lined up as a tight end to make the only touchdown reception of his career (William Perry, Chicago Bears, 11/3/85), and much, much more.

WHAT'S BEING DONE BY PFRA COMMITTEES:
All-America Football Conference Committee

Central and Northern New York Committee

Hall of Very Good Committee

Linescore Committee

Pre-NFL Pro Football Committee

Western New York Committee

Rochester Jeffersons Subcommittee

Oral History Committee

Television Commentators Committee

Uniforms of Past Teams Committee

USFL Committee

OTHER NOTABLE WORK BY PFRA MEMBERS:
20YardLine.com