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VOLUME 2 (1980)

Number 1:

Charles Follis by Milt Roberts in Black Sports. A look at the accomplishments and obstacles for “America’s first black professional football player”, Follis (1879-1910) played for the Shelby (Oh.) Blues 1902-06. First published in Black Sports, Nov. 1975.

Jim Parker by Don Smith. Biography of the HOF offensive lineman for Baltimore 1957-67. “He was the first ‘pure’ offensive lineman inducted into the Hall… The fact that Parker and his teammates did the job well goes a long way toward explaining the unprecedented passing feats of Unitas and the overall success of the Colts….”

1955: That Wonderful Year by Bob Carroll. Summary of the ‘55 NFL season, including Cleveland’s 38-14 title win over L.A., Ogden Compton’s memorable pass to Night Train Lane, the five-man line and the three-end attack.

Number 2:

Chuck Bednarik by Don Smith in Pro! Bio of the HOF linebacker-center for the Eagles (1950-62). “As an offensive center, big Chuck was a bulldozing blocker. On defense, he not only was a true scientist at his job, but a bone-jarring tackler who literally could stop even the best enemy runner ‘on a dime’.” Previously published in Pro! (NFL game progam magazine)

Singles by Robert Sproule. “Ever hear of a non-forfeited football game ending with the score 1-0? It happened… most recently when the Montreal Alouettes beat the Ottawa Rough Riders on Oct. 30, 1966. It is possible in Canada because they have a way of scoring one point, all by itself. Appropriately enough, it’s called a single.” CFL historian Sproule describes the unique rule.

A Strange Switch by Stan Grosshandler. George Blanda’s started college as a T-formation quarterback, before being switched over to other roles-- tailback, defensive back, linebacker, and kicker.

1940: That Wonderful Year from the New York Times. “This past season ever will be remembered for one reason, the 73-0 massacre of the Washington Redskins by the Chicago Bears, one of the greatest teams, amateur or professional, in the annals of the gridiron sport.” A contemporary review of the ‘40 NFL season.

YPSG by C.C. Staph. “What happens to some of the individual records when adjusted in accord with the number of scheduled games? We’re not advocating a ton of Roger Maris Asterisks, but we thought you might be interested…“ In 1979, Dan Fouts had a record 4,082 yards passing in 16 games for 255.1 “yards per scheduled game”, less than Joe Namath’s 286.2 in 14 games in 1967.

Number 3:

The Steam Roller by John Hogrogian. “[M]ore than half a century ago, in 1928, Rhode Island had its own National Football League champions, the Providence Steam Roller. The story of that team is the story of an era of professional football much different from that of today.” At 12 pages, the definitive history of Providence’s 7 seasons (1925-31) in the NFL.

Number 4:

The Executives: ‘We Thought Like Champs’ by Stan Grosshandler. The most extensive known interview of the late Henry Jordan (1935-79), the Green Bay Packers’ defensive tackle who would later be enshrined at Canton in 1995. The title comes from Vince Lombardi’s statement, “You are paid like executives, so you will dress like them, act like them, and have their positive approach."

The Toronto Argonauts (to World War I) by Robert Sproule. “Formed in 1874 as an amateur rugby team, the Argonauts are the oldest major-league football team in North America.” Traces the Argonauts from the days of keeping a rowing team in shape, up to their first Grey Cup win in 1914.

Number 5:

Dr. Joe [Kopcha]: A Guard's Guard by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. Interview and biography of Chicago Bears’ guard Joe Kopcha (1929, 1932-36), who returned to the NFL after getting his M.D. Dr. Joseph Kopcha retired to become an obstetrician in Gary, Indiana and was a charter member of PFRA. While putting together shin-guards, he explained to Paddy Driscoll, “I want to protect my legs from osteomyelitis disease.” Driscoll walked away.

Number 6:

Red Badgro by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. Interview and biography of Morris “Red” Badgro, HOF member and one of the best “two-way ends” to play in the NFL (1930-36). Badgro also played outfield in the American League.

The Taylorville Scandal by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. The story of how the Green Bay Packers were kicked out of the NFL between the 1921 and 1922 seasons for using college players under assumed names. From the article: “One last piece of trivia: the ‘new’ Green Bay team of 1922 took as its official nickname the Blues, although most cities around the league continued to call them the Packers.”

Number 7:

All-American Football Conference by Stan Grosshandler. A 12-page history of the AAFC, from its inception on June 4, 1944, to its demise on December 9, 1949. The article includes statistics and information about all eight teams.

Pro Football Records Should Include the AAFC by Ed Pavlick. A guest editorial, along with an opposing viewpoint, that the PFRA should support statistical recognition of the 1946-49 AAFC. From the article: “The NFL claims it does not recognize AAFC records because no ‘official’ game sheets are available,” a circumstance which changed in 2008.

Number 8:

Cleveland's 1st Title by Joe Horrigan. How the Cleveland Bulldogs became the 1924 NFL champions, despite losing a post-season match with the second place Chicago Bears.

Happy Birthday NFL? by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. Although the NFL dates its existence from September 17, 1920, PFRA researchers Bob Braunwart, Bob Carroll and Joe Horrigan, found that the “American Professional Football Conference” or APFC was organized a month earlier on August 20, 1920. The NFL Record & Fact Book would later be revised (1987) to reflect the PFRA researchers’ discovery.

Now Kicking, Kelsch by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. The little-known story of Christian “Mose” Kelsch, a former sandlot player who might be the first “kicking specialist” in pro football. On October 18, 1933, the 37 year old Kelsch became an unlikely hero when he gave the new Pittsburgh team its first NFL victory. “During his two-year NFL career, Kelsch was not only the oldest player in the league, but he was also older than the team’s owner, Art Rooney.” Tragically, Kelsch was killed in an automobile accident in 1935.

Number 9:

Glenn Dobbs by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. “Although he played eight seasons of outstanding professional football and ranks among the greatest triple threats of all time, Glenn Dobbs will probably never be elected to the Hall of Fame. Why? Because four of his seasons were played in the All-America Football Conference (1946-49) and the other four were played in Canada (1951-54).”

Iron Men by Vic Frolund. An article about college football in the 1920s and prior, when entire teams would play the full game without a substitution. The author concludes that the term “iron man” to describe a 60 minute player, pro or college, was first applied to describe the Brown U. team of 1926.

Iron Words by Joe Horrigan. A companion to “Iron Men”. When asked why football games should be played while America was in the Second World War, Cardinals’ head coach Jimmy Conzelman gave an eloquent answer. Prior to the war, college graduates “have been taught to build. Now they must learn to destroy.”

6 by Sayers by Associated Press. A look back at December 12, 1965, when Gale Sayers scored six touchdowns in the Bears’ 61-20 win over the 49ers. Quoting from the AP article, Mankin adds, “Believe it or not, he could have scored a seventh touchdown. Jon Arnett zipped over on a short plunge for the last TD and I believe Sayers was on the field at the time.”

Number 10:

The Spartans Live on (in Detroit) by C. Robert Barnett. “Had it not been for some Wisconsin ‘cheese’ and a Colorado basketball game, the little town of Portsmouth, Ohio, might be able to fly two National League championship pennants over Spartan Municipal Stadium.” After coming close to being NFL champions in both 1931 and 1932, the Spartans were sold in 1934 to George A. Richards, who moved the team and renamed in the Detroit Lions.

Football Players Are Better Than Ever, Right? by David Shapiro. Wrong, says Dr. Shapiro. “[T]he NFL’s official measurement of season performance has never been corrected for the different number of games in the seasons being compared. This is no different than keeping track records without regard to whether the distances are measured in feet, yards, or meters.” The Shapiro measure shows “12 ‘new’ NFL season records, courtesy of logic and a pocket calculator, and 7 of them unbroken since the 40’s”

Number 11:

The First AFL Game by Larry Bortstein. “Seconds after 8 o’clock on the night of Sept. 9, 1980, Tony Discenzo, a 245-pound Boston Patriots’ tackle from Michigan State University, ran a few steps and kicked a football to the Denver Broncos…. Discenzo‘s boot kicked off an adventurecalled the American Football League…” An 11-page recollection of the Broncos’ origins, including an interview with founder Bob Howsam. First published in the Denver Post.

Firsts [in the AFL] by Larry Bortstein. From the first coin toss to the first extra point attempt to miss, first-time assembly of firsts from the Broncos 13-10 win over the Patriots in the AFL’s inaugural game.

Number 12:

The Mugging of Bobby Layne by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. A review of the Ed Meadows incident and other violent moments in football history. The title comes from the December 16, 1956 game between the Lions and Bears, in which Detroit quarterback Layne was injured. “What had happened was that 220 pounds of Bears defensive end, all of it named Ed Meadows, had blindsided Bobby with enough force to level any reasonably well-constructed brick building.” Quote from Detroit coach Buddy Parker: “Why didn’t Meadows bring a blackjack?”

Ken Haycraft Remembers the Way It Was by James E. Odenkirk. Life for the average NFL player in the 1929 and 1930, as recounted by end Ken Haycraft. Haycraft played for the Minneapolis Redjackets and one game for Green Bay, and later became an attorney. “While in New York City, the team stayed in a first class hotel near Central Park. The players dressed in their uniforms while in their rooms, then walked from their hotel to Central Park in tennis shoes and practiced, often to the delight of pedestrians.”

Hutson Brings Down the House by Pat Livingston. Recollection of a 1942 Bears-Packers game, where Don Hutson made “the most incredible premeditated play I ever saw on a football field.“ Originally published in the Pittsburgh Press.

Annual:

Before the Beginning: The Roots of Pro Football by Bob Braunwart. “[O]f today’s seven major football codes… all seven- American, Association (soccer), Australian, Canadian, Gaelic, Rugby League and Rugby Union -- are descended from a common source which probably resembled rugby…” A history going back to Shrove Tuesday, 217 A.D., and the Roman game of harpastum.

Latrobe, PA: Cradle of Pro Football by Robert Van Atta. A 21 page history of the Latrobe Athletics (1895-1907), starting from a 12-0 win over Jeanette on September 3, 1895, and John Braillier’s first game as one of the first pro football players. Starting with a 12-0 win over Jeanette PA, Latrobe played until 1907. Dr. Braillier died on September 17, 1960, forty years to the day after the NFL organizational meeting.

