Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

The latest issue of "The Coffin Corner" is now available for immediate download from the Members Only section of the PFRA website. The issue includes:

PFRA-ternizing. An announcement on the Linescore 2020 project coinciding with the NFL’s 100th season, a note on PFRA secretary Lee Elder’s interview on the Sports Forgotten Heroes podcast produced by new PFRA member Warren Rogan and an update on next year’s national convention in Buffalo.

A Well-Oiled Defense Strikes It Rich in Houston by Ed Gruver. A look back at the surprisingly stout Oilers defense in the waning years of the AFL from 1967 to 1969 and the stars that formed the team’s nucleus with players like Garland Boyette, George Webster and future Hall of Famer Ken Houston.

Big Things in Small Packages by Roger Gordon. The life and football career of Cleveland Browns wide receiver and kick returner Gerald McNeil, nicknamed “The Ice Cube,” including his playing days in high school, college and the USFL.

2017 PFRA Bookshelf by John Maxymuk. A bibliography of books on professional football (with a few notable exceptions) published or scheduled to be published in 2017, with highlighted titles by PFRA members and the PFRA.



Please allow several weeks for the print issue to arrive.

Ken Crippen wrote:The latest issue of "The Coffin Corner" is now available for immediate download from the Members Only section of the PFRA website. The issue includes:

PFRA-ternizing. An announcement on the Linescore 2020 project coinciding with the NFL’s 100th season, a note on PFRA secretary Lee Elder’s interview on the Sports Forgotten Heroes podcast produced by new PFRA member Warren Rogan and an update on next year’s national convention in Buffalo.

A Well-Oiled Defense Strikes It Rich in Houston by Ed Gruver. A look back at the surprisingly stout Oilers defense in the waning years of the AFL from 1967 to 1969 and the stars that formed the team’s nucleus with players like Garland Boyette, George Webster and future Hall of Famer Ken Houston.

Big Things in Small Packages by Roger Gordon. The life and football career of Cleveland Browns wide receiver and kick returner Gerald McNeil, nicknamed “The Ice Cube,” including his playing days in high school, college and the USFL.

2017 PFRA Bookshelf by John Maxymuk. A bibliography of books on professional football (with a few notable exceptions) published or scheduled to be published in 2017, with highlighted titles by PFRA members and the PFRA.



Please allow several weeks for the print issue to arrive.

Gerald McNeil was incredible, watching a 145 pound kick returner in the NFL didn't seem possible. Even a fast, quick, return man gets hit, and McNeil thrived in college and the pros. A similar player to McNeil was Tyrone Thurman out of Texas Tech. Thurman never played in the NFL, was a CFL and arena league player at 5'3. McNeil was 5'7, and Thurman looked like a child on the field when compared with everyone else.

McNeil spent his first two years in the USFL, catching passes from Jim Kelly. His USFL and NFL stats:
https://www.statscrew.com/football/stats/p-mcneiger001

And Tyrone Thurman:
https://www.statscrew.com/football/stats/p-thurmtyr001