Pro Football Writers Association
Encyclopedia
Technically known as the Pro Football Writers of America, this organization purports to be "The official voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public."http://www.pfwa.org/ Goals of the organization include improving access to practices and locker rooms, developing working relationships with all teams and ensuring that football writers are treated in a professional manner.http://apse.dallasnews.com/dec2004/18-19pfwa.html
As of 2005 the group consisted of over 300 writers, editors, and columnists who cover pro football. http://apse.dallasnews.com/dec2004/18-19pfwa.html
In keeping with the goals of the organization, PFWA president Dave Elfin filed a complaint with the National Football League
(NFL) at Super Bowl XLI
, concerning the late arrival of the AFC champion (eventual Super Bowl champion) Indianapolis Colts.http://www.superbowl.com/news/story/9954525
The Pro Football Writers Association issues the following awards: an All-Pro team, an NFL Most Valuable Player Award (since 1975), the Dick McCann Memorial Award, the George S. Halas Courage Award, the Good Guy award, the Horrigan Award, and the Rozelle Award.
The George S. Halas Courage Award is given to the player or coach who has performed with abandon despite injury or personal problems.
In May, 1970, the Halas Award went to Gale Sayers
for his comeback from knee surgery to lead the NFL in rushing in 1969.http://sports.jrank.org/pages/4254/Sayers-Gale-Suffers-Serious-Knee-Injury.html In New York, at the Pro Football Writers Association banquet, Gale Sayers gave an emotional speech that was memorialized in the film Brian's Song
. Said Sayers, "You flatter me by giving me this award, but I’ll tell you here and now that I accept it for Brian Piccolo. Brian Piccolo is the man of courage who should receive the George S. Halas Award. I accept it tonight, but I’ll present it to Brian tomorrow. I love Brian Piccolo. And I’d like all of you to love him, too. And tonight, when you hit your knees, ask God to love him, too."http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechbrianssong2.htmlhttp://espn.go.com/classic/s/2001/1031/1271453.html
Other notable winners of the PFWA Halas Award include Joe Namath
http://www.newyorkjets.com/team/history?year=1969, Steeler running back Rocky Bleier, Hall of Fame cornerback Jimmy Johnson http://www.footballresearch.com/articles/frpage.cfm?topic=john-jim, New York Giant cancer survivor Karl Nelsonhttp://www.nysportsday.com/news/nyg/1146690038.php, Hall of Famers Dan Hampton
and Joe Montana
http://www.livingprimetime.com/AllCovers/July1997/workjul1997/vic_carucci_and_football.htm, Denver Broncos guard Mark Schlereth
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-16921494.html, former N.Y. Giant Kerry Collins
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70D16FC3A550C7A8DDDAF0894D9404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fC%2fCollins%2c%20Kerry, San Francisco 49ers Garrison Hearsthttp://www.49ersparadise.com/bryansarchive/hearstwins.html and Bryant Younghttp://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-29830238.html, Carolina coach and former linebacker Sam Mills
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20041212029, Dolphins running back Robert Edwardshttp://www.finheaven.com/boardvb2/showthread.php?t=14918, Carolina linebacker Mark Fieldshttp://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2005/07/24/mcginest_tackles_some_topics/?page=4, Indianapolis Colt Head Coach Tony Dungy,http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=3805 New Orleans Saints
quarterback Drew Brees
http://www.emqb.com/pfwa-award-winners-announced/.
(2004), Tiki Barber
(2005), and LaDainian Tomlinson
(2006).
As of 2005 the group consisted of over 300 writers, editors, and columnists who cover pro football. http://apse.dallasnews.com/dec2004/18-19pfwa.html
In keeping with the goals of the organization, PFWA president Dave Elfin filed a complaint with the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) at Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
, concerning the late arrival of the AFC champion (eventual Super Bowl champion) Indianapolis Colts.http://www.superbowl.com/news/story/9954525
The Pro Football Writers Association issues the following awards: an All-Pro team, an NFL Most Valuable Player Award (since 1975), the Dick McCann Memorial Award, the George S. Halas Courage Award, the Good Guy award, the Horrigan Award, and the Rozelle Award.