Dave Berry and the Philadelphia Story by Bob Carroll. Berry, owner of the Pittsburgh Stars, and Philadelphia baseball owners John I. Rogers (Phillies) and Ben Shibe (Athletics) put together a three team round-robin for a pro football championship in 1902, and dubbed the arrangement the National Football League. “Of course, it was as national as the Pennsylvania state line…” This is a reconstruction of the “1902 NFL season”.

Tom O’Rourke’s World Series by Bob Carroll. The story (8 pages) of a pro football tournament held in 1902 and 1903, at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Tom O’Rourke, the Garden‘s manager, arranged the indoor tournament, on a 70 by 35 yard field.

1919: Last Year of the Ohio League by Bob Carroll. Before the NFL was organized, the Ohio teams played each other under a league-like arrangment.

Fritz Hanson: The Golden Ghost by Robert Sproule. The story of how Fritz Hanson of North Dakota helped Winnipeg beat Hamilton, 18-12, in the 1935 Grey Cup. He set a record by returning 15 punts for a total of 339 yards, including a 78 yard return for the winning touchdown.

VOLUME 3 (1981)

Number 1:

The Oorang Indians by Braunwart, Carroll & Horrigan. “In American sports lore, there never was, and surely never will be again, anything like the Oorangs, the first, the last, and the only all-Indian team ever to play in a major professional sports league.” At 17 pages, everything about the 1922 NFL team -- game results, stats, history, rosters and more. Finished 1922 with a 3-6-0 record.

Number 2:

A Hunk of History: Hunk Anderson by Emil Klosinski. Biography of Heartley “Hunk” Anderson. Besides being the Notre Dame coach who took over from Knute Rockne, Anderson “was also an important cog for the Chicago Bears in two distinct eras of that team’s existence-- when they were just beginning and during their dynasty years of the forties.” Anderson was interior lineman (1922-25) and later an assistant coach.

The First NFL Game(s) by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. There were two games on October 3, 1920, in Dayton, Ohio, and Rock Island, Illinois, and the problem “is deciding just what game really was the first”. The two games were Dayton Triangles 14, Columbus Panhandles 0; and Rock Island Independents 45, Muncie Flyers 0. “Kickoff times were far from standardized in 1920, and, as yet, no researcher has come forward with the exact kickoff time for either game.”

Historic Horns by Anonymous. Reprinted from a 1958 program from a Utah-Utah State game. The story of Rams’ halfback Fred Gehrke, and how he designed the NFL’s first helmet logo.

Number 3:

Simpatico! A Tale of Two Raider QBs by Joe Horrigan. “[T]he similarities in Plunkett and Flores are too great to be overlooked….” An article written after Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett and head coach Tom Flores had guided Oakland to a 27-10 win over the Eagles in Super Bowl XV. Besides making spectacular comebacks in their careers, both men had other things in common.

Pro Football's First TV Game : 1939 by Jim Campbell. Brooklyn 23, Philadelphia 14, on New York’s NBC station. “But, so far as anyone can tell, none of the players knew the game was being broadcast to the approximately 1,000 TV sets in New York City.” The article includes an interview with Allen Walz, who was the announcer for the game telecast on October 22, 1939.

Number 4:

Blue Shirt Charlie's Big Red Dream by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. Charlie Bidwill purchased the Chicago Cardinals in 1932 for $50,000, and by 1947, had built the team up to championship status. Sadly… He never had a chance to see his Dream Backfield in action.”

Pat Harder by Stan Grosshandler. An interview with the man who led the NFL in scoring for three consecutive seasons with the Cardinals, played for the Cards and the Lions from 1946-1953, and later became an NFL official.

Number 5:

The Discarded Championship by Horrigan, Braunwart & Carroll. A 12 page retrospective of the Pottsville Maroons and the controversy over the 1925 NFL title. “The nice people of Pottsville are not barefaced liars. Like Don Quixote, they’re simply unaware of the true situation. It’s time they stopped tilting at the NFL windmill. The Maroons were a heck of a good team in 1925, but the NFL did not rip off their championship.”

Number 6:

Moose of the Bears: George Musso by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. Biography of Hall of Famer George Musso, including an interview with the Chicago Bears (1933-44) guard. Musso, “after a pro football career famous for his dual role as immovable object and irresistible force,” went on to become sheriff of Madison County, Illinois.

Records: Near & Non by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. Some interesting plays that didn’t make the record book, including “shortest distance covered by a football between passer and receiver” (Harry Newman to Mel Hein); blocked kicks in a quarter (3 by Len Sachs, 10/31/20); the smallest NFL player (Jack Shapiro); career pass completions by a one-eyed passer with no depth perception (732 by Tommy Thompson); and “Most Total Yards Lost Rushing in a Single Season”, minus 180 yards for Davey O’Brien.

Number 7:

The Ohio League by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. Short article about the loosely organized competition between Ohio’s pro football teams before the NFL was organized. “There was never anything official about it, and its makeup changed from year to year. Essentially, the ‘league’ was made up of those teams that were strong enough to be considered ‘major’”. Includes a list of Ohio champions, 1903-1919.

Number 8:

The Duke of Boston: Gino Cappelletti by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. Bio and interview of Gino Cappelletti, who didn’t play an NFL game until 1970, but was one of the first stars of the American Football League as a kicker and receiver for the Boston Patriots. “He was a ‘team player’ first. Being a ‘star’ was only a distant second.”.

The NFL Down Under by Stanley Grosshandler. “The National Football League of South Australia had alrady been around for a long time when George Halas, Jim Thorpe and the others met in Ralph Hay’s automobile showroom…” A 1981 introduction to Australian Rules Football.

Number 9:

NFL Competitors: 1926-1975 by Stephen Hensley. Familiar information about the first “six attempts to capture some of the NFL market”; written in 1981 before the USFL.

The Best Pro a College Ever Had by Bernie McCarty. “Unique in football history… He was a bonafide profesional who was allowed to play another season of amateur football” The true story of star halfback Bob Steuber, who played one game for the Chicago Bears in 1943, then returned to college football for Depauw University.

Number 10:

Raging Bullchips by M. Wilson. December 16, 1929-- Bears’ center and future HOF member George Trafton goes into the boxing ring against White Sox player Arthur Shires, with a $1,000 purse on the line. Epilogue-- in 1971, another boxing promoter wanted to match Bears’ LB Bill Staley against the NBA’s Wilt Chamberlain.

The Man from North Dakota by Tony Cusher. Who was the first NFL player from North Dakota? Tackle Larry J. Steinbach, who joined the Chicago Bears in 1930 as a 29 year old rookie. Steinbach, whose NFL career was from 1930-1933, also played for the Cardinals and Eagles.

Number 11:

The Town That Hated Pro Football by Bob Carroll. It was Rochester, New York. Leo Lyons, “one of the authentic heroes of the league’s early years,” kept the Rochester Jeffersons in the NFL in its first six seasons, from 1920 to 1925. “Lyons loved pro football, but it didn’t return the affection.”

Lionel Conacher: Canada's Answer to Jim Thorpe by Bob Braunwart & B.Carroll. Lionel Conacher (1901-1954) took the Toronto Argonauts to the Grey Cup, played outfield on Toronto’s AAA World Series, played in the first pro lacrosse league, boxed with Jack Dempsey, wrestled professionally, and played for two Stanley Cup winners in the National Hockey League (1925-37).

Number 12:

Snow Birds: The 1948 Philadelphia Eagles by Bob Carroll, et.al. How Coach Greasy Neale, rusher Steve Van Buren, and a roster of outstanding players, took perennial loser Philadelphia to the NFL championship. The game was played on December 19, 1948, in a blizzard. Additional material from the Pro Football Hall of Fame reprinted by permission.

Annual:

The Early Years of Pro Football in Southwest Pa. by Robert Van Atta. “Among the least known of southwestern Pennsylvania’s historical distinctions is the region’s substantial role as…. the central spawning for a sport that today dominates the sports pages” At 14 pages, core material about the first pro teams in Pittsburgh, Latrobe, Greensburg, and elsewhere.

Franklin’s World’s Champion Football Team by William R. Smith. The record of the 1903 Franklin team, which went 12-0-0 and was unscored upon, including its playoff games at the pro football World Series at Madison Square Garden. The article includes biographies of the players, including quarterback Jack Hayden, linebacker Lynn D. Sweet, lineman Tige McFarland, and halfback Teck Matthews. Reprinted from a book about Franklin, Pennsylvania, published circa 1917.

The Peregrinations of Frankie Filchock by Braunwart, Carroll, & Horrigan. Copiously researched biography of quarterback Frank Filchock, statistical leader in the NFL, until he was banned in 1946 for failing to report a bribe offer. Filchock played and coached in the Canadian leagues from 1947-1958, and finished as the first coach of the Denver Broncos. Filchock wasn’t banned for life, returning briefly in 1950 for the Colts.

Yards, Points and Wins by Pete Palmer. Not for mathematicians only, it’s a regression analysis of statistical data from 1970 to 1980, with a look at average yards and average points per drive. From the article: “On the average, increasing a team’s net points by 37 over the season would result in one more win.”

VOLUME 4 (1982)

Number 1:

Big Mac of the Browns' Attack by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. Mac Speedie wore leg braces as a child, but overcame a crippling illness to become a leading receiver for the Cleveland Browns (1946-52), and finished his career in Canada. The article also compares his stats to those of Tom Fears, Elroy Hirsch, and Pete Pihos.

Mr. Touchdown: Evolution of a Canadian Record by Robert Sproule. Canadian TD record. George Reed of the Saskatchewan Roughriders (1966-1975) scored 137 touchdowns in his career. Prior holders of the record for career TDs in Canada were Dub Sale, Bob Isbister, Jack O’Connor, Lionel Conacher, Brian Timmis, Virgil Wagner, Normie Kwong and Dick Shatto.

Number 2:

Hinkey Haines: The Giants' First Superstar by Bob Carroll. “Hinkey Haines was one of those running backs who blaze across the NFL, sky for only a short time, yet burn so brightly that they are honored long after their last touchdown.” Henry Luther Haines (1898-1979) played for the Giants (1925-28), Staten Island (1929, 1931) and then served as an NFL referee from 1934 to 1954.

