PFRA CHAPTERS
Meetings for the Great Plains Chapter of the PFRA have been suspended until the start of the NFL season. Our next meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 3. The chapter is also in need of a co-coordinator who can be available to run our monthly videoconference calls, if necessary.
Contact ryan.christiansen@hotmail.com if you are interested.
The DC/Baltimore chapter of the PFRA will hold its next chapter meeting on Saturday, June 20 from 12:00-2:30 at the Quincy Room of the Arlington Central Library in Arlington, VA (1015 N. Quincy Street).
The meeting will feature a presentation by Jeff Payne on independent and professional football in DC during the 19th Century, Warren Rogan will speak about his new book "College All-Stars vs. NFL Champions: The Chicago Charities Football Games, 1934-1976", with copies available for purchase, and Dan Neumann will discuss his recent Coffin Corner Article, "10 Things You Don't Know About the New York Giants". There is room for additional presenters as well.
If you are interested in presenting or attending, please RSVP to Dan Neumann DanielGlennNeumann@gmail.com or via phone at 845-702-0942.
By nearly every metric, the 10th annual gathering of the Western New York chapter of the Professional Football Researchers Association was a rousing success. Held Saturday, April 25 at the Unova Coworking Center in Springville, NY, the WNYPFRA conference was attended by nearly 40 football enthusiasts who were treated to fantastic presentations from experts in various football-related subjects. Proving that our group is not just about Buffalo and Western New York, the group had representation from six different states (New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland) and the District of Columbia.
Several members gathered Friday evening before the event for dinner and cocktails at Steelbound Brewery. The gathering at Steelbound has become an annual tradition that allows group members to become acquainted or catch up with old friends.
Saturday’s agenda kicked off with a walking tour of the nearby Pop Warner Museum. About a dozen attendees joined the tour, which featured new displays set up specifically for this year’s WNYPFRA gathering. Special thanks to museum officials Don Orton and David Ploetz for hosting the group!
The meeting was then called to order by chapter chairperson Jeffrey Miller, who introduced PFRA President George Bozeka to provide the annual “State of the Association” address, which this year included updates on PFRA publications (the forthcoming book on the 1976 Oakland Raiders and the proposed book on the 1956 New York Football Giants), the three candidate cities discussed for the 2027 national convention, this year’s PFRA writing awards, the successful roll out of the expanded Coffin Corner magazine, increased membership, and more.
Former Buffalo Bill Mark Kelso was this year’s NFL alumnus speaker. Kelso brought along the iconic “gazoo” helmet he wore during his days as a Bill as well as a prototype of the modern Guardian helmet cap that many NFL players are using today. He talked about his playing days and lessons learned from Head Coach Marv Levy, and also the importance of providing a safe environment for football players. Kelso talked about his famous helmet, the physics of football collisions, and his role in helping develop the Guardian cap. He also brought his four AFC championship rings.
NFL Films Senior Producer Todd Schmidt talked about the history of the legendary company and its role in the growth in the game’s popularity. A 30-year veteran at NFLF, Schmidt recollected some of his favorite projects, and shared stories about such well known figures as Steve Sabol, John Facenda and Sam Spence. Todd also announced that his first book, a memoir co-written with Oakland Raiders/Buffalo Bills legend Phil Villapiano, will be released later this year.
Mike Richman is widely regarded as the preeminent authority on the NFL team hailing from the nation’s capital, now known as the Commanders. Mike provided an in-depth presentation on the franchise’s controversial founder, George Preston Marshall. Mike then presided over a spirited question-and-answer session.
Buffalo Jills alumnus Patti Murray (1983-85) gave a detailed history of the erstwhile cheerleading squad and her time on the Bills sidelines. Patti’s presentation included a colorful retrospective of photos from 1960 (before they were even called the Jills) through her time with the squad. She recounted some of her fondest memories and of the many friendships she formed with the other Jills. Patti also reported on Jills alumni’s current activities, which include local and national reunions and a generous amount of community service.
Historian Bert Gambini provided a very in-depth discussion focusing on the origin of the American game of football. Most historians agree that the first actual football game was played between teams from Rutgers and Princeton universities on November 6, 1869. Bert offers a different, yet very compelling, argument.
