AFA News and Press Releases

New Issue of The Coffin Corner - Volume 48, Number 1 Available to Members Only to download.

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PFRA-ternizing. An announcement of the new 32-page format, a historical marker commemorating the first pro football night game in Elmira, New York; and media appearances by PFRA President George Bozeka on the new 1964 Buffalo Bills book. Organizational updates are also included such as the 2025 election results, a new mailing address, a list of the latest Hall of Very Good inductees, and a call to contribute to the PFRA’s team pages.

The Pioneers of the Bump-and-Run by Jim Marino. An extensive history of the origins of the “bump-and-run” tactic in pro football and its evolution from pressing basketball defenses, first translated in the late 1950s through future Boston Celtic K. C. Jones to football coach Jack Faulkner. Its culmination came in the AFL during the 1960s with cornerback Willie Brown—and the Oakland Raiders under Al Davis—where it became a physical man-to-man type of coverage that was used as a defensive football strategy.

The First Black Pro Football Hall of Famer Played in Canada by Ryan C. Christiansen. A short biography of backfielder and Ohio native Tom Casey, who became the first African American inducted into any pro football hall of fame, entering the Canadian version in 1964. After a brief stint with the AAFC’s New York Yankees, Casey found a home with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the 1950s, where he became a multi-position star and later a neurologist after retiring from football.

The NFL, the USO, and the Tet Offensive - 1968 by Marc R. Henderson, Ph.D. A recounting of a 1968 USO goodwill tour in which five NFL and AFL stars traveled to Southeast Asia to support U.S. troops, only to arrive in Saigon on the eve of the Tet Offensive and find themselves amid active combat. Despite the danger, the players continued visiting hospitals, bases, and outposts, turning a planned morale-boosting trip into a rare, firsthand encounter of the war in Vietnam that highlighted the broader cultural role of professional athletes during times of national conflict.

Back When the Diesel was a Jet by Mike Richman. This story runs through the highlights of John Riggins’ Hall of Fame career, and while he may be best remembered as a Redskins icon—punctuated by his legendary Super Bowl XVII run—he first established himself with the New York Jets as a talented and eccentric star. After a key free-agent move to Washington and a mid-career resurgence under Joe Gibbs, “Riggo” became one of the most durable and productive power runners in NFL history

Ten Things You Probably Don’t Know About the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by John Horn. A 95-year highlight reel of the CFL team lovingly known as the ’Pegs: born out of necessity, nicknamed by a clever headline, coached by future NFL royalty, and periodically shipped to the Eastern Division like Canada’s most polite problem-solver. Along the way, the team played Grey Cups in mud, fog, wind, overtime, and apparently every possible weather disaster—usually against Hamilton—while never, ever figuring out how to beat Toronto. Toss in a few forgotten superstars, a stadium built because one quarterback threw too many exciting passes, and you’ve got this trivial treat that’s equal parts football, folklore, and frozen chaos.