The PFWA’s 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 as a sports writer, and later, sports editor and managing editor.
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. In 1952, he became the sports editor, and he was the paper’s managing editor when the Steelers hired him as a part-time scout in 1966. Nunn became 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. He helped build the Steelers’ dynasty of the 1970s, and the organization won six Super Bowls during his tenure. He also continued to write his “Change of Pace” column for the Courier well into the 1970s.
Nunn was an inaugural inductee into the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2011, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2021.
The Nunn Award is presented yearly during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival weekend in Canton, Ohio.
BILL NUNN JR. AWARD WINNERS (To a reporter who has made a long and distinguished contribution to pro football through coverage):
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)
The Bill Nunn Jr. Award was previously known as the Dick McCann Award (1969-2020).
YEARLY FINALISTS (winners in bold)
1969
1970
1971
1972 — Lewis “Tony” Atchison (Washington Star), Hugh Brown (Philadelphia Bulletin), Art Daley (Green Bay Press-Gazette)
1973
1974 — Pat Livingston (Pittsburgh Press), Bob Oates (Los Angeles Times)
1975 — Art Daley (Green Bay Press-Gazette), Red Smith (New York Times), John Steadman (Baltimore News American)
1976
1977 — Art Daley (Green Bay Press-Gazette), Pat Livingston (Pittsburgh Press)
1978 — Pat Livingston (Pittsburgh Press), Murray Olderman (Newspaper Enterprise Association)
1979
1980 — Hugh Brown (Philadelphia Bulletin), Chuck Heaton (Cleveland Plain Dealer), Norm Miller (New York Daily News)
1981 — Hugh Brown (Philadelphia Bulletin), Norm Miller (New York Daily News), Cameron Snyder (Baltimore Sun)
1982 — Hugh Brown (Philadelphia Bulletin), Bill Scholl (Cleveland Press), Cameron Snyder (Baltimore Sun)
1983 — Hugh Brown (Philadelphia Bulletin), Bill Scholl (Cleveland Press), William Wallace (New York Times)
1984 — Larry Felser (Buffalo News), Jerry Magee (San Diego Union), William Wallace (New York Times)
1985 — Jerry Magee (San Diego Union), Cooper Rollow (Chicago Tribune), William Wallace (New York Times)
1986 — Jerry Magee (San Diego Union), William Wallace (New York Times), Paul Zimmerman (Sports Illustrated)
1987 — Dick Connor (Rocky Mountain News), Jerry Magee (San Diego Union), Bill Scholl (Cleveland Press), Paul Zimmerman (Sports Illustrated)
1988 — Furman Bisher (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Gordon Forbes (USA Today), Edwin Pope (Miami Herald), Bob Roesler (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
1989 — Bob Brachman (San Francisco Examiner), Dick Connor (Denver Post), Will McDonough (Boston Globe), Vito Stellino (Baltimore Sun), Paul Zimmerman (Sports Illustrated)
1990 — Ray Didinger (Philadelphia Daily News), Will McDonough (Boston Globe), Joe McGuff (Kansas City Star & Times)
1991 — Dick Connor (Denver Post), Ray Didinger (Philadelphia Daily News), Frank Luksa (Dallas Times Herald), Joe McGuff (Kansas City Star)
1992 — Frank Luksa (Dallas Morning News), Tex Maule (Sports Illustrated), Morris Siegel (Washington Times)
1993 — Ray Didinger (Philadelphia Daily News), Ira Miller (San Francisco Chronicle), Don Pierson (Chicago Tribune), Bob Roesler (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
1994 — Ray Didinger (Philadelphia Daily News), Don Pierson (Chicago Tribune), Bob Roesler (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
1995 — Ray Didinger (Philadelphia Daily News), Tom McEwen (Tampa Tribune), Bob Roesler (New Orleans Times-Picayune), Paul Zimmerman (Sports Illustrated)
1996 — Vic Carucci (Buffalo News), Bob Roesler (New Orleans Times-Picayune), Paul Zimmerman (Sports Illustrated)
1997 — Denne Freeman (Associated Press), Dave Newhouse (Oakland Tribune), Bob Roesler (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
1998 — Dave Anderson (New York Times), Vinny DiTrani (Bergen Record), Ron Hobson (Patriot Ledger), Tom McEwen (Tampa Tribune)
1999 — Sid Hartman (Minneapolis Star-Tribune), Tom McEwen (Tampa Tribune), Art Spander (Oakland Tribune)