A Team Named Ernie? [Nevers] by Bob Carroll. After he joined the Duluth NFL team, the club was billed as “Ernie Nevers’ Eskimos”. Nevers (1903-76) was one of the charter members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Opinion: The Greatest Offense by Bob Carroll. The 1981 Chargers? The 1950 Rams? “The way to rate offenses, at least in the ‘high-powered sense, I decided, was to find out how quickly they scored their touchdowns,“ and this adds rushing and passing attempts, plus sacks that stopped an attempt, and then dividing it by offensive touchdowns. Using the formula (ra + pa+ s)/(rtd + ppd) = pptd, a calculation is made of “plays per touchdown” The team with the lowest pptd was the 1941 Bears.

Father Knew Best: Gino Marchetti by Bob Carroll. His father warned him to “stay out of the other boys’ way”, and “During most of his career, of course, the ‘other boys’ had to stay out of Gino Marchetti’s way. No one played defensive end better.”. During the 1958 NFL championship, however, the greatest game ever played, his teammate Big Daddy Lipscomb fell across Gino’s leg and broke it-- in two places. Marchetti was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1972.

Number 3:

Arnie Weinmeister by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. “Who were the greatest tackles in pro football? [O]ne player who is almost certain to show up on the list is Arnie Weinmeister, who played offensive and defensive tackle for eight seasons with the New York Yankees and Giants and the British Columbia Lions.”

Autograph Collecting by Jeffrey W. Morey. A researcher explains how getting a player’s autograph adds a new element to the learning of history. A bit of advice: “send some of the information you have uncovered to a living player for him to enjoy”.

1938 by Bob Carroll. New York Giants’ coach Steve Owen “had so much talent on his roster that he was able to alternate complete teams by quarters-- an early version of the two platoon system.“ The Giants went on to win the NFL championship 23-17 over the Packers, before a record crown of 48,120 at the Polo Grounds.

The First Lineup by Robert Sproule. American football adopted the “scrimmage system” in 1879. When did Canada pick up the practice that turned rugby into Canadian football? Sproule found the answer in a Toronto paper dated November 6, 1880.

Number 4:

The Era of Hutson by Green Bay Packers. (reprinted from an article in the program for the 9/27/57 Bears-Packers game). Don Hutson is praised as “the individual who fuesed a good 1935 team into a champion”. Titles followed in 1939 and 1944. “They had one thing the earlier kings didn’t enjoy. They had Hutson.”

Big Deal in New York: Andy Robustelli by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll. Defensive end Andy Robustelli “was pushing 30, and after five tough seasons, the Rams decided he was on the verge of slipping. They arranged a trade with the New York Giants…. Far from slipping, Robustelli put in nine seasons in New York and was chosen All-League five more times.”

Bronko Nagurski by Bob Carroll. “Never fancy, Nagurski didn’t dance, jiggle or joke; he just plowed straight ahead-- right through people!” Asked how he might be able to stop the Bears’ Nagurski, Giants’ Coach Steve Owen replied, “With a shotgun as he’s leaving the dressing room.”

Jim Ringo by Bob Carroll. The lowly seventh round draft choice figured that he couldn‘t compete at the 1953 Packers training camp, so he went home. “But back in Easton, PA, both his wife and his father jumped all over him. How could he quit after only two weeks without really giving himself a chance? Besides, asked his father, where else could he earn $5,250 for four months’ work?”

Rating the Receivers (Humor) by Bob Carroll. Nobody can keep track of their statistics. It’s a little known fact that, in the fans’ minds, the receivers are rated by the psychological impact of their names. Swann = graceful; Largent = big fellow; Winslow= eventual victory. “NFL teams should think about it at their next draft.” Not to be read by the humorless.

Number 5:

Playing for the Pack in the 30's by C. Robert Barnett. An interview with Clark Hinkle, HOF fame fullback from Toronto (Ohio) who played for the Packers from 1932 to 1941. Reprinted by permission from Packer Report, Aug. 13, 1981

The First Canadian Championship by Bob Sproule. Wednesday afteroon, November 5, 1884-- Thanksgiving Day in Canada. The Toronto Argonauts lost to the Montreal FC, 30-0 in a matchup between the champs of the Ontario and Quebec leagues.

Pro Football's Doctor Alumni by Stan Grosshandler. The
Chicago Bears had guards Joe Kopcha, Danny Fortmann, Jim Logan, and Tony Ippolito, as well as QB Nick Sacrinty and receiver Bill McColl. Other M.D.s were Dave Middleton (WR-Lions), Paul Berezney (T-Packers), Tony Adamle (LB) and Bob Kolesar (G) of the Browns, and Mike Mandarino (G-Eagles), as well as AAFC Brooklyn coach Mal Stevens. Les Horvath and Jock Sutherland were dentists. Adapted from an article published in Rx Sports and Travel, Sept/Oct 1970.

A Discovery (Humor) by Bob Carroll. “Pro football’s greatest boon to the TV fan is the huddle. In between downs all the players come together in a circle so I can go get a sandwich… As long as Americans keep eating, soccer will never replace pro football in their hearts!”

Number 6:

Doug Atkins by Don Smith. Biography of the Bears’ defensive end, who played in the NFL from 1953-1969, and “wreaked havoc for 17 years and 205 games” on the league’s quarterbacks. Atkins, who also played college basketball at Tennessee, entered the Hall of Fame in 1982. Jim Parker comments, “After my first meeting with him, I really wanted to quit pro football. Finally, my coaches convinced me not every pro player was like Atkins.”

A Nightmare by Ron Reid. Businessman Jim Schneider of Pittsburgh had an idea for a new system of uniform numbering. “Under Schneider’s system, every offensive player would be assigned an odd number, every defensive player an even number. The position of every player would be coded by a letter.” For example, Terry Bradshaw might have Q-3 on his uniform and Jack Lambert might be L-4. While many agreed that it sounded like a good idea, no team at any level would try it. Reprinted from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 21, 1982.

The Second Canadian Championship by Bob Sproule. On November 10, 1892, a crowd of 2,000 turned out in Toronto to watch the champs of the Quebec and Ontario leagues. Osgoode Hall beat Montreal FC, 45-5.

Number 7:

PCPFL: 1940-45 by Bob Gill. Los Angeles Bulldogs, San Diego Bombers, San Francisco Packers, Oakland Giants and Phoenix Panthers. At six pages, a comprehensive article about the Pacific Coast Professional Football League.

All-Pro: 1917 by Bob Carroll. Three sportswriters… in Indianapolis, Cleveland and Toledo -- named their choices for the best pro football players. Paddy Driscoll of the Hammond Clabby’s, and Jim Thorpe and Greasy Neale of the Canton Bulldogs, are in the Hall of Fame. Frank Blocker of Hammond was on two of the lists. The only players not from Ohio or Indiana were three from the Detroit Heralds.

Red Grange in Canada Reprinted from the November 9, 1926 issue of the Hamilton Spectator. The first American Football League played a game in Toronto before 10,000 fans, with the New York Yankees beating the Los Angeles Wildcats, 28-0.

Number 8:

The Hartford Blues, Part 1 by John Hogrogian. In 1925, the Waterbury Blues were Connecticut’s best pro football team, and moved to Hartford in midseason. During the autumn, owner George Mulligan put all four of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame into Blues uniforms. The article includes results for the Blues and for All-New Britain.

Passing Thoughts by Bob Carroll. The NFL has the passer rating, but the Shapiro system adjusts for number of scheduled games per year, the Carroll system adjusts for yards per completion (“here’s what happened in that famous season-- surely you remember it-- when every one of the Top 20 threw exactly 25 passes in each of his team’s 16 games”) and another system works by “subtracting 80 yards from the passer’s total yardage for every interception he threw and THEN dividing by his pass attempts”. Otto Graham finishes first in all four measures.

Glenn Presnell by Jim Walker. “It seems strange that this man was nicknamed ‘Press’, since it was the press, or lack of it, that may be one reason he is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame”. Presnell helped the Ironton Tanks beat both the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears in 1930, then played in the NFL from 1931-1936 with Portsmouth and Detroit.. Includes an interview with Presnell (1905-2004). Reprinted by permission from from the Ironton (O.) Tribune, July 20, 1980.

Number 9:

The Hartford Blues, Part 2 by John Hogrogian. In 1926, the Hartford Blues became one of the 22 franchises in the National Football League. The story of Connecticut’s NFL team, which finished at 3-9-0.

The Bronx by Victor Mastro. “[O]ne borough in a great city stands atop these mountains of football folklore-- the Bronx.” Besides Yankee Stadium, the Bronx contributed Sid Luckman, Ken Strong and Ed Danowski, and the sneakers for the famous 1934 “Sneaker Game”. Fordham College provided Vince Lombardi , Al Wojciechowicz and Ed Franco, and was the source of the Rams nickname.

Number 10:

A Disgrace: 1952 Dallas Texans by Stan Grosshandler. “’They were a disgrace!’. This terse statement from Dick Hoerner, a former Ram fullback great and a member of the 1952 Dallas Texans, aptly describes a nadir in the history of the NFL.” The team attracted 50,000 customers-- for four home games, before leaving Dallas forever. The team history includes a roster, and anecdotes from Art Donovan and Chicago’s Don Kindt. Eagles coach Greasy Neale sent a scout to watch the Texans practice at their new home in Hershey, PA. Says Donovan, laughing, “When the guy gets back, he tells him we were playing volleyball over the goal posts. Neale thinks the guy is crazy.”

Pennsylvania Polka by Braunwart, Carroll & Horrigan. The details of April 8, 1941, when the owners of the Eagles swapped franchises with the owner of the Steelers. “Did the Eagles and Steelers exchange teams? No, but they did exchange a great number of players in what amounted to a massive trade, as announced on December 9, 1940... Did the Steelers and Eagles exchange franchises? Yes, on April 8, 1941. Thereby, Bell and Rooney gained the right to put their team of ex-Eagles and Steelers in Pittsburgh, and Thompson gained the right to put his team of ex-Eagles and Steelers in Philadelphia. The article includes a complete list of who went where. We report, you decide.