NFL Most Valuable Player Award
- See: National Football League Most Valuable Player Award#Pro Football Writers Association NFL MVP Award
George S. Halas Courage Award
- Note: The George S. Halas Courage Award should not be confused with the Newspaper Enterprise Association's George S. Halas Trophy that was awarded to the NFL defensive player of the year from 1966 to 1996 or the NFL's George Halas Trophy that is awarded to the National Football Conference champion.
The George S. Halas Courage Award is given to the player or coach who has performed with abandon despite injury or personal problems.
In May, 1970, the Halas Award went to Gale Sayers
Gale Sayers
Gale Eugene Sayers also known as "The Kansas Comet", is a former professional football player in the National Football League who spent his entire career with the Chicago Bears....
for his comeback from knee surgery to lead the NFL in rushing in 1969.http://sports.jrank.org/pages/4254/Sayers-Gale-Suffers-Serious-Knee-Injury.html In New York, at the Pro Football Writers Association banquet, Gale Sayers gave an emotional speech that was memorialized in the film Brian's Song
Brian's Song
Brian's Song is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the details of the life of Brian Piccolo , a Wake Forest University football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro, told through his friendship with Chicago Bears running back teammate and Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale...
. Said Sayers, "You flatter me by giving me this award, but I’ll tell you here and now that I accept it for Brian Piccolo. Brian Piccolo is the man of courage who should receive the George S. Halas Award. I accept it tonight, but I’ll present it to Brian tomorrow. I love Brian Piccolo. And I’d like all of you to love him, too. And tonight, when you hit your knees, ask God to love him, too."http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechbrianssong2.htmlhttp://espn.go.com/classic/s/2001/1031/1271453.html
Other notable winners of the PFWA Halas Award include Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
http://www.newyorkjets.com/team/history?year=1969, Steeler running back Rocky Bleier, Hall of Fame cornerback Jimmy Johnson http://www.footballresearch.com/articles/frpage.cfm?topic=john-jim, New York Giant cancer survivor Karl Nelsonhttp://www.nysportsday.com/news/nyg/1146690038.php, Hall of Famers Dan Hampton
Dan Hampton
Daniel Oliver Hampton also known as "Danimal" is a retired Hall of Fame American football defensive tackle who played twelve seasons for the Chicago Bears from 1979 to 1990 in the National Football League. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002...
and Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
http://www.livingprimetime.com/AllCovers/July1997/workjul1997/vic_carucci_and_football.htm, Denver Broncos guard Mark Schlereth
Mark Schlereth
Mark Frederick Schlereth is a former professional football player and current television sportscaster. Schlereth played guard in the NFL for 12 seasons with the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN on NFL Live, Sportscenter, and other programs...
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-16921494.html, former N.Y. Giant Kerry Collins
Kerry Collins
Kerry Michael Collins is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, the first choice in the franchise's history...
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70D16FC3A550C7A8DDDAF0894D9404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fC%2fCollins%2c%20Kerry, San Francisco 49ers Garrison Hearsthttp://www.49ersparadise.com/bryansarchive/hearstwins.html and Bryant Younghttp://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-29830238.html, Carolina coach and former linebacker Sam Mills
Sam Mills
Samuel Davis "Sam" Mills, Jr. was an American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.-Early life:...
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20041212029, Dolphins running back Robert Edwardshttp://www.finheaven.com/boardvb2/showthread.php?t=14918, Carolina linebacker Mark Fieldshttp://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2005/07/24/mcginest_tackles_some_topics/?page=4, Indianapolis Colt Head Coach Tony Dungy,http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=3805 New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
quarterback Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
http://www.emqb.com/pfwa-award-winners-announced/.
