By John Turney
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| D. Orlando Ledbetter |
When the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) chooses someone for its annual (PFWA) Bill Nunn Jr. Award, the recipient is said to have entered "writers' wing" of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It doesn't carry that specific designation from the Hall, but that's really what it is -- with recipients honored in Canton each August at Enshrinement Weekend.
They don't get a bust and jacket, but their names are engraved on a large plaque that honors the contributions of football writers and can be found on a wall inside the Hall.
There are 56 names on that plaque, all chosen by the Pro Football Writers of America, with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's D. Orlando Ledbetter the latest. The vast majority are or were members of the Hall's board of selectors, as well as legend makers -- those who weighed and measured candidates for the Hall.
Ledbetter is both.
"I am honored and humbled to be named as the Nunn Award winner this year," he said, "and it is always wonderful to be cited by a group of your peers ... It is a joy to cover the NFL along with the people and stories that make the game what it is today. I look forward to receiving this award in Canton, and share my joy with my family, friends, co-workers and fellow NFL writers.”
The PFWA award is named after Bill Nunn Jr., a pioneer in football reporting for the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the most prestigious black publications in the nation. Nunn later helped build the Pittsburgh Steelers' dynasty of the 1970s, transitioned to the front office of the Steelers and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame's Class of 2021.
By definition, the award goes to "a reporter who has made a long and distinguished contribution to pro football through coverage," and that description fits Ledbetter. He not only earned an undergraduate degree in journalism at Howard University; he has a law degree from the Cincinnati College of Law, too, and practiced law while working as a writer.
In addition to covering the Falcons for the Journal-Constitution, he was a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Cincinnati Enquirer and Charlotte Observer, has practiced entertainment and communications law and is currently a professor at the University of Georgia's Carmical Sports Media Institute.
A former adjunct professor at Atlanta Clark University, Ledbetter was the president of the PFWA in 2013-14, was a co-winner of the 2022 George Sportswriter of the Year and has lectured at the Marquette University National Sports Law Institute.
Ledbetter will be honored with others during Enshrinement Weekend in Canton in early August.
The complete list of winners:
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)
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