Number 11:

All-Pros of the Early NFL by John Hogrogian. From 1923 to 1931, an annual poll was conducted by the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Three All-Pro teams were picked for the initial list, published on December 21, 1923, with selections made by sportswriters in 12 league cities, and a Pittsburgh paper.

Bambi! Lance Alworth by Don Smith. The biography of San Diego Chargers’ receiver Lance Alworth. In 1978, he became the first AFL player to be selected to the Hall of Fame. “He was… the premier pass catcher of an entire decade and the first ture superstar the American Football League ever produced.” In 1965, he had 1,602 yards receiving an an average of more than 23 yards per catch.

Number 12:

Lion on Defense: Yale Lary by Don Smith. “For the Detroit Lions, who dominated the NFL through most of the 1950s, Yale Lary was the kind of do-everything player who comes along once in a generation.” The defensive back, who had 50 career interceptions, was also a punter with a 44.3 yard average. “It was the hang time on Yale’s punts, as well as the length, that provided the Lions such a lethal weapon for so many years. In 1960, for instance, Detroit opponents averaged less than a yard per return on Lary’s punts.”

All-Pros of 1927 by John Hogrogian. In 1927, the NFL “went from a 22 team behemoth to a tight 12 team outfit. With a reduced number of teams, interested observers could see most of the league’s players without spending a fortune on train fare.” Besides the Green Bay Press-Gazette poll of 18 writers, five other persons selected teams, including Manhattan attorney Daniel Webster Krulewitch. Rather than a first and second team, Yankees’ coach Ralph Scott named a “power attack” team and a “clever attack” team.

Friedman by Bob Carroll. Reflections on Benny Friedman, NFL quarterback from 1927-1934, shortly after Friedman’s death in 1982. “When Benny Friedman was passing, no one was compared to him. He was unique.” (Friedman was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2005, more than twenty years after he died).

Akron Pros 1920 by Bob Carroll. “They won the first NFL title-- officially and against the odds. Yet , they go largely unrecognized.” All about the Akron APFA team, coached by Elgie Tobin, which went 8-0-3. As champions, they were awarded a trophy that was never seen again, manufactured by the Brunswick-Balke Collender Company. “Perhaps it’s hidden in some Akron attic-- the dusty symbol of the NFL’s first championship.”

Annual:

That Game of Football by Robert Sproule. “A great deal of similarity between the Canadian and American versions is apparent. But such was not always the case…” The Toronto Argonauts statistician outlines the parallel development of NFL and CFL ball after the 1874 Harvard vs. McGill game.

National Football League Franchise Transactions by Joe Horrigan. From August 20, 1920 (“Akron granted a franchise.”) to January 21, 1949 (“Boston franchise cancelled by the league.”), the dates for everything-- creation, move, demise -- and annotations.

Pro Football Spreads South by Bob Gill. Between 1926 and 1936, there was another American Football League with teams in St. Louis and Kansas City (Blues), Dallas (Rams), Charlotte (Bantams), Memphis, Louisville and Tulsa. During 1934, they were “the strongest minor league yet in operation”.

Renaissance Men and Others by Stan Grosshandler. “They were the men for all seasons-- true Renaissance Men!” In this case, they were major league athletes during football season and baseball season, or basketball season. This was the original compilation of two-sport stars, later a chapter in Total Football.

Columbus Metros: Forced to Punt by Kevin B. McCray. In 1978, the Midwest Football League champs from Ohio sought to become the “Twenty-Ninth Best Team in America”. Interesting anecdotes from semi-tough football in the late 70s. The Metros had some of their players suit up for the opposing team to avoid a cancellation; sent former Steelers quarterback Joe Gilliam $350 so he could play against them; and on July 12, 1980, played against the Racine Gladiators in a game where cable television viewers could call the plays using a remote (Columbus won, 10-7).

VOLUME 5 (1983)

Number 1:

Kenosha Cardinals: Life on the Fringe by Bob Gill. “What do Johnny Blood, Beattie Feathers, Jim Gillette and Paul Christman have in common? Answer: All played for Kenosha during the Cardinals' peak seasons, 1940-41.” In its final season in 1941, the Wisconsin team played home games against five of the NFL’s teams-- the Bears, Eagles, Chicago Cardinals, Rams, and Packers, and a game in St. Paul against the Giants. A week after Pearl Harbor, Kenosha’s players went off to World War II.

All-Pros of 1930 by John Hogrogian. Everyone had an opinion in 1930, and the Green Bay Press-Gazette published most of them. A writers’ poll, a poll of the players, and the opinions of Red Grange, Ernie Nevers, two sportswriters, and one fan, picking thirteen squads in all.

Number 2:

All-Pro Addenda by Bob Gill. Gill found that regardless of how many votes a player received overall, he was credited only with how many votes he received as a quarterback, halfback, ret. “As a result, several deserving players –players who had been legitimately chosen by qualified voters – were left off the teams.” In 1939, the league’s MVP, Parker Hall had 32 points overall, but only 21 as a halfback, six as a quarterback, and five at fullback. In tallying all votes, Gill comes up with some different results.

Redskins from Washington by Bob Kirlin. They played college in the State of Washington, before being on the 1942 champions for the City of Washington. Ray Flaherty, Cecil Hare, Ray Hare, and Ed Justice were all Gonzaga Bulldogs, and Dick Farman and Steve Slivinski were from the Evergreen State as well.

When the Packers Went to War by Bob Barnett. During World War II, “the Packers didn’t lose as many players to the armed services as did most of the other NFL teams”. It wasn’t for lack of trying. “One of the reasons more of our players weren’t drafted was that we were a bunch of broken-down stumblebums,” said Buckets Goldenberg, “When we asked them how come we could play pro football and yet be rejected for the service, one doctor said, ‘Well, if you’re playing in a football game and your knee gives out, they can stop the game and take you out, but in a war, you can’t call time out during a battle.” The article includes a list of the 25 players who were in the service, including Smiley Johnson, who was killed at Iwo Jima. Reprinted from Packer Report.

Conversations by Stan Grosshandler. I Grosshandler met Ray Nolting, Carl Brumbaugh, John Wiethe and Dick Nesbitt while playing at the University of Cincinnati. “I have always regretted the fact that I did not have the presence of mind to quiz these great players on their pro careers. I am certain they had many wonderful stories to tell.” Some good stories came from John Sisk. In 1937, Sisk related, “I broke my thumb tackling Clarke Hinkle. As I was being carried off, the promoter gave me a bottle of alcohol, for I had scored a touchdown. I just gave it to the doctor who operated on me.”

Number 3:

The Rock Island Independents by Braunwart & Carroll. During the second quarter of a game against the Cardinals, Rock Island manager Walt Flanigan fired Coach Frank Coughlin and replaced him with Jim Conzelman. “The NFL has seen some imprudent team bosses in its more than 60 years, but none has yet duplicated Flanigan's act of hiring a new coach in the middle of a game.” From its pre-NFL roots in 1910, to their 1926 departure from the NFL to join the rival AFL, a complete history of the team from Rock Island, Illinois.

All-Pros of 1931 by John Hogrogian. The writers’ poll by the Green Bay Press-Gazette made it into the NFL record books as the first official all-pro team, but there were others as well-- United Press, Associated Press, the New York Post, Curly Lambeau, and sports fan H.L. Bassett. Clark, Nevers, Dilweg and Michalske were on everybody’s list.

Scoring Binge by Bob Carroll. “In the early years the American Football League had a reputation for bombs-away play, and it was never more deserved than on December 22, 1963.” Oakland vs. Houston. Raiders‘ kicker Mike Mercer tries to break a 49-49 tie. Meanwhile, San Diego leads Denver, 58-20. A time when AFL didn’t refer to arena football.

Number 4:

Conversations about Defense by Stan Grosshandler. Buckets Goldenberg, Crazylegs Hirsch, Alex Wojciechowicz,, Hank Soar, Y.A. Tittle and Jack Christiansen talk about defense during the golden age.

The End of the PCPFL by Bob Gill. After the NFL and AAFC added California teams in 1946, the Pacific Coast league added a team in Hawaii. The decline and fall of the league, which was down to four teams in its final season in 1948.

All-Pros of 1928 by John Hogrogian. The Green Bay Press-Gazette, the Chicago Tribune, and the Associated Press picked teams, and were in agreement on ten of the players.

Guides by Joe Cronin. Starting with Amoco’s guide to the Washington Redskins in 1947, media guides were made possible by corporate sponsors. A list, complete to 1981, of the backers -- including Sinclair Oil (Falcons), the Carlson Frink Dairy (Broncos), Ron’s Chicken (Oilers), Cold Power detergent (Patriots), Shakey’s Pizza (Rams), Lou & Son Life Insurance (Saints), and more.

Number 5:

Were West Coast Pros the Real Stars of 1890s? by Bob Carroll. In 1963, Ken Cotanch of Santa Barbara wrote to the newly opened Pro Football Halll of Fame about pro teams that played out West in the 1890s, while Ohio and Pennsylvania teams played in the the East. PFRA researchers, particularly Bob Gill, followed up on teams like the Butte Copper Kings, San Francisco Olympic, Oakland Reliance, Los Angeles Stars. “Perhaps a West Coast member would like to delve into this in more detail…. It’s an open file.”

All-Pros of 1929 by John Hogrogian. Lots of Packers and Giants, as lists of teams were published in the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the New York Herald Tribune, the New York Post and the Chicago Tribune.

Alumni in Politics by Legends Magazine. Meet Congressmen Chet Chesney, Laverne Dilweg, Winfield Denton, Jack Kemp and Steve Largent; Governor Edward King; Mayor Bob St. Clair; Supreme Court Justice Byron (Whizzer) White; and lots of state legislators.

Leemans & Rogers by Bob Carroll. “Genius is unique to its own time and place.” The Giants’ Tuffy Leemans of 1936 is compared to the Saints’ George Rogers in 1981.

Conversations about Elephants by Stan Grosshandler. They were the 1951 Rams’ backfield-- Deacon Dan Towler, Dick Hoerner and Tank Younger --- three ball carriers with more than 600 pounds between them.