2000 — Vinny DiTrani (Bergen Record), Sid Hartman (Minneapolis Star-Tribune), Tom McEwen (Tampa Tribune)
2001 — Peter Finney (New Orleans Times-Picayune), Edwin Pope (Miami Herald), Len Shapiro (Washington Post)
2002 — Peter Finney (New Orleans Times-Picayune), Jerry Green (Detroit News), Edwin Pope (Miami Herald)
2003 — Joel Buchsbaum (Pro Football Weekly), Peter Finney (New Orleans Times-Picayune), Jerry Green (Detroit News)
2004 — Peter Finney (New Orleans Times-Picayune), Dave Goldberg (Associated Press), Rick Gosselin (Dallas Morning News), Jerry Green (Detroit News), Len Pasquarelli (ESPN.com)
2005 — Jerry Green (Detroit News), John McClain (Houston Chronicle), Bob McGinn (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel), Len Pasquarelli (ESPN.com), Curt Sylvester (Detroit Free Press)
2006 — John Clayton (ESPN.com), Frank Cooney (The Sports Xchange), Clare Farnsworth (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), Peter Finney (New Orleans Times-Picayune), John McClain (Houston Chronicle), Len Pasquarelli (ESPN.com)
2007 — Mike Chappell (Indianapolis Star), John Clayton (ESPN.com), Peter Finney (New Orleans Times-Picayune), Mike O’Hara (Detroit News), Len Pasquarelli (ESPN.com)
2008 — Vic Carucci (NFL.com), Vinny DiTrani (Bergen Record), Peter Finney (New Orleans Times-Picayune), Alan Greenberg (Hartford Courant), Len Pasquarelli (ESPN.com)
2009 — Ron Borges (Boston Herald), Frank Cooney (The Sports Xchange), Clare Farnsworth (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), Peter Finney (New Orleans Times-Picayune), Peter King (Sports Illustrated)
2010 — Ron Borges (Boston Herald), Vinny DiTrani (Bergen Record), Peter Finney (New Orleans Times-Picayune), Dave Goldberg (Fanhouse), Bob McGinn (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
2011 — Vic Carucci (NFL.com), Vinny DiTrani (Bergen Record), Ron Hobson (Patriot-Ledger), D. Orlando Ledbetter (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Bob McGinn (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
2012 — Ron Borges (Boston Herald), Vinny DiTrani (Bergen Record), Bob Glauber (Newsday), Dave Goldberg (Associated Press), Tom Kowalski (MLive.com)
2013 — Ron Borges (Boston Herald), Mike Chappell (Indianapolis Star), Vinny DiTrani (Bergen Record), Dave Goldberg (Associated Press), Dan Pompei (Chicago Tribune)
2014 — Ron Borges (Boston Herald), Ed Bouchette (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Vinny DiTrani (Bergen Record), Dave Goldberg (Associated Press), Jeff Legwold (ESPN.com)
2015 — Ron Borges (Boston Herald), Bryan Burwell (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), Vinny DiTrani (Bergen Record), Dave Goldberg (Associated Press), Paul Needell (Newark Star-Ledger)
2016 — Ron Borges (Boston Herald), Vinny DiTrani (Bergen Record), Jeff Legwold (ESPN.com), Ira Kaufman (SportsTalkFlorida.com), Chris Mortensen (ESPN.com)
2017 — Ron Borges (Boston Herald), Vinny DiTrani (Bergen Record), Jeff Legwold (ESPN.com), Adam Schefter (ESPN.com), Ed Werder (ESPN)
2018 — Sam Farmer (Los Angeles Times), Clark Judge (Talk of Fame Network), Jeff Legwold (ESPN.com), Gary Myers (New York Daily News), Charean Williams (Pro Football Talk)
2019 — Jarrett Bell (USA Today), Vinny DiTrani (Bergen Record), Sam Farmer (Los Angeles Times), Clark Judge (Talk of Fame Network), Jeff Legwold (ESPN.com), Gary Myers (New York Daily News)
2020 — Don Banks (SI.com), Jarrett Bell (USA Today), Vic Carucci (Buffalo News), Jeff Legwold (ESPN.com), Gary Myers (author), Barry Wilner (Associated Press)
2021 — Jarrett Bell (USA Today), Vic Carucci (Buffalo News), Bob Glauber (Newsday), Jeff Legwold (ESPN.com), Barry Wilner (Associated Press)
2022 — Jarrett Bell (USA Today), Mary Kay Cabot (Cleveland Plain Dealer), Gary Myers (author), Barry Wilner (Associated Press)
2023 — Mary Kay Cabot (Cleveland Plain Dealer), D. Orlando Ledbetter (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Gary Myers (author), Jim Trotter (The Athletic), Barry Wilner (Associated Press)
2024 — Mary Kay Cabot (Cleveland Plain Dealer), Vic Carucci (The33rdTeam.com/SiriusXM), D. Orlando Ledbetter (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Jeff Legwold (ESPN.com), Barry Wilner (Associated Press)