Michelle Memmer Artim is the great-granddaughter of Al Nesser, one of the famous six (or was it seven?) Nesser brothers who played for the Columbus Panhandles back in the 1910 and early ‘20s. Michelle gave a fascinating presentation on the Nessers that included a genealogical history of the family and individualized stories of each of the football-playing brothers. She has mounted a campaign to have the Nesser brothers inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a group.
Buffalo Bills Alumni Association President Jeff Nixon gave a presentation on recent alumni activity and the creation of the Bills Alumni Associate Membership initiative. Jeff also talked about the upcoming Buffalo Bills Alumni Music Fest, scheduled for June 13, 2026. Jeff plays guitar in the band, which includes former Bills tight end Butch Rolle on bass and, on occasion, legendary quarterback Doug Flutie on drums.
Near the conclusion of the day’s activities, the group held its traditional charity raffle. This year’s recipient was The Trading Post Community Care Center in Springville. Mark Kelso signed several action photos and group members donated items for the raffle, which raised $170 for the cause!
(photos courtesy Mark Palczewski)
The photos may be copied, downloaded, etc., however you must get permission from Mark Palczewski at palmark@aol.com if you want to publish any of the photos in books, etc. Also, a tag or credit should be included if the photos are posted on social media.
The Great Plains Chapter continues to meet monthly via videoconference in the evening on the first Thursday of the month. It's an informal meeting where we talk about the latest news in pro football, but we allow ourselves to stray into talking about college football and other sports news of the day. We have some great storytellers in the group.
For additional information contact Ryan Christiansen at ryan.christiansen@hotmail.com.
Finalized Agenda for April 25, 2026 Conference
The program will begin at 10:30 AM with a walking tour of the Pop Warner Museum. Those wishing to take part should gather at the Unova Event Center at 10:15 for the short walk over.
The main portion of our program will begin upon return from the Pop Warner tour with a Greet-and-Meet at 12:00 Noon.
Our speakers will begin presentations at 1:00 ...
We will also have displays featuring historic items provided by …
Additionally, we will have our traditional book swap and also the charity raffle, with this year’s proceeds going to the Trading Post Community Care Center in Springville.
For the remainder of 2026, the Great Plains Chapter will meet at 7:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month. The next Chapter meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, February 5.
For more information about the Great Plains Chapter contact Ryan Christiansen at norsepower@yahoo.com.
We would like to welcome new members to the Great Plains Chapter of the Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA), those who live in Wisconsin! We look forward to some great conversations with you. The Wisconsinites now join members from Minnesota, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa.
Our virtual chapter will meet through December 2025 according to the following schedule:
Monday, September 15 (7:30 p.m.) Games on TV: Bucs @ Texans 6:00 p.m., Bolts @ Raiders 9:00 p.m.
Monday, October 13 (7:30 p.m.) Games on TV: Bills @ Falcons 6:15 p.m., Bears @ Commanders 7:15 p.m.
Thursday, November 13 (7:30 p.m.) Games on TV: Jets @ Patriots 7:15 p.m.
Thursday, December 4 (7:30 p.m.) Games on TV: Cowboys @ Lions 7:15 p.m.
Please note that the September and November meeting dates have changed. Now with Wisconsinites in the fold, we don't want to be stepping on the Packers' schedule.
Why meetings on Mondays and Thursdays? In a recent poll, those who responded about the best days of the week to meet overwhelmingly said Monday or Thursday. If the games on TV get tense, we can watch the action together and share commentary.
During our meetings, anything related to or adjacent to professional football is fair game. And if we run out of pro football-related topics, we can stray into other sports.
We will send out a videoconference link approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled meeting time. We will meet using Microsoft Teams, which you can access through your phone or computer using the Microsoft Teams app, or through a web browser.
For more information about the Great Plains Chapter contact Ryan Christiansen at norsepower@yahoo.com.
The ninth annual conference of the Western New York Chapter of the Professional Football Researchers Association was held Saturday, April 26, in beautiful downtown Springville, New York. For those of you who might be unfamiliar, Springville is about 30 miles south of Buffalo and is best known as being the birthplace of legendary football coach Glenn “Pop” Warner. This year’s conference was a rousing success, with 35 football historians, reporters, authors, collectors, former players and average fans gathered for a weekend dedicated to their favorite sport.