Number 6:

The First Draft by Bob Barnett. It wasn’t covered by ESPN, and it took place on February 8, 1936 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia. Not only did the Eagles fail to sign first-ever pick Jay Berwanger, they failed to sign any of their eight draft picks. The complete story as nine teams went nine rounds.

All-Pros of 1926 by John Hogrogian. The Green Bay Press-Gazette surveyed 17 writers and team officials from NFL cities. Wilfred Smith of the Chicago Tribune included 8 players from the American Football League with 14 NFL players when picking his first and second team.

Conversations about the A by Stan Grosshandler. The “A” formation was devised by Giants coach Steve Owen in 1937. “The name… came from the fact that Owen had intended to use several formations and planned to call the A, B, C, etc. He found he had his most success with the A…” Grosshandler interviewed former Giant Hank Soar, who had by then become a major league umpire.

Number 7:

Streak! Unitas' Consecutive TD Games by Larry Bortstein. ”Baseball has DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. It may never be broken. Perhaps the equivalent pro football record is John Unitas' 47-game touchdown-pass streak.” The streak went for four years, starting with the December 9, 1956 at Los Angeles, until being snapped on Decmeber 11, 1960 at Los Angeles.

1922 All-Pros by John Hogrogian. Papa Bear George Halas offered his picks, while Canton’s Guy Chamberlin made a different selection. Chamberlin (a first team pick by Halas) “modestly omitted his own name despite a marvelous season the field.”

Ollie's All-Stars: St. Louis’ First NFL Team by Braunwart & Carroll. “Ollie Kraehe thought he had it made,” as owner of the first NFL franchise in St. Louis. The St. Louis All-Stars scored only two touchdowns in NFL competition, and on December 12, 1923, became the first and only NFL team to lose a game to Benld, Illinois. A roster, season summary, and a mystery-- just who was that “star player” that Kraehe sold to Green Bay?

Number 8:

Bull Behman and the Jackets by Al Myers. Largely forgotten, Russell Behman was one of the greatest linemen of the NFL’s 1920s, as well as a placekicker and later a coach.. “The Bull, at 5'10", carried 210 to 230 pounds. In the twenties, that was mighty big. Given his agility, it's little wonder he was a nightmare to block.” From 1924 to 1931, Behman was a major player in Philadelphia, mostly for the Frankford Yellow Jackets. In 1926, he captained the Philadelphia Quakers to the American Football League title.

All-Pros of 1923 by John Hogrogian. The Green Bay Press-Gazette published its first annual selection of all-pro teams on December 21, but earlier in the month, teams were picked by Collier’s magazine and the Canton Daily News. The Green Bay list was from a poll of 14 writers, while the others were picked by sports editors E.G. Brands and Vince Dolan, and Canton’s Guy Chamberlin. As in later years, Chamberlin left himself off the list.

Now 'n Then by Bob Carroll. “Now” was 1981; “Then” was 1940. What’s changed since then? The stats prove the theory that they pass more now, they kick more (but punt less); they run less-- but not that much less. Altogether, you’ll see about 21 more plays in a game today than you would have seen in 1940.”

Stopping the Force: 1963 NFL Title Game by Braunwart & Carroll. “In a classic case of immovable object and irresistible force, the Chicago Bears and New York Giants met on December 29, 1963, for the NFL championship. “ The turning point was when Chicago’s Larry Morris got passed two blockers and tackled Y.A. Tittle. Despite torn ligaments in his left knee, the Giants’ passer didn’t quit. “After two injections to kill the pain, Tittle hobbled back in for the second half, but he couldn't plant his left leg and his throws lacked their normal snap.” Conclusion-- “the immovable object was superior to the irrestible force -- when the force was hobbled on one leg. “

Number 9:

Buddy Young by Bob Carroll. “One of the first blacks to play pro football (after the "unofficial" ban from 1934 to 1945), Buddy experienced the humiliations of prejudice. When the Yankees first played in Baltimore, racists showed up at the stadium in blackface. But he always insisted that the worst prejudice he encountered was against his size.” At 5’4 and 172 pounds, running back Young “ws both one of the smallest and one of the biggest men in pro football history.”

John Alexander: First Outside Linebacker by Chris Thorne. PFRA member John Alexander’s first year in the NFL was 1922, for the Milwaukee Badgers, and on October 1 of that year, “he introduced a new style of playing defensive tackle”. Alexander recounted his memories sixty years later at the age of 87. Originally printed in the Newark Sunday Star-Ledger. The even older Mike Wittpenn, who helped coach Alexander in 1919, shared his memories with the Coffin Corner as well.

RRS: Rating the Catchers by Rick Bysina. Like the NFL’s Pass Rating System, Bysina’s proposed Receiver Rating System (RRS) measures quality as well as quantity. RRS looks at how much a receiver compares to the standards of 3 receptions per game, 10 average yards per reception, and 10% of receptions yielding touchdowns, then converts it into a rating, with 100 being the average. Lenny Moore’s 101.7 rating for 1957 is based on 3.3 rpg, 17.2 ypr and 17.5% tds. The highest rating was 143.8 for Elroy Hirsch in 1951.

Number 10:

Pack Only Tied Monsters by John Gunn. Until 1984, the NFL Record Manual listed the record for 2nd Half as “48”, by the Cardinals and the Giants in two separate games in 1950 against the Colts. Sportswriter Gunn discovered that the Chicago Bears had held the record all along-- 49 second-half points in a November 30, 1941 game against the Eagles. The day after Green Bay “broke” the record against Tampa Bay in 1983, the NFL’s error was discovered and fixed in future editions. Interesting note-- the 49 point second half came after Chicago was down 14-0. Asks Gunn, “What did Coach George Halas tell the Bears at halftime?”

Mel Hein: Middle Man by Bob Carroll. “Mel Hein was quite possibly the best two-way center ever to play pro football. On offense, he snapped the ball unerringly and blocked like a demon. On defense, he was known for his bone- crushing tackles and his ability to cover pass receivers…. Yet, unbelievably, he had to scrape to find a job when he turned pro. .” After writing letters to three teams, Mel was given a tryout by the Giants, for whom he played from 1931 to 1945. He was all-league for eight straight years and one of the original enshrinees at Canton.

The First Grey Cup: 1909 by Bob Sproule. All teams in good standing were eligible for the first playoff, and Canada’s Governor-General donated the trophy. On December 4, Toronto University beat the Parkdale Canoe Club, 26-6. A play-by-play of the first championship, when a touchdown was called a “try” and most of the college scoring was done one point at a time.

Down with FGs by Stan Grosshandler. “Why not… can the field goal? Let all the FG kickers go back to their native lands and play that grand and boring game -- soccer. Let's win games on long runs and beautiful passes, not chip shot field goals.” Interesting fact: between 1927 and 1932, no NFL player kicked more than 2 field goals-- in an entire season. The goal posts were moved closer the following year, and the 3-point play became a way of life.

Fabulous Fatman: Wilbur Henry by Bob Carroll. “Wilbur Henry loved to eat and loved to play football. The result was the biggest and best tackle of the NFL's early years.” Henry played NFL ball when it was the APFA, and was with the Canton Bulldogs from 1920 to 1926, then with the Giants and the Maroons. In 1963, eleven years after his death, he was in the original group enshrined at Canton.

Number 11:

The Greatest Game Ever: 1958 NFL Championship by Rick Gonsalves. Yes, it was the 1958 NFL Championship, but the greatest game had a boring start, with a 14-3 Baltimore lead at the half. The Colts were three yards away from another touchdown when the Giants stopped them. “No one at the time realized what effect this goal line stand would have on the future of pro football and television.” If the score had been 21-3, muses Gonsalves, “perhaps 50 million viewers have switched channels.” It wasn’t, they didn’t, and the rest is history.

The Best of the Rest: Minors All-Stars, Part 1 by Bob Gill. “For the sake of argument, let's say that in the 1930's there were annually 500 players comparable to today's major leaguers. That means that each year 250 of those -- half the total -- were not in the NFL.” When the NFL had only 10 teams, there were great players for the Memphis Tigers, Los Angeles Bulldogs, Jersey City Giants, and more. The best of the rest from 1934 to 1939.

Number 12:

The Best of the Rest: Minors All-Stars Part 2 by Bob Gill. More about the best non-NFL pro football players, from 1940-1946. They played for teams like the Milwaukee Chiefs, the Columbus Bullies, the Long Island Indians and the Hollywood Bears.

Ray Kemp Blazed Important Trail by Bob Barnett. When Art Rooney put an NFL team in Pittsburgh in 1933, he asked Ray Kemp to be a lineman. Kemp was one of only two African-American players in the NFL. After 3 games he was released. “I talked with Art Rooney and I can recall his exact words: ‘Ray, I feel you are as good a ball player as we have on the club, but I am not going over the head of the coach.” At season’s end, Kemp was asked to come back, but a New York hotel wouldn’t let him stay with his team. Kemp was urged to sue, but declined. “I didn’t want to file a suit which might hurt Rooney. He had given me a chance.” From 1934 through 1945, there were no black players in the NFL.

Annual:

History of Pro Football in Greensburg, Pa. by Bob Van Atta. The most comprehensive record of one of the great teams of the 90s-- the 1890s. Starting with Lawson Fiscus of Princeton, the Greensburg team signed a host of former college stars to pro football contracts. The uniform colors weren’t green-- they were maroon and white.

Football in Armour: An Englishman Looks at the American Game by C.E. Cook. Written in 1897 for the British magazine, The Strand, a Victorian Era description of the gridiron . A “vital difference” from British soccer “appears in what is called ’interference’. This is the assistance given to a runner by one or several companions who go before and break path for him, or who shoulder off would-be tacklers. To an Englishman, this is the most unpardonable kind of offside play, not to be tolerated for an instant upon any field. In America, however, it is of first importance.”

