Seamheads Crew Launches Sister Football Site — Leatherheads of the Gridiron

There is no better weekend for a kickoff of a website on America’s favorite spectator sport, the great game of football, than Fourth of July weekend so we’re proud to announce the launch of Leatherheads of the Gridiron . American football has flourished over the past century and rivals baseball as the national pastime of U.S. sports fans, especially on Sundays in the fall and winter. College football fans would argue that Saturday is the bigger day for football. High School football fans would argue Friday nights are the best time for a gridiron matchup. So when I mention football, I am not just referring to the National Football League (NFL), I am referring to all levels of what is known as American football.

Leatherheads of the Gridiron will not be limited to the NFL. We will cover other pro leagues of past, present and future. Past leagues such as the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) of the 1940s, the American Football League (AFL) of the 1960s, the World Football League (WFL) of the 1970s and the United States Football League (USFL) of the 1980s will be discussed. I bet even the “Extreme Football League” (XFL) of 2001 pops up every once in a while. Besides covering the NFL, we will also cover other current leagues such as the United Football League (UFL), the Arena Football League (AFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL).

College football will be a big part of Leatherheads of the Gridiron. We will cover upcoming big games as well as games of the past. Stories of current college stars will appear as will stories of legends of days gone by. High school games will not be off limits and perhaps a few stories on pee wee or flag football will make its way onto the site. If it is about football, then anything is game.

Leatherheads of the Gridiron has some wonderful partners that I would like to mention. First off is Seamheads.com , our sister baseball site. Leatherheads of the Gridiron will mirror many of the features on Seamheads.com. We have great writers lined up, many who are also contributors to Seamheads.com, including founder Mike Lynch, a Patriots fan. A podcasting network is in the works and we will have many great shows to choose from down the road. Expect shows on NFL teams, fantasy football and college football.

Another partner is the Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA). PFRA is a tremendous organization that I am proud to say I have been a member of since 1998. They publish a bimonthly newsletter called The Coffin Corner that contains excellent original articles. Membership is only $35 a year. It is worth every penny just for the newsletter. The members only section of their website contains original research, archives of the newsletter and a whole lot more! Not only are we partners with PFRA, their executive director, Ken Crippen, is a contributor to Leatherheads of the Gridiron. Ken has written two books; Turmoil vs. Triumph: The History of the Syracuse Athletic Association Football Team (1890-1900) and The Original Buffalo Bills: A History of the All-America Football Conference Team, 1946-1949 .

Our third partner I would like to mention is the Intercollegiate Football Researchers Association (IFRA). IFRA’s mission according to their monthly newsletter, The College Football Historian , is “Expanding the knowledge and information on college football’s unique past–today!” IFRA membership is free and The College Football Historian is a must read for college football fans. I have been a member of IFRA the last few years and cannot wait each month to receive the newsletter. It is full of great articles and unique statistics. Tex Noel, IFRA’s leader, is also a contributor to Leatherheads of the Gridiron.

Leatherheads of the Gridiron is kicking off today, which means we are just getting started. The site will always be a work in progress, trying to make the site experience a great one by adding excellent content from outstanding contributors. If you have read this far and would like to be a contributor to Leatherheads of the Gridiron, please use our “Contact Us” form and we will get back to you ASAP. We are looking for established writers as well as football fanatics who can put their thoughts in writing.

As for me, I am blessed to have the opportunity to spread the word of football and its history. I have long thought that baseball is our national pastime in the U.S. despite the popularity of the NFL and NCAA football. What football doesn’t have is the widespread knowledge of its history like baseball does and probably never will. At Leatherheads of the Gridiron we would like to help spread the word on football’s history. The growth of organizations such as IFRA and PFRA are necessary to build upon what we already know and to dig up new discoveries from the past. So supporting Leatherheads of the Gridiron by spreading the word of our site, visiting our site, checking us out on Facebook, signing up for our email updates or listening to our podcasts, you will be helping us spread the knowledge of the game and its history.

As the offensive star of the B team of my ninth grade football team, I was able to score a 2-point conversion with the help of others as they pushed me into the end zone. I will be relying on my fellow Leatherheads of the Gridiron teammates to push us forward and to score with our readers. I hope your time on this site will be an enjoyable one and that we can get you to come back.

Without further ado, it is time to get this site off and running.