2020 PFRA CONVENTION

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George Bozeka
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2020 PFRA CONVENTION

Post by George Bozeka »

The 2020 PFRA Convention will be held in Canton, Ohio in the Gold Jacket Lounge at the Pro Football Hall of Fame during the weekend of June 18-21, 2020. As we have done in the past, the Convention sessions will take place during the evening of Friday June 19 and all day Saturday June 20 with possible add-on activities on Thursday June 18 and Sunday June 21. The theme of the 2020 Convention will be the Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the NFL. The fee for the convention will be $50 for members and $100 for non-members. The fee includes admission to the Convention, tour admission into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Museum (including the Hall of Fame Gallery, Talking Bronzed Busts, the “A Game for Life” Theater, the Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery, the Super Bowl Theater, the Pro Football Today Gallery, The NFL’s First Century Gallery, the Interactive Area, and the Hunt/Casterline Pro Football Hall of Fame Card Collection), meals on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, and free parking. Jon Kendle, the PFHOF’s Director of Archives & Football Information, will also provide either free tours of the Ralph Wilson Jr. Pro Football Research and Preservation Center or a presentation regarding the Center. A Convention logo t-shirt will also be available for an additional fee. To register for the Convention click on the 2020 PFRA Convention link on the PFRA website homepage and then use the PayPal link on the 2020 PFRA Convention page. The Convention logo T-shirts will be available for purchase at a later date.

Our host hotel will be the Hyatt Place Canton, located at 5421 Whipple Ave NW, Canton, Ohio 44720. The Hyatt Place Canton will charge PFRA a special group discount rate of $108 per night for their standard rooms (1 King or 2 Queen beds for up to 4 people). This includes parking and a free breakfast buffet. Other hotel amenities include a coffee and cocktail bar that serves Starbucks coffee, an on-site restaurant, a microwave that is available in the hotel lobby, free Wi-Fi, a pool, a spa, a business center, and a fitness center. The hotel is located in a large retail area and is approximately 10-15 minutes from both the Akron-Canton Airport and PFHOF. The Hyatt Place Canton also has an airport shuttle available from/to the Akron-Canton Airport and can schedule a shuttle to the PFHOF if necessary. To book the Hyatt Place Canton at the special group discount rate go to the following link https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/ohio/ ... _id=G-PFRA and use the code G-PFRA or simply call the hotel at 1-330-244-1700 Ext 0 and tell the front desk the dates and the group name (The Pro Football Researchers Association). There is a 48 hour cancellation policy. May 18, 2020 is the cut-off date for the special group discount rate.

The Convention itinerary will include our usual mix of speakers and tours.

PFRA members Jeffrey Miller, John Steffenhagen, Joe Ziemba, and Chris Willis have already confirmed to speak at the Convention.

Jeff, John, and Joe will participate in a panel discussion about the Founding of the NFL and the original teams.

Jeff’s books include Pop Warner: A Life on the Gridiron, 100 Things Bills Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, Game Changers: The Greatest Plays in Buffalo Bills Football History, Rockin' the Rockpile: The Buffalo Bills of the American Football League, and Buffalo's Forgotten Champions: The Story of Buffalo's First Professional Football Team and the Lost 1921 Title. He was the 2004 recipient of the PFRA's Ralph E. Hay Award, presented for "Lifetime Achievement in Professional Football Research and Historiography."

John is the great grandson of former Rochester Jeffersons’ player, coach, owner and manager Leo Lyons and is the creator of rochesterjeffersons.org, a website that chronicles the history of the team. Leo was also present at the 1920 meeting in Ralph Hay’s Hupmobile showroom in Canton that founded the NFL.

Joe is the author of When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL (1999 Nelson Ross Award by the Professional Football Researchers Association for recent Achievement in Football Research and Historiography).

Chris will make a presentation about his most recent book Red Grange: The Life and Legacy of the NFL’s First Superstar.

Chris has worked at NFL Films as Head of the Research Library since 1996. His other books include Old Leather: An Oral History of Early Pro Football in Ohio, 1920-1935 (2005 Nelson Ross Award by the Professional Football Researchers Association for recent Achievement in Football Research and Historiography), The Columbus Panhandles: A Complete History of Pro Football's Toughest Team, 1900-1922, The Man Who Built the National Football League: Joe F. Carr, Dutch Clark: The Life of an NFL Legend and the Birth of the Detroit Lions, A Nearly Perfect Season: The Inside Story of the 1984 San Francisco 49ers, and Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe and the Oorang Indians: How a Dog Kennel Owner Created the NFL's Most Famous Traveling Team. Chris was also the 2012 recipient of the PFRA's Ralph E. Hay Award, presented for "Lifetime Achievement in Professional Football Research and Historiography."