St. Louis Gunners by Bob Gill. Even before 1934, the Gunners had played against NFL teams. When the 0-8-0 NFL Cincinnati Reds folded during the regular season, St. Louis replaced them for the last three games, winning one (6-0 over Pittsburgh ). They finished 1934 heavily in debt. “The dream of an N.F.L. franchise had turned out to be a nightmare-- one from which the Gunners never awakened.“

For the Love of the Game by Kimball McIlroy. Reprinted from a 1941 issue of the Canadian magazine Saturday Night. A criticism of hypocrisy in the amateur rules of the day. “It is amazing what a variety of occupations the mere ability to throw a football or shoot a puck pit’s a man for. There is the classic example of the American state university football squad, many of whose members were employed as elevator operators at the State House. Every morning, they would show up promptly at nine o’clock and dutifully, one man at a time, run the elevator to the top and down again.”

Analysis of Strategy by Pete Palmer. A mathematical look at “the relationship between field position and scoring potential”, based on play-by-play data from 50 games.

That Wonderful Year: Canadian Football in 1907 by Robert Sproule. What would later become the Eastern Division of the CFL, started when Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto formed the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union or IRFU. Each team played a home-and-away against the other three for a six-game schedule. Unlike the first APFA games, the exact kickoff time is known for the first IRFU game-- 3:24 pm on October 5, 1907, Montreal 17, Toronto 8. Details about all twelve matchups, with Montreal finishing ahead of Hamilton for the first title.

VOLUME 6 (1984)

Number 1:

Curly Lambeau by Bob Carroll. "Just when most of the small town teams were disappearing, Lambeau had his Packers at the top of the NFL standings. He built a juggernaut that won league championships in 1929, '30, and '31. No team has ever topped that 3-straight record ." An appreciation of the man who kept Green Bay, Wisconsin, in the world's most successful sports league.

Lifetime Receivers Rated by Bysina System 1984 by Rich Bysina. This is a follow-up to "RRS: Rating the Catchers" (1983-#9), looking at the 20 receivers (as of 1983) with the most receptions. Don Hutson is the best of the 20 at 112.4, but much lower than others in the 120-145 range. For those trying to figure the forumla, Tommy McDonald is closest to 100.0, with 3.26 rpg, 17.0 ypr, and 17% tds.

1920-21 All-Pros by John Hogrogian. In that first season, sports editor Bruce Copeland of the Rock Island Argus "ignored the existence of the APFA and continued to talk of all pro teams as the free lance operations they had always been". He limited his picks to those from "what he called the 'big eight'" (Rock Island, Decatur, Chi. Cards, Chi. Tigers, Akron, Canton, Cleveland and Dayton), but not Buffalo.

Charley Conerly by Bob Carroll. Conerly quarterbacked the Giants (1948-61) and put them into the 1958 title game in a surprise play. Frank Gifford lateraled back to Conerly; "The 35 year old quarterback, who ran like 'a pregnant woodchuck,' was only slightly less astonished than the Browns, but he waddled untouched ino the end zone."

Number 2:

The Tonawanda Kardax by Joe Horrigan. "Quick! What is the only NFL team ever to lose just one league game during its entire existence? Don't look for the answer in the NFL's Official Standings; it's not there." But after this 1984 article, it was added in 1987. Tonawanda, New York was granted a franchise on August 27, 1921. The team's only loss was 45-0 to Rochester. They finished at 0-1-0.

1948 by Bob Carroll. The Browns and the 49ers, the Eagles and Cardinals, had the best players in pro football that year. While the AAFC and the NFL were at war, their soldiers couldn't meet on the battlefield.

Massacre in Cincinnati by Bob Barnett. Reprinted from Bear Report. How a semi-pro team from Ironton, Ohio, defeated the NFL's Chicago Bears. The Bears had beaten beat Frankford in a Saturday game, 13-6. "On the overnight train ride between Philadelphia and Cincinnati, Halas and the Bears didn't suspect the ambush that lay ahead the following day." On Sunday, November 23, 1930, it was Ironton Tanks 26, Chicago Bears 13. Luckily, it was just an exhbiition, and the Bears could laugh about it half a century later.

Number 3:

FRE! Or Why Pro Football Is Doomed by Jim O'Brien. The abbreviation stands for Falling Rate of Excitement. "The basic cause of the FRE is that with game films and (increasingly) computers, professional teams are able to come up with defensive formations that can eventually stymie every new offensive tactic. In other words, what happens to the Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl every year will eventually happen to everybody." Published in 1977 in Cultural Correspondence; not the same Jim O'Brien who won Super Bowl V.

Al Mahrt: Wonder Athlete by John Dye. "Al Mahrt was one of the greatest players of the pre-NFL era of pro football." Founder of the Dayton Triangles in 1916, Quarterback Mahrt played in the first three years of the NFL's existence before going on to making a fortune in business. Reprinted from Dayton Daily News of January 10, 1965. Includes an interview with Mahrt, who died in 1970.

Number 4:

1924 All-Pros by John Hogrogian. The Green Bay Press-Gazette conducted a poll of "about a dozen sports writers and six game officials" and published their selections for a first, second and third team.

Roosevelt Brown by Don Smith. He was selected by the Giants in the 27^th round of the 1953 draft, and only then after someone happened to have a copy of the Pittsburgh Courier's Negro All-America Team. Brown, "one of the premier offensive linemen in pro football," played 13 seasons and was inducted to the HOF in 1975.

Number 5:

Joe Carr: NFL President 1921-38 by Joe Horrigan. After the losses of the 1920 season, the Columbus Panhandles boss persuaded his fellow APFA owners to stay on for at least another year. During his tenure, the NFL went from small town clubs to major league cities. From the article: "Carr, in 1933, told a Minneapolis sports writer, 'If they only knew how near our football league is to moving indoors, and what a smashing success we are going to make of the pro game under cover. He never saw the Astrodome or the Metrodome, except perhaps in his dreams."

Stat Stuff: Passing by Bob Carroll. The most important page is missing, but a study of 14 starters in 1979 confirms that the key to wins is not the pass completion rate, but getting touchdowns more often than interceptions.

Crew Chief: Jack Christiansen by Don Smith. Christiansen was one of the greatest defensive backs in football, but almost didn't go out for the game because of a shooting injury. At Colorado A&M, he was a sprinter on the track squad, and was a walk-on for the grid team. He was so effective as a punt returner "that he caused an entire pro league to change its defensive ways," to the spread punt formation.

Number 6:

Why Canton? by Don Smith. Although the historical reasons are obvious, a newspaper editorial in the Canton Repository inspired the locals to beat out the competitors. Canton's chief employer, The Timken Company, business leaders, foundations and ordinary citizens raised $378,026 (in 1959 dollars) and land was donated to the city.

Ray Flaherty: Hall of Fame Coach by Don Smith. "Before Flaherty coached even one NFL game, he put himself squarely behind the eight ball with a rare vow. he would offer his resignation if his Boston Redskins did not win the NFL title!" Although the Redskins played in the championship game that year (1936), Flaherty's offer wasn't accepted. Washington won the next year (1937) and again in 1942, He coached in five NFL title games, and (with the New York Yankees), two AAFC title games.

That Indoor World Series by Don Smith. The oldest known pro football uniform is on display at Canton. Harry Mason wore it when the Syracuse All-Stars won the 1902 tournament at Madison Square Garden. Syracuse beat Orange, 36-0 for the title. Subject also covered in 1980 Annual.

Number 7:

Len Ford by Don Smith. Ford was such an outstanding pass rusher, the Browns changed their defensive alignment in 1950 to "take full advantage of his unusual abilities". Besides being one of the great defensive ends of the 1950s, Ford also was an outstanding wide receiver for the Los Angeles Dons in the AAFC. He was inducted to the HOF in 1976, four years after dying at 46 from a coronary failure.

Stat Stuff: Passing by Jack Clary. The NFL's pass rating system measures success by average yards per passing attempt. Clary proposes that the better measure would be average yards per pass completion. While short passes lead to a higher completion rate, a great quarterback looks downfield for the best yardage. In addition, a dropped pass is counted against the quarterback, and yards per completion reflects the effectiveness of the team's passing system.

Arnie Herber by Don Smith. A Green Bay native, Herber was the Packers' quarterback from 1930-1940 and was one of the first long passers. "Handicapped by short fingers, he put his thumb over the laces to prevent the ball from wobbling and to assure plenty of spiraling action. Arnie's passes quickly became noted for two qualities: distance and accuracy." Herber averaged 19 yards per completion in 1939.

California Dreamin': West Coast Pros of 1930s by Bob Gill. "California pro football in the '30s was, if not thriving, at least hanging in there, keeping the doors open until the public was ready to welcome its product." The first Pacific Coast League played in 1934 with six California teams. In 1935, the Westwood Cubs were the best of the four team American Legion League, , and won the right to play the Detroit Lions (losing 67-14). By 1939, strong teams like the Los Angeles Bulldogs helped the growth of pro football in the west.

Number 8:

O.J.: HOF Exhibit by Don Smith. Written in conjunction with a new exhibit at Canton, that included Simpson's jersey from the 1973 game where he reached 2,003 yards.

Let George Do It: HOF Blanda Exhibit by Don Smith. The Canton exhibit included Blanda's 1970 Raiders jersey (#16) when he "saved the day" in five consecutive games.

Art Donovan by Don Smith. "Many great players wore the Colts' blue and white, but the first elected to Pro Football's Hall of Fame was Art Donovan." The defensive tackle also wore green and silver for the Colts as a rookie in 1950. In 12 seasons, he was not only "one of the best the game has ever seen", but also "one of history's most popular football players." When his #70 jersey was retired in 1962, the fans cried along with him as he thanked them: "Up in heaven there is a lady who is happy that the City of Baltimore was so good to her son -- a kid from the Bronx."

Rough Stuff by Staten Island Advance 1926. The Staten Island Stapletons and the Orange (later Newark) Tornadoes both played in the NFL in 1929 and 1930. On November 28, 1926, the Stapletons beat Orange 25-7 in a slugfest. NFL lineman John Alexander, who also played for the Giants in 1926, shared a clipping about the mayhem filled game.

Number 9:

Research Notes by Various authors. Four authors contributed short articles:

Tim Gallagher ("What Do They Have in Common?") George H.W. Bush, the Lions' Bobby Layne, and baseball's Jackie Jensen had one thing in common-- they all played in the very first College World Series in 1947. Centerfielder Jensen's U. of California team defeated pitchers Bush (Yale) and Layne (Texas), and the latter two men did not go on to professional baseball careers.

