Vol. 31, No. 4 2009 PFRA-ternizing 2 PFRA Committees 3 PFRA Election 5 Packers Crash Thru: 1929 6 1946 AAFC All-Rookie Team 12 Violet and Walter 13 1950 Championship Game 19 Classifieds 24 THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 31, No. 4 (2009) 2 PFRA-ternizing Game Changers: 50 Seems like we’re always nagging at Greatest Plays in Buffalo you. If you don’t read the whole Committees article, you’ll miss an Bills Football History (50 urgent request for people to write Greatest Plays in short summaries for the Linescore Committee. We have linescores for Football History) every NFL and AAFC game, but (Hardcover) numbers don’t tell the whole story. by Marv Levy (Author), Jeff Miller Often, the main importance of a game (Author) can be summed up in three or four sentences. A really important game List Price: $24.95 Price $16.47 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over may not be explained in four or five $25. Details sentences, but the reader can be You Save: $8.48 (34%) shown why that game is worthy of a longer study. Pre-order Price Guarantee. Learn more. You probably have some old news This title has not yet been released. You may pre-order it now and we will clips of games lining the bottom of a deliver it to you when it arrives. drawer. Why not take a look and give Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. a try to summing up the games in a Gift-wrap available. few short sentences? When you have a couple done, send them to Ken Crippen and he’ll take it from there. THE COFFIN CORNER And if you’re looking for another Vol. 31, No. 4 (2009) writing project, you might read a 184 OREGON LN couple of articles from past Coffin N.Huntingdon Twp., PA 15642 Corners that are available on our 724 863-6345 website. Too often, the title doesn’t tell what the article is about or doesn’t [email protected] encourage the reader to read the Website: www.profootballresearchers.org article. Just a sentence or two could PFRA MEMBERSHIP $25 per year make all the difference. Bob Carroll, Editor Melissa Thomas, Assistant Again, send the fruit of your labors to Ken Crippen, Assistant Editor & Ken Crippen. Website Editor THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 31, No. 4 (2009) 3 PFRA Committees By Ken Crippen Several committees have ramped up activities recently. The Ben Agajanian Chick Maggioli AAFC, Hall of Very Good, USFL and TV Commentators Jim Ailinger Hap Moran committees have all submitted information to the Website Bruce Alford Fred Negus committee for publication and the website is being updated Charlie Ane Zeke O’Connor with new information almost weekly. Bill Boedeker Derrell Palmer George Buksar Ara Parseghian Bylaws Committee: Bob Callahan Ben Pucci The Bylaws Committee is happy to report that all of the Ken Carpenter Lester Rodney revisions passed with flying colors. Thank you to all that Clarence Childs Mike Scarry participated in the voting. Ken Coleman Don Schneider Ray Ebli Otto Schnellbacher Dick Erdlitz Joe Signiago Oral History Committee: Gene Fekete Jim Ray Smith This a new committee, dedicated to archiving interviews with Jesse Freitas Lou Sossamon players from the NFL, AFL and AAFC. The committee has Bill Gompers Bill Stanton generated a list of contact information for players from the Billy Joe Grimes Art Statuto 1940s. Obviously, the older players are the highest priority, George Groves Roy Stuart but eventually all players will be included. The committee is Ed Gustafson Joe Sutton looking for several things: Chet Hanulak George Terlep 1) A committee chair. Currently, I am organizing George Hekkers Lou Tomasetti things, but with all of my other responsibilities within Jerry Helluin Al Vandeweghe the PFRA, I cannot take full control of the Hal Herring Wilbur Volz committee. If you are interested, let me know. Duke Iverson Alex Wizbicki Verl Lillywhite 2) Any recorded interviews that have been performed. If you have an interview where you would be willing As mentioned previously, if you have any recorded interviews to send an audio copy, let me know. If you no longer or transcripts, which you are willing to copy and donate to the have the audio recording, but have a transcript, a committee, it would be greatly appreciated. copy of the transcript would be acceptable. At the time of the writing of this article, the following players 3) The committee desperately needs people to are being contacted to set up interviews: perform interviews. Any help would be greatly appreciated. No experience necessary. We are Ezzrett Anderson Paul Mitchell willing to provide contact information and interview Eddie Carr Don Panciera tips to anyone. Ken Casanega Ace Parker Jim Cason Dom Principe 4) If you are uncomfortable with performing interviews, Sam Cathcart Dewey Proctor but are interested in helping