We had representation from New York, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia, infusing the local economy as our out-of-town visitors patronized Springville’s hotels, restaurants, stores and fueling stations. Many of us gathered the night before the conference for dinner and drinks at Steelbound Brew Pub.
Our Saturday program featured several outstanding speakers. For the eighth straight year, PFRA President George Bozeka kicked things off with an informative State of the Association address. George also provided information about the upcoming national PFRA convention being held in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, later this year, along with an update on the PFRA’s latest installment in its “Great Teams in Pro Football History” book series. This year’s publication focuses on the 1964 Buffalo Bills.
Buffalo Bills legend and current Alumni President Jeff Nixon then spoke about his efforts toward expanding the Alumni’s visibility in the community and the many activities and events in which they are involved. Jeff also told some humorous stories about his playing days and answered several questions from the gallery. Jeff Miller presented Jeff with a check for $200 for the Bills Alumni Foundation. The money was collected from a raffle of donated items from the folks attending the conference.
Veteran Buffalo sportscaster Paul Peck spoke next. Paul has been involved in Buffalo broadcasting for nearly four full decades, covering every conceivable sport from high school to professional. He told stories about attending college at nearby Syracuse and his many years working at WIBV-TV, Buffalo’s CBS affiliate. Paul gave a spirited and sometimes raucous talk that included dozens of photos from his amazing career, which included working for several years alongside the legendary Van Miller. Paul currently calls the play-by-play for University at Buffalo football.
Washington Redskins historian Mike Richman came all the way from Potomac, Maryland, for the conference. Mike has authored several books on the history of the Redskins, his latest being a rave-reviewed biography of George Allen, the Hall-of-Fame coach of the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins. He gave a detailed and lively presentation that included a number of photos from Allen’s fabled career, and corrected some common misconceptions people have about the notoriously strait-laced coach.
26 Shirts/BillsMafia founder Del Reid was invited to give an update on the latest activities of his charitable organization. Del is a frequent speaker at our conferences and a good friend of the chapter. 26 Shirts has recently moved into an expanded space to accommodate its ever-growing community footprint, started a terrific podcast, and was featured in a documentary titled “Behind Every Shirt: A Story” (which was, appropriately enough, 26 minutes long!).
John Steffenhagen was asked to provide an update on the forthcoming book, Leo Lyons, the Rochester Jeffersons and the Birth of the NFL, that he is writing with Jeff Miller. John is Leo’s great-grandson and the proud owner of the NFL co-founder’s enormous collection of artifacts and documents. He reports that the book is now in the proof stage and is expected to hit the bookshelves in July 2025.
Our friend Ken Crippen has been very busy, so he was invited to come and speak about the latest goings-on at the Football Learning Academy and his work as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Blue Ribbon Selection Committee tasked with selecting contributors (non-players and coaches) for possible induction into the Hall. Ken provided some behind-the-scenes details about how candidates are nominated and debated, the odds of one making the cut, and some of the names that have been considered (including his personal favorites). It was a fascinating peek into the selection process!
Podcaster/historian Randy Snow, founder of “The World of Football” podcast, then took the podium for a visual presentation of his travelogue, “Have Grave, Will Travel.” The series chronicles Randy’s visits to graves of famous (and, occasionally, some not-so-famous) figures from football’s past, a brief story behind each character, and the usually humorous account of finding and traveling to each grave site. Among the markers and monuments Randy (usually accompanied by his son Adam) featured were those of George Halas, Willie Thrower, Joe Carr, Leon Hart, Fielding Yost, Bo Schembechler, Larry Wilson, Joe Guyon, Charles Follis, and Springville’s own Glenn “Pop” Warner.
Afterward, several of the attendees headed over to JD's Brew Pub for dinner and cocktails. All in all, it was another fun and successful conference with some new faces, old friends and terrific speakers. We expect to have a special program for next year’s gathering, which will mark the tenth anniversary for the WNY PFRA Chapter Conference. Stay tuned!
