"The Coffin Corner" Volume 40 Number 2

[Ken Crippen]

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

PFRA-ternizing. An update on the 2018 PFRA Convention in Buffalo, New York including the addition of two speakers to the schedule and the announcement of a free convention t-shirt to all attendees.

2017 PFRA Awards. The winners are officially announced with John Maxymuk receiving the Ralph Hay Award for lifetime achievement, Ralph Hickok as the recipient of the Nelson Ross Award for his book "The Vagabond Halfback: The Saga of Johnny Blood McNally," and John Wilke winning the Bob Carroll Memorial Writing Award for his article “Who Was Really the NFL’s First 1,000-Yard Rusher? The Case for Tex Hamer.”

Pro Football’s Half-Decade Team, 1915–1919 by John Wilke. The author, using a methodology to rate individuals before All-Pro teams became commonplace, selects a starting lineup of the best players from the dawn of the professional game, including such greats as Pete Calac, Jim Thorpe, “Greasy” Neale and Norb Sacksteder.

The Canadian Factor by Robert Sproule. A description of Walter Camp’s trek north to witness a 1905 football match between the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tigers and the accompanying article written by Camp detailing his thoughts on the “ten-yard rule” that he proposed for the American game when he returned home.

2017 Player Deaths. A list of the pro football players who died last year, including information on the team(s) they played for, the date and location of their death (if known) and their age when they passed away.

[JeffreyMiller]

Congratulations to all the winners! I was very happy to see my good friend John Maxymuk win the Ralph Hay plaque--his body of work is astounding, and he is well deserving! Make sure he learns the secret handshake ... Also happy for Ralph Hickok, whom I've never met personally but a man for whom I have great respect and admiration! A stellar writer and historian. The voters did an outstanding job picking this year's winners!

[rhickok1109]

Congratulations to all the winners! I was very happy to see my good friend John Maxymuk win the Ralph Hay plaque--his body of work is astounding, and he is well deserving! Make sure he learns the secret handshake ... Also happy for Ralph Hickok, whom I've never met personally but a man for whom I have great respect and admiration! A stellar writer and historian. The voters did an outstanding job picking this year's winners!

Thanks a lot, Jeff.

I totally agree with your comments about John Maxymuk. I own several of his books, but my personal favorite is Green Bay Gold, which takes a unique and rewarding approach to the time-worn idea of putting together an all-time team for a franchise. His "Packers Past Perfect" blog should be a frequent stop, not just for Packer fans, but for any pro football fan.

[Rupert Patrick]

John's book on uniform numbers is a must when watching game film; it is one of the half dozen best pro football reference books ever written. The Packers book was also terrific. I am happy to see him honored for his career body of work to the field.

[NWebster]

Yes, I have to say John's Uniform Number book is an absolute must have, I've probably reached for it as often as any other single book in my collection.

[Mark L. Ford]

I totally agree on the award for Maxymuk.... indeed, his books, and there are a lot of them, have been impressive in calling attention to many of the over 20,000 players in NFL history... the lesser known and the well-known alike. Congratulations to all the winners.