3 former NFL Film/Video Directors selected to receive 'Awards of Excellence'

Three pioneers who established enduring standards in professional football’s film and video work have been selected to receive 2026 Awards of Excellence in the Film/Video Directors category.

Being honored in the awards program’s fourth class are Robert Blackwell, Nate Fine and Jim Pons. Their selection brings to 14 the number of film/video directors who have been recognized. (Film/Video was added as a category one year after the Pro Football Hall of Fame launched its Awards of Excellence in 2022.)

A cocktail dinner and awards luncheon to celebrate the careers of Blackwell, Fine and Pons, and those of this year’s other honorees, will take place June 24-25 in Canton. This year’s honorees also will be recognized in the categories of Assistant Coaches, Athletic Trainers, Public Relations Directors and Equipment Managers.

Previously announced award recipients for this year include Public Relations Directors Scott Berchtold, Jim Gallagher and Lee Remmel; Equipment Managers Red Batty, Mike Davidson and Jack Noel; Assistant Coaches Ted Cottrell, Bobb McKittrick and Mike Westhoff; and the Athletic Trainers category will honor Edward “Abe” Abramoski, Kent Falb and Michael Ryan at this year’s ceremony.

Robert Blackwell

Spending almost four decades in the Dallas Cowboys’ video department and over 30 years as the team’s director of coaching video, Blackwell oversaw one of the league’s most respected video operations.

“He has overseen the transition from 16-millimeter film to videotape and now to digital media, and he has always provided everything that we have needed with the highest level of efficiency,” Hall of Fame contributor and Cowboys owner JERRY JONES said. “He is trustworthy, hardworking and loyal to this organization and to the players and coaches he has served for more than three decades.”

Blackwell joined the Cowboys staff in 1982 as an assistant and, seven years later, was promoted director. Throughout numerous competitive eras and playoff runs, he supported the Cowboys’ film and video efforts, including when Dallas won three Super Bowls in four seasons between 1993-96. Blackwell is credited by his colleagues for his long-standing commitment to the Cowboys’ organizations and the craft of football film.

From 1988 until his retirement, Blackwell served as the Cowboys’ representative at the NFL Draft, ensuring that the correct name is submitted to NFL officials. Following his retirement, he launched a podcast, “Reel Football Stories,” which chronicles the history of the game through conversations with those who experienced it firsthand.

Nate Fine

Fine worked for the Washington franchise for 51 seasons, overseeing all video and photography work for the team. In an era when film and video operations were still being defined, Fine established many procedural standards that NFL teams still use today.

As the team’s Head of Film and Video, he also recognized the power of storytelling, capturing not only action on the field but also the spirit and essence of the team, preserving moments that would come to define the franchise’s legacy.

Fine first joined the franchise in 1937, when then-owner GEORGE PRESTON MARSHALL moved the team from Boston to Washington. Fine worked extensively to document the franchise’s history during the successes of Hall of Fame coaches VINCE LOMBARDI, JOE GIBBS and GEORGE ALLEN. Recognized as a pioneer in the early days of NFL film work, his documentation helped lay the groundwork for modern film and video operations.

A testament to Fine’s professionalism and dedication, the NFL selected him multiple times to photograph the Super Bowl. In a remarkable career spanning more than five decades, he missed only one day of work, leaving his post to marry his wife, Rita.

In 1988, during what became the final game of Fine’s extraordinary career, Gibbs dedicated the Super Bowl victory to him. Even in the final stages of the cancer that would take his life, he remained behind the camera that day, continuing to do the work he loved.

Jim Pons

In an unconventional career path, Pons was a member of a band from 1964 to 1973 before learning of an opening with the New York Jets from a colleague. After working directly for the Jets’ then-owner Leon Hess in a front-office role, Pons was elevated to assistant equipment manager. In 1975, he became the Jets’ film and video director, a position he held for the next quarter-century before joining the Jaguars in the early 2000s.

Pons also helped design the Jets’ logo that was used from 1978 to 1997. The simple yet kinetic logo returned when the Jets’ rebranded in 2024. This logo remains an integral part of both the Jets’ history and their modern brand.

Pons’ connection to the broader film and video community, along with his accomplishments as a successful and respected musician, have made him an admired figure among his peers and an integral part of Jets history.

PREVIOUS AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE / Film/Video Directors

• 2025 – Larry Clerico, Jon Dubé and Dave Hack
• 2024 - Tom Atcheson, Bob McCartney and Dave Levy
• 2023 - Mike Dougherty, Milan “Mickey” Dukich, Thom Fermstad, Henry Kunttu and Al Treml

ABOUT THE AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

The Pro Football Hall of Fame established the Awards of Excellence in 2022 to recognize significant contributors to the game in “behind-the-scenes” roles. In addition to Film/Video Directors, the program honors career Assistant Coaches, Athletic Trainers, Equipment Managers and Public Relations Directors. Individuals within those groups create their own selection committees and set their own criteria for choosing new members. The Hall of Fame does not participate in any nominating or voting.

Also at this year’s awards luncheon, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will honor the winner of its annual photo contest. Photographs taken during the 2025 National Football League season in the “Action” and “Feature” categories and entered in the contest are eligible for awards. A panel of professional photographers will judge the entries and pick first-, second- and third-place finishers in each category.

The Photograph of the Year – chosen from the first-place winners in the Action and Feature categories – will be deemed winner of the 58th annual Dave Boss Award of Excellence. That photographer will be invited to Canton for the June 24-25 program, and his/her image will be placed on display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.