COFFIN CORNER VOLUME 48 NUMBER 4 IS NOW AVAILABLE IN MEMBERS ONLY. THE ISSUE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:
PFRA-ternizing. An announcement about the date and location for next year’s PFRA convention, a call to members for material for the Members Only section, the release of three new episodes of the PFRA podcast, and updates on local chapters.
2026 Hall of Very Good Finalists by Matthew Keddie and Jay Thomas. From Joe “Doc” Alexander to Rick Upchurch, all 20 candidates for the 2026 Hall of Very Good class are listed alphabetically along with a mini biography for each.
Official 2026 Hall of Very Good Ballot. NOTE: The deadline for voting is November 30, 2026.
Laying a ‘Football-Sized Egg’: Montreal and Its Failed 1969 NFL Bid by Chad Moody. In 1969, some members of a group that brought both the Expos and the Olympics to Canada hosted two NFL preseason games to gauge support for luring a team up north and also to encourage construction of a larger stadium, but poor attendance and lackluster fan support ended those ambitions. The Expos later moved into Olympic Stadium in 1977 and while the city hosted the occasional NFL exhibition, the longed-for dream of a franchise never materialized.
Halas & Lombardi by Charles Billington. An examination of the rivalry between two coaching legends that relays how Vince Lombardi’s Packers largely dominated George Halas and his Bears from 1959–1967, symbolizing the transition from the NFL’s old guard to a more modern era. Lombardi’s adaptability, innovative leadership, and progressive approach to managing players contrasted with Halas’s increasingly outdated methods, explaining why Lombardi emerged as the more successful coach during the Sixties.
Ten Things You Probably Don’t Know About the 1950 Baltimore Colts by Ben Carpenter. The original Colts were so spectacularly bad that they only won a single game (more on that later), gave up points like they were handing out Halloween candy, and folded after just one season in the NFL—making even their own players shrug at the club's demise. Their lone shining achievement was somehow producing multiple Hall of Famers (Y. A. Tittle, George Blanda, and Art Donovan) along with one of the strangest comebacks in NFL history, proving that even football disasters can be overachievers.
1953: One of the Most Exciting Seasons in Pro Football by Ryan “R. C." Christiansen. Speaking of comebacks, 1953 was one of the most thrilling NFL years on record, featuring an unusually high number of fourth-quarter comebacks led by quarterbacks like Jim Finks of the Steelers and Eddie LeBaron of the Redskins. The season ended on December 27 with yet another dramatic rally, as Bobby Layne led the Detroit Lions to a come-from-behind victory over the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship Game.