The Bill Nunn Jr. Award is given to a reporter who has made a long and distinguished contribution to pro football through coverage. The award is named for Nunn, who prior to his Hall of Fame scouting career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, worked for 22 years at the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the most influential Black publications in the United States. Nunn, who started with the Courier as a sports writer in 1948, regularly covered HBCU events and athletes. He compiled the definitive Black College All-America team for the Courier starting in 1950. Nunn became the sports editor, and he was the paper’s managing editor when the Steelers hired him as a part-time scout in 1966. He was hired as the Steelers’ assistant director of player personnel in 1970, and he stayed with the organization as a scout and personnel executive until his death in 2014. Nunn helped build the Steelers’ dynasty of the 1970s, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2021. The PFWA’s award was renamed for Nunn in 2021.
D. Orlando Ledbetter is this year’s recipient of the Bill Nunn Jr. Award. Ledbetter has written for the Atlanta Journal Constitution since 2003. He’s covered the Atlanta Falcons since 2005. Prior to Atlanta, Ledbetter pent eight years at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, seven horrible years as a writer covering the Green Bay Packers. Prior to Milwaukee, Ledbetter spent eight years at the Cincinnati Courier.
Ledbetter is the 56th recipient of the Bill Nunn Jr. Award
Past Recipients of the Bill Nunn Jr. Award
1969 – George Strickler (Chicago Tribune)
1970 – Arthur Daley (New York Times)
1971 – Joe King (New York World Telegram & Sun)
1972 – Lewis “Tony” Atchison (Washington Star)
1973 – Dave Brady (Washington Post)
1974 – Bob Oates (Los Angeles Times)
1975 – John Steadman (Baltimore News-American)
1976 – Jack Hand (Associated Press)
1977 – Art Daley (Green Bay Press-Gazette)
1978 – Murray Olderman (Newspaper Enterprise Association)
1979 – Pat Livingston (Pittsburgh Press)
1980 – Chuck Heaton (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
1981 – Norm Miller (New York Daily News)
1982 – Cameron Snyder (Baltimore Sun)
1983 – Hugh Brown (Philadelphia Bulletin)
1984 – Larry Felser (Buffalo News)
1985 – Cooper Rollow (Chicago Tribune)
1986 – William Wallace (New York Times)
1987 – Jerry Magee (San Diego Union)
1988 – Gordon Forbes (USA Today)
1989 – Vito Stellino (Baltimore Sun)
1990 – Will McDonough (Boston Globe)
1991 – Dick Connor (Denver Post)
1992 – Frank Luksa (Dallas Morning News)
1993 – Ira Miller (San Francisco Chronicle)
1994 – Don Pierson (Chicago Tribune)
1995 – Ray Didinger (Philadelphia Daily News)
1996 – Paul Zimmerman (Sports Illustrated)
1997 – Bob Roesler (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
1998 – Dave Anderson (New York Times)
1999 – Art Spander (Oakland Tribune)
2000 – Tom McEwen (Tampa Tribune)
2001 – Len Shapiro (Washington Post)
2002 – Edwin Pope (Miami Herald)
2003 – Joel Buchsbaum (Pro Football Weekly)
2004 – Rick Gosselin (Dallas Morning News)
2005 – Jerry Green (Detroit News)
2006 – John McClain (Houston Chronicle)
2007 – John Clayton (ESPN.com)
2008 – Len Pasquarelli (ESPN.com)
2009 – Peter King (Sports Illustrated)
2010 – Peter Finney (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
2011 – Bob McGinn (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
2012 – Tom Kowalski (MLive.com)
2013 – Dan Pompei (Chicago Tribune)
2014 – Ed Bouchette (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
2015 – Dave Goldberg (Associated Press)
2016 – Chris Mortensen (ESPN.com)
2017 – Ed Werder (ESPN)
2018 – Charean Williams (Pro Football Talk)
2019 – Sam Farmer (Los Angeles Times)
2020 – Don Banks (SI.com)
2021 – Bob Glauber (Newsday)
2022 – Jarrett Bell (USA Today)
2023 – Jim Trotter (The Athletic)
2024 – D. Orlando Ledbetter (Atlanta-Journal Constitution)
I was at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductions in 2013, 2018, and 2019 and saw Dan Pompei, Charean Williams, and Sam Farmer receive their deserved honors. I even sat behind Pompei on the plane from Chicago to Canton.
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