Good Guy Award
The Good Guy Award is given to the player who best helps the media do its job. Winners have been Jerome BettisJerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
(2004), Tiki Barber
Tiki Barber
Atiim Kiambu Hakeem-Ah "Tiki" Barber is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia....
(2005), and LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Christian.Tomlinson, often referred to by his initials, L...
(2006).
Rozelle Award
The Rozelle Award is given to the club public relations department that consistently strives for excellence in its dealings and relationships with the media.Past presidents
- George Strickler, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
- Tony Atchison, Washington StarWashington StarThe Washington Star, previously known as the Washington Star-News and the Washington Evening Star, was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C. between 1852 and 1981. For most of that time, it was the city's newspaper of record, and the longtime home to columnist Mary McGrory and...
- John Steadman, Baltimore News-AmericanBaltimore News-AmericanThe Baltimore News-American was a Baltimore, Maryland, broadsheet newspaper with a continuous lineage of more than two hundred years of Baltimore newspapers. Its final edition was published on May 27, 1986.-History:...
- William Guthrie, New Haven Journal
- Joe King, New York World-TelegramNew York World-TelegramThe New York World-Telegram, later known as the New York World-Telegram and Sun, was a New York City newspaper from 1931 to 1966.-History:...
- Dick Connor, Denver Post
- Edwin Pope, Miami Herald
- Larry Felser, Buffalo News
- Paul Zimmerman, Sports IllustratedSports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
- Larry Fox, New York Daily NewsNew York Daily NewsThe Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
- Bob Roesler, New Orleans Times Picayune
- Cooper Rollow, Chicago Tribune
- Vito Stellino, Baltimore Morning Sun
- Glenn Sheeley, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Don Pierson, Chicago Tribune
- Ira Miller, San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
- Vic Carucci, Buffalo News
- Len PasquarelliLen PasquarelliLen Pasquarelli is an American sports writer and analyst with The Sports Xchange and a 25-year vet of covering the NFL.The Sports Xchange is a network of professional, accredited reporters and analysts who cover each team or sport full time....
, Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Steve Schoenfeld, Arizona Republic
- John ClaytonJohn Clayton (sportscaster)John Travis Clayton is a National Football League writer and reporter for ESPN. He is also a senior writer for ESPN.com.-Early career:...
, Tacoma News-Tribune - Adam Schefter, Denver Post
- John McClain, Houston ChronicleHouston ChronicleThe Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
- David Elfin, Washington Times
- 2009–present – Charean Williams, Fort Worth Star-TelegramFort Worth Star-TelegramThe Fort Worth Star-Telegram is a major U.S. daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. Its area of domination is checked by its main rival, The Dallas Morning News, which is published from the eastern half of the Metroplex. It is owned...
See also
- Football Writers Association of AmericaFootball Writers Association of AmericaThe Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
(college) - Baseball Writers Association of AmericaBaseball Writers Association of AmericaThe Baseball Writers' Association of America is a professional association for baseball journalists writing for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying Web sites. The BBWAA was founded on October 14, 1908, to improve working conditions for sportswriters in the early part of the 20th century...
- National Collegiate Baseball Writers AssociationNational Collegiate Baseball Writers AssociationThe National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association is an association of baseball writers, broadcasters, and publicists in the United States...
- Pro Basketball Writers AssociationPro Basketball Writers AssociationThe Pro Basketball Writers Association is a professional organization for sportswriters who write about professional basketball, including the National Basketball Association .-History:...
- United States Basketball Writers AssociationUnited States Basketball Writers AssociationThe United States Basketball Writers Association was founded in 1956 by Walter Byers and serves the interests of journalists who cover college basketball.-Scholarships:...
(college) - Professional Hockey Writers AssociationProfessional Hockey Writers' AssociationThe Professional Hockey Writers' Association is a North American professional association for ice hockey journalists writing for newspapers, magazines and websites...
- National Sportscasters and Sportswriters AssociationNational Sportscasters and Sportswriters AssociationThe National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, or NSSA, is an organization of sports media members in the United States. It constitutes the American chapter of the International Sports Press Association ....