Professional Football Writers of America honor several with 2023 awards

Tashan Reed selected as PFWA 2023 Terez A. Paylor Emerging Writer Award winner

Tashan Reed, the Las Vegas Raiders beat reporter for The Athletic, has been selected as the 2023 Terez A. Paylor Emerging Writer Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).

Reed, the third Paylor Award winner, has covered the Raiders for The Athletic since 2020. Reed was also a finalist for last year’s award.

The Paylor Award recognizes an NFL writer under the age of 30 who carries on the legacy of Paylor through his or her work ethic, professionalism and dedication to the craft and commitment to improving diversity in NFL media. Paylor, the former Yahoo! Sports and Kansas City Star football writer, passed away in February 2021 at the age of 37. He joined the Star after graduating from Howard University in 2006 and took over the Kansas City Chiefs beat in 2013. Paylor spent the next seven-plus years covering the NFL and joined Yahoo! Sports in 2018 as a senior writer to cover the league on a national level.

A graduate of Missouri, Reed has covered the Las Vegas Raiders since 2020 after previously covering Florida State for The Athletic. Reed has quickly established himself as one of the leading voices on the Raiders beat, and this year delivered an impressive narrative podcast, “Between the Lines”, which focused on the Black experience in the NFL.

Prior to joining The Athletic, Reed covered high school and NAIA college sports for the Columbia Missourian, Mizzou football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball for the SBNation blog Rock M Nation, wrote stories focused on the African American community for the St. Louis American and was a sports intern at the Commercial Appeal in Memphis through the Sports Journalism Institute.

Read more about Reed and the award here.

 

Martindale, McKittrick, Mitchell selected as PFWA 2023 'Dr. Z' Award class

New York Giants defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, the late Bobb McKittrick and recently retired Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line coach John Mitchell have been selected as the 2023 Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman Award winners by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).

Martindale, McKittrick and Mitchell are the 21st, 22nd and 23rd recipients of the Dr. Z Award, which was instituted by the PFWA in 2014.

The Dr. Z Award is given for lifetime achievement as an assistant coach in the NFL. The award is named for Zimmerman, who covered the NFL for 29 years as Sports Illustrated’s lead pro football writer. His impact on the writing and football industries was profound. Zimmerman is widely considered one of the best football writers of all time, and his 1970 “A Thinking Man’s Guide to Pro Football” and revised 1984 “The New Thinking Man’s Guide to Pro Football” are textbooks to this day for young football writers trying to learn the game and trying to learn to write about the game. He started to cover the NFL in 1966, and he started at Sports Illustrated in 1979. Zimmerman stayed at SI until his writing career was cut short by a series of strokes in November 2008. He served as PFWA president during the 1982 season.

Other 2023 finalists for the Dr. Z Award were the late defensive coordinator Thomas Catlin and the late defensive coordinator Floyd Peters.

Read more about Martindale, McKittrick, Mitchell and the award here.

 

Lions PR staff selected as PFWA 2023 Pete Rozelle Award winner

The Lions PR staff, the 34th Rozelle Award winner, earned the award for the first time in franchise history.

The other 2023 finalists for the Rozelle Award were the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Rozelle Award is given to the NFL club public relations staff that consistently strives for excellence in its dealings and relationships with the media. The award is named for Rozelle, NFL commissioner from 1960-89, who started his distinguished career in sports PR roles as a student at both Compton (Calif.) Junior College and the University of San Francisco. After two more years as USF’s assistant athletic director after graduation, he broke into the NFL as the PR director of the Los Angeles Rams from 1952-55. Rozelle used his PR principles as commissioner to build relationships with the media during a period of unprecedented growth and challenge for the league.

During the 2022 season, the Lions football communications staff consisted of Eamonn Reynolds (director of football communications), Solomon Williams (senior manager of football communications), Greg Maiola (media information manager) and Ellie Cross (football communications assistant). The staff was also assisted by Tien Le (football communications seasonal intern), Sydney Gibbs (football communications seasonal intern), Ellen Trudell (senior manager, corporate and employee communications), Haley Prappas (internal communications coordinator) and Brian Facchini (chief communications and brand officer).

Read more about the Lions PR staff and its award here.

 

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera selected as PFWA 2023 Horrigan Award winner

Rivera, the 51st Horrigan Award winner, is the first member of the Washington franchise to receive the award, and the first head coach to win it since Bruce Arians with the Arizona Cardinals in 2015.

The Horrigan Award is given to the league or club official for his or her qualities and professional style in helping the pro football writers do their job. Jack Horrigan was a sportswriter for UPI and the Buffalo Evening News, public relations director for the American Football League (1963-66) and vice president of public relations for the Buffalo Bills (1966-73). Joe Horrigan is in his 44th year with the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame’s current senior advisor was executive director (2017-19), executive vice president of museums, selection process and chief communications officer (2014-17) and vice president, communications and exhibits (1996-2014).

Other 2023 nominees for the Horrigan Award were 49ers general manager John Lynch, NFL VP of communications Brian McCarthy, Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead and NFL EVP of football operations Troy Vincent.

Read more about Rivera and his award here.

 

The Athletic writer Jim Trotter selected as winner of 2023 Bill Nunn Memorial Award

Jim Trotter, who has covered the NFL since the mid-1990s and recently joined The Athletic as a national columnist, has been selected as the 2023 Bill Nunn Memorial Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).

Trotter, the 55th Nunn Award honoree, is the second Black journalist to receive the honor from the PFWA. He is the first writer from The Athletic to win the award.

The Nunn Award is given to a reporter who has made a long and distinguished contribution to pro football through coverage. The award is named for BILL NUNN, who prior to his Pro Football 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.

Trotter will be honored by the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, this summer.

Other nominees for the Nunn Award were Mary Kay Cabot (Cleveland Plain Dealer), D. Orlando Ledbetter (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Gary Myers (author) and Barry Wilner (Associated Press). All five nominees this year are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 50-person Selection Committee.

Read more about Trotter and his award here.

 

Eagles center Jason Kelce selected as PFWA’s 2023 Good Guy Award winner

Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, who was praised for his dealings with local and national media during the previous season, has been selected as the 2023 Good Guy Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
 
Kelce, the 19th Good Guy Award winner, is the third member of the Eagles franchise to win the award, joining Chris Long, who won the Good Guy Award in back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019.

Other finalists for the Good Guy Award were Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras and Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

The Good Guy Award is given to an NFL player for his qualities and professional style in helping pro football writers do their jobs. The award has been presented annually by the PFWA since 2005.

Kelce has been a staple of the Eagles’ offense for 12 seasons and has invested heavily in Philadelphia through his charitable efforts and his rapport with the media. His accountability and honesty while talking to reporters has been as consistent as his play.

Read more about Kelce and his award here.

 

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin selected as PFWA’s 2023 George Halas Award winner

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field during a game at Cincinnati and went on to make a full recovery, was selected as the 2023 George Halas Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
 
Hamlin, the 55th Halas Award winner, is the second member of the Bills franchise to receive the honor from the PFWA, joining Kevin Everett (2008).
 
Other 2023 finalists for the Halas Award were New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, San Francisco 49ers/Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith.
 
The Halas Award is given to an NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed. The award is named for GEORGE HALAS, a charter member (1963) of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
 
The Halas Award is one of the two oldest awards presented by the PFWA, along with the Bill Nunn Jr. Award, presented to a reporter who has made a long and distinguished contribution to pro football through coverage.

Read more about Hamlin and his award here.

 

Related news

• Professional Football Writers of America honor players, others
• The Athletic writer Jim Trotter selected as winner of 2023 Bill Nunn Memorial Award