Please stay tuned to The Coffin Corner, PFRA Website, and PFRA Forum for additional details and announcements. If you have any questions regarding the Convention or hotel reservations please contact Convention Organizer George Bozeka by email at sundaygolfer48@aol.com, or by phone at 330-867-1950 or 330-571-0112.
Mark L. Ford
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Re: 2020 PFRA CONVENTION

Post by Mark L. Ford »

Looking forward to Canton 2020 and an impressive lineup of speakers-- and I'm glad the convention will be in June. Great work, George.
George Bozeka
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Re: 2020 PFRA CONVENTION

Post by George Bozeka »

PFRA member John Maxymuk has confirmed to speak at the 2020 PFRA Convention. John will make a presentation about Pro Football Hall of Fame player and coach Guy Chamberlin. Chamberlin is profiled in John’s recent book Pioneer Coaches of the NFL. John is the author of numerous books on professional football history. In 2017, he was awarded the PFRA’s Ralph E. Hay Award for “Lifetime Achievement in Professional Football Research and Historiography.”
JoeZagorski
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Re: 2020 PFRA CONVENTION

Post by JoeZagorski »

At this point, I am HOPING to attend. If I had a more understanding boss, it would be no problem. But that is the cross that I bear.
Joe Zagorski
ChrisBabcock
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Re: 2020 PFRA CONVENTION

Post by ChrisBabcock »

At this point, I am HOPING to attend. If I had a more understanding boss, it would be no problem. But that is the cross that I bear.
Joe Zagorski
Lemme guess.... Summer is "high business" time and therefore no one is allowed to take vacation time? If so, I've been there. :( :roll:
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Rupert Patrick
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Re: 2020 PFRA CONVENTION

Post by Rupert Patrick »

ChrisBabcock wrote:
At this point, I am HOPING to attend. If I had a more understanding boss, it would be no problem. But that is the cross that I bear.
Joe Zagorski
Lemme guess.... Summer is "high business" time and therefore no one is allowed to take vacation time? If so, I've been there. :( :roll:
Smokey the Bear is not a very understanding boss.
"Every time you lose, you die a little bit. You die inside. Not all your organs, maybe just your liver." - George Allen
sluggermatt15
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Re: 2020 PFRA CONVENTION

Post by sluggermatt15 »

Awesome, thanks for the update! This sounds like another fun event.

I will be doing my very best to attend. We have vacation picks for 2020 starting October 1 at work. These dates will be my first choice. I'm hoping it all works out for me. :D
George Bozeka
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Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:48 pm

Re: 2020 PFRA CONVENTION

Post by George Bozeka »

PFRA members John Maxymuk, Roy Sye, Lee Elder, and Randy Snow have confirmed to speak at the Convention.

John Maxymuk will make a presentation about Pro Football Hall of Fame player and coach Guy Chamberlin. Chamberlin is profiled in John’s recent book Pioneer Coaches of the NFL. John is the author of numerous books on professional football history. In 2017, he was awarded the PFRA’s Ralph E. Hay Award for “Lifetime Achievement in Professional Football Research and Historiography.”

Roy, Lee, and Randy will participate in a panel discussion about the Pre-NFL History of Pro Football. Roy is Vice President of the PFRA and Chair of the PFRA’s Pre-NFL Committee. Lee is a former Secretary and Board member of the PFRA. Randy runs his own website theworldoffootball.com.
George Bozeka
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Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:48 pm

Re: 2020 PFRA CONVENTION

Post by George Bozeka »

Fee Update- Member spouses will be charged the member rate of $50 for the Convention.
JoeZagorski
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Joined: Tue Oct 14, 2014 11:06 am

Re: 2020 PFRA CONVENTION

Post by JoeZagorski »

Hi Folks! The odds are getting a little bit better, at least at this point, that I'll be attending this summer's PFRA Convention in Canton. If that's the case, then I look forward to seeing a bunch of you fellow pro football friends and fans!

Joe Zagorski
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