PFRA-ternizing. An announcement of two additional speakers for the PFRA convention in St. Paul and a Sunday add-on tour of U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings.
A Short History of Fourth Down Decision-Making by Ben Carpenter. Coaches used to trust their gut. Is now the time to trust the data? This account traces the evolution from always punting on fourth down to using advanced mathematics in guiding play calling today. From early film study in the 1920s to the Bellman Equation and the rise of analytics departments in the NFL, the numbers can say “go for it” now - but not every coach listens.
The CFL’s Philadelphia Experiment by Kenn Tomasch. The story of the first Canadian pro football regular season matchup in America that took place in 1958, featuring the Ottawa Rough Riders against the defending Grey Cup champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a charity event in the City of Brotherly Love. Another CFL regular season game would not take place in the United States until 1993.
Pro Football Three-peats: More Common Than You Might Think by Lee Elder. While the Kansas City Chiefs came up short in their drive for three straight Super Bowl wins this year, the “three-peat feat” has occurred six times in pro football history. This piece lists them all and includes the clubs that just missed the championship trifecta.
Ten Things You Probably Don’t Know About the Green Bay Packers by Cliff Christl. The official historian of the Packers pens this information-packed installment of the “Ten Things” series. Their beginning as a team of high school alum all-stars is covered, as well as the subtle changes to the iconic ‘G’ logo (with an image of the original artist sketch). Did you know that before the famous Ice Bowl, the team only had six December home games in Green Bay, and three of those were in the playoffs? Frozen tundra - who needs it?!
Episode 20 • 8th May 2025 • The Official PFRA Podcast • Sports History Network
EPISODE SUMMARY A new episode of The Official PFRA Podcast is now available. Jon and George interview Upton Bell. Bell is a former NFL Personnel Director and GM, former WFL Owner and GM, and the son of former NFL commissioner Bert Bell.