Donald Kosakowski ("That '27 Dee-fense"), The first great New York Giant defense shut out 10 of its 13 opponents in 1927 (including five straight shutouts) and allowed only 3 touchdowns and 2 extra points.

Bob Gill ("Strong vs. Newman") The two most famous players in the 1936 American Football League were also the AFL's best placekickers. Harry Newman (Rochester) made six of 11 attempts. Strong (Pittsburgh) was the next best with 5 field goals, against 15 misses.

Bob Barnett ("Something for Nothing") "Because of a quirk in the college and NFL rules, a team could be given an extra point without having to kick the ball through the uprights." The reason was that, from 1920 to 1930, the point was awarded if the defense was penalized during a conversion attempt. At least one exhibition game in 1930 was won in that manner.

Bob Carroll ("Losing") An article about various types of football pools played at the faculty lounge. One was based on the last digit for the Steelers and their opponents in Sunday's game. The "33 pool" awarded half the kitty to the person whose team scored the most points, and the other half to whoever's team scored exactly 33 points, with the money carried over if no team did so. (In 1984, the Jets lost to the Cardinals 34-33).

Chuck Howley by Bob Barnett & Bob Carroll. "It's less than a three-hour jet flight from the hills of Appalachia to Dallas, but a million miles from pumping gas in Wheeling, W.Va., to the Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium. Chuck Howley made that trip. The linebacker was cut from the Bears in 1959 after a knee injury, and was working at a gas station when the Dallas Cowboys called him in 1961. His former Bears teammate, Don Healy, had suggested him. Howley went on to become MVP of Super Bowl V.

Bonus Picks by Donald Kosakowki. "Can you imagine a group of NFL owners anxiously standing around, awaiting their turn to select a specially marked paper from a hat which would entitle one of them to take home the top prize of the collegiate ranks? " The practice existed from 1947 to 1958, until all 12 teams had gotten a chance at the #1 pick. Players who were bonus picks were Chuck Bednarik, Paul Hornung, Kyle Rote, and Leon Hart.

Number 10:

Red’s First Game by Chicago Herald-Examiner 1925. "It settled no championship nor set any records on the field, but pro football was never again the same. It was the day that Red Grange turned pro." The Grange's Bears and Paddy Driscoll's Cardinals played to a 0-0 tie.

Running Against the Score by Bob Gill. A study of statistics indicates that the rusher on a losing team has to work harder than one on a winning team. "I'd say that in order to gain 100 yards in a losing effort, a runner needs to average one yard per carry (more or less) better than a comparable runner on a winning team." The difference was 6.1 yards vs. 5.0 per carry. "I also suggest applying this measure to 1,000-yard seasons. I can assure you that the whole project won't take very long; it involves a lot of basic arithmetic and little else."

Tom Fears by Don Smith. After playing service club ball for the Second Air Force, he was all-America at UCLA and an all-NFL receiver for the Rams. "Fears wasn't the first to run specific routes on a pass play, but he was one of the most precise pattern-runners the game has seen. Fears made up for his lack of unusual speed with the fierce determination to do something with the ball after he caught it."

Number 11:

Research Notes by Various authors:

"Dub Jones" by Stan Grosshandler-- Interviews with Don Kindt and Dub Jones about November 25, 1951, the day that their Chicago Bears first faced the Cleveland Browns.

"Ed Danowski" by Johnny Shevalta-- He played for three of the greatest coaches in football-- Frank Cavanaugh (Fordham U.), Jim Crowley and Steve Owen (both of the New York Giants)

"Spec Sanders" by Stan Grosshandler. An interview with "a great forgotten runner who played in a good forgotten league" in the pre-TV era. Spec Sanders of the New York Yankees was the only man to rush for more than 1,000 yards in AAFC history , with 1,432 yards in 1947.

Mr. Mara (Tim) by Don Smith. New York Giants' founder Tim Mara made his fortune as a bookie before Joe Carr offered him first bid for an NFL franchise in New York, for $500. "A New York franchise to operate anything ought to be worth $500!" he would say later. Mara "knew virtually nothing about football", but his associate, Dr. Harry March, built the team for him. Less well-known is that by the end of 1928, Mara owned three of the NFL's ten teams-- the Giants, the Yankees and the Detroit Wolverines -- and had a lease agreement with Staten Island. He was a charter member of the HOF.

The Racine Legion by Paul LaRose. Reprinted from the Racine Journal of August 5, 1979. In 1922, American Legion Post 76 paid $100 for an NFL franchise. The team from Racine, Wisconsin, played three NFL seasons (1922, 1923, 1924) before folding. In 1926, new owners fielded the Racine Tornadoes, who won their opener (6-3 over Hammond), then scored only 2 more points and finished 1-4-0.

Frank Gatski by Bob Barnett & Bob Carroll. "Frank 'Gunner' Gatski makes John Wayne seem like a talkative milquetoast." However, the laconic Cleveland Browns' center took the time to give an interview after his election to the HOF in 1985.

Number 12:

G.P.M.: George Preston Marshall by Don Smith. The Washington laundryman turned pro football owner, in 1932, "immediately saw the advantage of splitting the league into two divisions with a final championship game between the winner of each division" The same 1932 title game inspired him to propose hash marks, moving the goal posts and making a forward pass legal from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage. Written for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the biography makes no mention of Marshall's position on black players. Ironic quote: "The Grafton, W. Va., native was the first to introduce true color and showmanship on pro football gridirons.." Ironic quote #2, from Pete Rozelle's eulogy: "Mr. Marshall was an outspoken foe of the status quo when most were content with it."

Jim Otto by Don Smith. A biography of the legendary Oakland Raiders' HOF center. He was a starter in all 210 of his regular season games with Oakland, played in all of the AFL's all-star games, and in the first three Pro Bowls after the merger. "Were it nor for dozens of injuries Jim constantly battled, he might have played even longer. His medical history could fill an encyclopedia - bone chips in his elbow, 10 broken noses, a broken jaw, numerous brain concussions, dislocatcd knee, dislocated fingers, a severe pinched nerve in his neck, three left knee operations and six operations on his right knee." Some Otto trivia-- though he wore #00 in most of his career, he wore #50 in his first season.

The AFL by Bob Kravitz. "'The other league' is no more but its legends go on and on." Memories from Ron McDole, Curley Johnson, Paul Maguire, Gino Cappelletti, Lance Alworth, and Lionel Taylor about the AFL's low-budget early days. "One trip, the plane stopped in Buffalo where we picked up the Bills, we were dropped off in Denver, and they went on to the West Coast," Cappelletti said. "Ralph Wilson and Billy Sullivan had some kind of deal." Reprinted from the Pittsburgh Press in 1985.

Annual:

The Bulldogs: L.A. Hits the Big Time by Bob Gill. In 1936, the Los Angeles Bulldogs hosted six NFL teams-- defeating Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and the Cardinals, tying Brooklyn, and losing to the Bears and the Packers. In 1937, they were the undefeated champs of the second American Football League, and in 1938 they had a 2-2-1 record against the NFL. "If, somehow, that 'probationary franchise' had materialized intosomething more tangible, there is little doubt that from 1936 to 1938 the L.A. Bulldogs would have been competitive in the N.F.L."

Snap Back vs. Scrimmage by Bob Sproule. Before the days when a football center would snap (hike) the football back to the quarterback, the scrimmage system required the center to kick the ball backward with his heel, and there was no time limit on starting the play. In Canada, the center snap didn't become permanent until 1921. A look at the intricacies of a forgotten aspect of the game.

Wild Bill Kelly by Howard Schwartz. William Carl Kelly was only 26 when he died. A legend in Montana, he reached the NFL in 1927 and 1928 as quarterback of the New York Yankees, in 1929 for the Frankford Yellow Jackets, and in 1930 for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His Jacket teammate, Ed Haliki, said, ""If Kelly were playing today, he would be one of the greatest. The game of today was made to order for him."

The Forward Pass Is Here by Leslie Roberts. Reprinted from a 1931 issue of "The Canadian". McGill University coach Frank Shaughnessy paved the way for changing the game, but not without "stepping on athletic toes". The father of Canadian Football, or the guy who ruined Canadian rugby by Americanizing it, depending on point of view. It took until 1931. "For years we have tinkered with the rules in the hope that we could give the public open football without the forward pass, but without the constant threat of a suddenly thrown ball, little could be done to break down the glutinous concentrations of humanity along the line of scrimmage."

Blondy Wallace and the Biggest Football Scandal by Braunwart & Carroll. Coach Wallace of the Canton Bulldogs has been accused of throwing the biggest game of the '06 season, but Braunwart and Carroll questioned whether he was unjustly maligned. In 1905 and 1906, the nation's two best pro football teams in the nation were in adjacent counties in Ohio-- the Canton Bulldogs and the Massillon Tigers. Both teams spent a small fortune in recruiting star lineups, but 1906 was the year the bubble burst. Revisiting and re-examining pro football in the days when the forward pass was new.

VOLUME 7 (1985)

Number 1:

Research Notes by Various authors.

Sonny Randle by Bob Barnett & Bob Carroll.

George Trafton: The Toughest, Meanest by Don Smith.

Tuffy Leemans: A Real Tuffy by Don Smith.

Palmer Method: Passing Stats by Pete Palmer.

Joe Schmidt: He was Always in the Way by Don Smith.

Willie Davis: Speed, Agility and Size by Don Smith.

Number 2:

Research Notes by Various Authors.

Potsy Clark by Bob Carroll.

Ranking the Blockers by Bob Carroll.

Ray Renfro: Speed Story by Bob Barnett & Bob Carroll.

Number 3:

1925 All-Pros by John Hogrogian.

The Truth About Beattie by Bob Carroll.

Draft Productivity: A Study by Gary Keller.

Super Bowl IX: Looking at the Numbers by Tod Maher.

Belly Up in Dallas: 1952 by Joe Horrigan.

Origin of the Running Species by Jim Campbell.

Number 4:

Remember the Cleveland Rams? by Hal Lebovitz.

1974 Playoff: Vikings-Rams by Joe Zagorski.

So long, Jack Lambert by Vic Ketchman.