the committee, we Walt Clay Ben Raimondi could always use people to transcribe the Bob Dobelstein Linwood Sexton interviews. This is a slow and sometimes painful Brad Eklund Ed Sharkey process, but it is essential. Bob Heck Bob Titchenal Ed Henke Pete Wismann 5) Obits and biographical articles on players. These Bill Johnson Wally Yonamine will be used to write biographies of players and to Walt McDonald be used as research materials for players that are still alive. These players have refused all attempts at interviews: The committee has already interviewed the following players: THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 31, No. 4 (2009) 4 Bob Livingstone Y.A. Tittle the first items added. A player register followed and draft Bud Tinsley information will be added soon. This draft information will include the complete dispersal draft of 1950. Below, you will see a list of players for which we have contact information. If you are willing to help perform Hall of Very Good Committee: interviews, please let me know. In parentheses, you will see Due to a technical glitch, Hall of Very Good Committee chair the state in which they reside. Andy Piascik is no longer able to receive e-mails at his [email protected] e-mail address and has not been able to Frank Aschenbrenner (AZ) John Kuzman (NJ) since mid-March. Any HOVG nominations that were sent John Billman (MN) Pat Lahey (IL) there are forever lost in cyberspace. Please accept our George Brown (CA) Francis Laurinaitis (PA) apologies and re-send them to [email protected] or John Brown (LA) Ned Maloney (IN) by mail to 25 Cartright Street, Bridgeport CT 06604. The new Bob Chappuis (MI) Lew Mayne (TX) deadline for receipt of nominations is July 31, 2009. James Cooper (TX) Len McCormick (TX) Jim Cox (CA) Tim Mikula (VA) Bill Daley (MN) John North (LA) Linescore Committee: Dick Danahe (CA) Homer Paine (OK) The Linescore Committee is looking for help in finishing Harper Davis (MS) Earl Parsons (CA) game summaries. Below, you will see the current status of Lamar Davis (MS) Mike Patanelli (MI) game summaries for the linescores: John Donaldson (GA) Joe Perry (AZ) Jeff Durkota (PA) Joyce Pipkin (ME) NFL Dan Dworsky (CA) Bill Reinhard (CA) 1920-1934: Summaries Complete Bill Erikson (CO) Tino Sabuco (AZ) 1935: No Summaries Fred Gloden (PA) Paul Salata (CA) 1936: Summaries Complete, but brief Garland Gregory (LA) Vic Schleich (PA) 1937: Summaries Complete Dick Handley (CA) Bill Smith (NC) 1938: No Summaries Lew Holder (TX) Bob Sneddon (UT) 1939: Summaries Complete Sherman Howard (IL) Joe Soboleski (CA) 1940-1949: No Summaries Dub Jones (LA) Ralph Stewart (MO) 1950-1959: Summaries Complete Bob Kelly (IL) Herb St. John (GA) 1960-1962: No Summaries Wayne Kingery (LA) Tony Sumpter (OK) 1963-1966: Summaries Complete, but brief John Klasnic (PA) Martin Wendell (IL) 1967-1995: Summaries Complete John Krivonak (PA) Dick Woodard (IA) 1996-2008: No Summaries AFL 1926: Summaries Complete We have indirect contact through their colleges for the following players: AFL 1960-1966: No Summaries Paul Duke Ray Ramsey 1967-1969: Summaries Complete Bob Kennedy John Sylvester Howie Parker Jimmy Tarrant AAFC Charlie Quilter 1946-1947: Summaries Complete 1948-1949: No Summaries If you would like to help the committee, please let me know. All-America Football Conference Committee: The AAFC Committee has been working closely with the Oral History Committee to interview all remaining players from the Team TV and Radio Commentators Committee: AAFC. The list is approximately 100 players long, but is Tim Brulia has sent a steady stream of commentator lists for diminishing at a rapid pace. If anyone willing to help, please the PFRA website. At the time of the writing of this article, contact me. 1998 through 2008 are online. The committee has also started to publish information on the PFRA website. Linescores and Coffin Corner articles were USFL Committee: THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 31, No. 4 (2009) 5 Committee chair Paul Reeths has added substantial information on the defunct United States Football League on PFRA Elections his website. The link to his website can be found on the PFRA website under USFL Committee. By Ken Crippen It is time once again for PFRA elections. Since Bob Carroll Uniforms of Past Teams Committee: and my jobs are influenced by the outcome of the elections, Tim Brulia has been busy of late. He has sent a list of team we are removing ourselves from the entire process. The uniform descriptions for the PFRA website. At the time of the Executive Director is appointed by the President and the writing of this article, 1933 through 1958 are online, including Assistant Executive Director is appointed by the Executive the four years of the AAFC. In the future, graphics will be Director.