Coffin Corner #3 now on Members Only

[Mark L. Ford]

Many of you received the June issue of Coffin Corner toward the end of last month. For those who haven't gotten it yet, it was posted today on the website, and here's what's inside the latest issue:

PFRA-ternizing. Updates on the PFRA elections for this year, the Hall of Very Good finalists for 2015 (including an official HOVG ballot) and the PFRA’s biennial meeting in Green Bay next year.

Red Grange and the First USFL by Ken Crippen. A summary of the (mostly) unsuccessful rival leagues that sprang up at the end of World War II to compete with the NFL with a focus on the short-lived United States Football League and its short-termed president, Red Grange, including transcripts of a memo and letter from USFL officials.

Split Personality Teams and Schedule Strength by Jeffrey Eby. An examination of NFL teams since the 1970 merger that exhibited “split personalities”—that is, good teams that lost to bad teams and vice versa, or middle-of-the-road teams with upset wins and losses. An analysis of strength of schedule, strength of victories (and defeats) and a new Split Personality Rating are included.

The Last Stand of the Duluth Eskimos by Michael Moran. A window into the dying days of the NFL’s Duluth franchise through two key historical documents—a 1927 contract with the Chicago Bears for their final game and a 1929 letter on Ernie Nevers’ Eskimos stationary asking Johnny “Blood” McNally to sign a contract in the hopes of keeping the club alive.

The 1973 NFC Championship: Memories, Miscues and Missteps by David Neal. A nostalgic look back by the author, in attendance as a young teen, at the conference championship game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys that featured a mistake-filled, if not hard-fought, second half with an incredible ten turnovers.