Feathers: The Other Side by Mark Purcell.

The Steelers' Greatest Victory by Bob Barnett.

All-Pros: The Missing Votes in 1938 by Bob Carroll.

Number 5:

The 1920's All-Pros in Retrospect by Bob Carroll.

1914: Ohio by Bob Carroll.

A Place to Play by Joe Zagorski.

Mr. 49er: Frankie Albert by Joseph Hession.

Feathers Again! by Mark Purcell.

1936-37 Draft by Jim Campbell.

The Real System by Bob Carroll.

Number 6:

When Notre Dame Won Rockford City Championship by Emil Klosinski.

The Staten Island Stapletons by John Hogrogian.

1938 Draft by Jim Campbell.

PFI Picks the Early All-Pros by Bob Gill.

Annual:

1922: Birth, Rebirth, and Resuscitation by Bob Carroll.

Ontario Rugby Football Union: 1883-1906 by Robert Sproule.

Joe Pisarcik: The Professional by Joe Zagorski.

Early Black Professionals by Joe Horrigan.

VOLUME 8 (1986)

Number 1:

Adam Wyant by Robert Van Atta.

Dave Parks by Joseph Hession.

1932 All-Pros by Bob Carroll.

They Call It Gridiron in Australia by Tod Maher.

Joe Kopcha Recalls 1932 Title Game by Leo R. Joint.

Number 2:

The '41 Bears: The Greatest by John Gunn.

Ken Kavanaugh: The Bears' Home Run Hitter by Bob Carroll.

1941 All-Pros by Bob Carroll.

1941 Western Division Playoff by Bob Carroll.

1941 Championship Game by Bob Carroll.

1941 Draft by Jim Campbell.

Number 3:

The Best End We Ever Forgot: Lavie Dilweg by Bob Carroll.

Cash and Carry No More by Joe Horrigan.

Willie Thrower: The First Black QB in NFL by Robert Van Atta.

The Chris Crew by Stan Grosshandler.

1939 Draft by Jim Campbell.

Number 4:

Hugh McElhenny: The King by Joseph Hession.

1905: Challenge from Canton by Bob Braunwart & Bob Carroll.

Blood Scored Last Pottsville TD by Doug Costello.

1940 Draft by Jim Campbell.

Number 5:

He Wasn't Shy on Talent: Jim Musick by Janis Carr.

1942 Draft by Jim Campbell.

Number 6:

Al Blozis: Jersey City Giant by Bob Carroll, V. Mastro, et al.

Buckets: Charles Goldenberg by Stan Grosshandler.

The Least Remembered Championship (1944) by Bob Carroll.

1943 Draft by Jim Campbell.

Number 7:

Kilroy Was There by Bob Barnett & Bob Carroll.

Dr. Joe: The Last Renaissance Man by Stan Grosshandler.

The Facts About Friedman by Jim Whalen & Bob Carroll.

Number 8:

Friedman's Last Hurrah by Bob Gill.

I Remember Benny by Ernest Cuneo.

1944 Draft by Jim Campbell.

Number 9:

Bucking the (Passer Rating) System by Bob Carroll.

Number 10:

The Packers' Greatest Game by Stan Grosshandler.

Dale Memmelaar by Bob Barnett & Bob Carroll.

Coaldale's Man of Action: Casey Gildea by Joe Zagorski.

1945 Draft by Jim Campbell.

Annual:

National Football League Professional Football Synopsis by Nelson Ross.

Canadian All-Stars, 1932-50 by Bob Braunwart.

Football in the United Kingdom by Alan Needham.

The Death of an All-Star Game by John C. Hibner.

VOLUME 9 (1987)

Number 1:

Glamourless Gridirons: 1907-09 by Bob Carroll.

Squirmin' Herman by Bob Carroll.

The Duluth Connection by David Neft.

Number 2:

When Stinky Stuffed the Pack (Bill Hewitt) by Bob Carroll.

Paul Krause: Defender by Joe Zagorski.

Frankford Yellow Jackets: Pre-NFL by Richard Pagano & Bob Carroll.

Number 3:

Jackie Robinson: Pro Football Prelude by Bob Gill.

Gil Bouley 1945-50 by Joseph Hession.

1949 Los Angeles Rams by Joseph Hession.

Number 4:

Frankford Yellow Jackets: 1924-26 by Richard Pagano & Bob Carroll.

Looking into Your Locals by Bob Carroll.

Number 5:

Herb Adderley: Cornerback by Don Smith.

Giant of a Man: Jack Lummus by John Gunn. A Medal of Honor winner.

Short Man - Long Legacy: Shorty Ray by Bob Carroll.

The Salinas Packers by Tod Maher.

Number 6:

When Did They Start? by Pearce Johnson.

Minor-League Records by Steve Brainerd.

Snags, Clippers, and Lombardi: Pre-War Minors by Bob Gill.

Number 7:

23 Guys with Hobbies by Bob Davids.

Terry Baker: A Different Success by Beau Riffenburgh.

Ice Princes: 1934 Giants by Bob Carroll.

Number 8:

Old-Timers Played More for Love Than Money by Tony Barnhart.

The Way It Was by And How Players Feel Today by Tony Barnhart.

The '40's: NFL Goes to War by Tony Barnhart.

Rough Play in the 1950s by Tony Barnhart.

The Way It Was by Tony Barnhart.

Number 9:

Lou Rymkus: The Battler by Bob Carroll.

The Rivalry: Browns and Bengals by Morris Ekhouse.

1957: They Broke Their Heart in San Franciso by Joseph Hession.

R.C. Owens: Alley Oop by Joseph Hession.

Number 10:

Tony Latone: The Hero of Pottsville by Joe Zagorski.

Annual:

Pioneer in Pro Football by Jack Cusak.

The Anthacite League by Joe Zagorski.

The Visionary Chief by Joe Zagorski.

VOLUME 10 (1988)

Number 1:

Escape from Purgatory (Buddy Dial) by Bob Kravitz.

Pain! Lifelong Companion of Many NFL Alumni by Bob Kravitz.

Otto Played in Pain That Won't Quit by Bob Kravitz.

Along Came (Ralph) Jones by Greg Kukish.

1949 NFL Championship.

The All-Time Team: Circa 1942 by Joe King.

Dear Cal (Letter to George Calhoun) by Ole Haugsrud.

Number 2:

Ox! Where Have You Gone? by Stan Grosshandler.

Jack Ferrante: Eagle Great by Richard Pagano.

The Year Greasy Neale Was Fired by Gene Murdock.

Armco's Semi-Pro Teams by Armco Corp.

The 1975 Chicago Wind by Tod Maher.

Jim Carter: Former Packer Puts Troubles Behind by Joe Zagorski.

Number 3:

Civil Rights on the Gridiron (Washington Redskins) by Thomas G. Smith.

WFL by Team Records 1974-75 by Bob Braunwart.

Eight Tries at the End Zone (Cle-NY 1950) by Jack Ziegler.

The Hidden Career of Ken Strong by Bob Gill.

Karl Karilivacz: A Good Football Player by Greg Kukish.

Dear Leo [Lyons] by Aaron Hertzman.

Number 4:

In the Same League by Ernest Cuneo.

It's a Minor Thing by Steven Brainerd.

George Roudebush by Matt Fenn.

The King -- Joe Krol by Bob Sproule.

Two American Heroes: Red Grange & Fritz Pollard by John M. Carroll.

Number 5:

The Continental Football League: Mini-Tragedy by Sarge Kennedy.

Ringers! And the Pride of Portsmouth by Bob Gill.

The Day the Fans Took Over at Pottsville by Joe Zagorski.

Ole Haugsrud Remembers by Ole Haugsrud.

Number 6:

What Are We Doing in Buffalo? by Art Daley.

1963 Championship Game by Jack Ziegler.

Annual:

Shooting Stars: Rise and Fall of Blacks in Professional Football by Gerald R. Gems.

The Champagne of Football: Eton Wall Game by R.C. Macnaghten.

The Role of the Road Team in the NFL: Louisville Brecks by Brian C. Butler.

A History of the Dixie League by Bob Gill.

The USFL Antitrust Lawsuit.

Season of Change: 1972 Packers by Joe Zagorski.

VOLUME 11 (1989)

Number 1:

Charlie Trippi: A Success Story by Bob Barnett & Bob Carroll.

The Cards' Dream Backfield by Bob Carroll [Angsman, Christman, Harder, Goldberg].

Still the Enforcer: John Baker by Bill Utterback.

Other Minor Leagues by Bob Gill.

All for One: Minors Big 3 in 1946 by Bob Gill.

It's a Minor Thing: Part 2 by Steven Brainerd.

Hicksville’s Fine Sports Reputation by Tom Nikitas.

Number 2:

Mel Blount by Don Smith.

Terry Bradshaw by Don Smith.

Art Shell by Don Smith.

Willie Wood by Don Smith.

Number 3:

Who Was the Best Blocking Back? by Greg Kukish.

Mini-Bios: Parker Hall, Frank Sinkwich by Stan Grosshandler.

Football in History Journal.

Number 4:

Outside the Pale: Blacks Excluded 1934-46 by Thomas G. Smith.

Number 5:

Pass Masters: Rating System by Bob Gill.

Va.-Carolina League of 1937 by Bob Gill.

Before Bengalmania by Bob Gill.

1945 Title Game by Jack Ziegler.

Bob St. Clair: The Golden Geek by Bob Carroll.

Trigger-Man of the Eagles: Tommy Thompson by Bob Carroll.

Cleveland A.C. : Pioneer in Pro Football by Tod Gladen.

Not Only the Ball Was Brown: Blacks in Minors by Bob Gill.

Number 6:

The Polo Grounds Case: Part 1 by John Hogrogian.

Pro Football’s Decade Records by Bob Kirlin.

The Sports Scholar (Stan Grosshandler) by George Robinson.

Annual:

The Birth of Pro Football by Beau Riffenburgh & Bob Carroll.

PFRA members receive six issues of our official newsletter-magazine, The Coffin Corner. Each issue is 24 pages crammed with pro football history: articles on great players, teams, and games of the past (and some not-so-great), occasionally a stat article, some opinion, and organization news.