2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Awards of Excellence Winners

By John Turney

In 2022 the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in an effort to recognize significant contributors to the NFL, announced the Awards of Excellence program.

In a statement Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said, “These 20 outstanding Assistant Coaches, Athletic Trainers, Equipment Managers and Public Relations personnel not only helped to determine results on the field, but they also helped to promote the game’s growth, safety and popularity over several decades of devotion to their teams and to the National Football League.”

Four categories were included - Assistant coaches, Athletic trainers, Equipment managers and Public relations personnel.

This year a fifth category was added - Film/Video directors.

Today the Hall of Fame announced the 2023 winners of the Awards.

Film/Video directors -  Mike Dougherty, Milan "Mickey" Dukich, Thom Fermstad, Henry Kunttu and Al Treml

The distinction of being the NFL's first full-time film director is held by Mickey Dukich. He was hired by Rams head coach Sid Gillam in 1956. His official title was Cinematographer and he stayed with the Rams through 1994, not making the move to St. Louis.

Treml began filming NFL games in 1964 and three years later was hired by Vince Lombardi making him just the second full-time film director in league history. He served in that capacity in Green Bay through the 2000 season. 

Henry Kunttu was hired in 1969 by the Buffalo Bills and he was in that job for 42 seasons. He also has directed television commercials and industrial films in addition to his work for the Bills.

Dick Vermeil hired Dougherty in 1976 and he served the Eagles through the 2012 season as their film/video director. He was instrumental in moving the NFL from film to videotape in 1986.

Fermstad was with the Seahawks since the franchise began in 1976 as their film/video director and held the job for 36 years. He had been with the Vikings for the three years prior when Jack Patera hired him to join him in Pacific Northwest.

Assistant coaches - Sherman Lewis, Tom Moore and Dante Scarnecchia

Moore, 84, first coached in the NFL with the 1977 Steelers the first of nine NFL teams he coached for - most notably as Peyton Manning's offensive coordinator during the quarterback's prime.  He is still working on the offensive staff of the Buccaneers.

Bill Walsh gave Sherm Lewis his start in the NFL after he spent 14 years as an assistant coach at Michigan State. Later he was the offensive coordinator for Mike Holmgren in Green Bay. He also coached for Minnesota, Detroit and Washington.

Scarnecchia coached for the New England Patriots in various capacities from 1982 through 2019 with the exception of 1989 and 1990 when he with the Colts. He was the offensive line coach for Bill Belichick and earned six Super Bowl rings.

Athletic trainers - J. Lindsy McLean, Bob Reese and Lamar "Bubba" Tyer

McLean served the 49ers from 1979 through 2003, earning five Super Bowl rings along the way. Prior to that, he'd served 16 years as a trainer for three universities. 

After his retirement from the NFL McLean came out as gay in a magazine article. He detailed the verbal and physical harassment he suffered in his 25 years with the club, some of it brutal. 

Now a Professor of Psychology at Radford University Reese was the Jets' head athletic trainer for just under 19 years (April 1977 through February 1996). Prior to that, he worked for the Bills as an assistant trainer from 1972 to 1976.

Hired by George Allen in 1971 Tyer served as the head trainer for 25 years then as Director of Sports Medicine for another dozen years for Washington.

He was called out of retirement in 2021 for a short time which was the second time he was asked to return. He'd previously retired in 2003 but was convinced to return by Joe Gibbs began his second stint with the club.

Equipment managers - William T. "Buck" Buchanan, Robert "Bob" Noel and Bill Simmons

Buchanan was the equipment manager for the Dallas Cowboys from 1973 through 1998 and was part of four NFL championships.

Noel spent 43 years with the franchise starting part-time with the Packers in a part-time equipment role in 1951 then was hired by Lombardi as the first full-time employee. He worked as the assistant equipment manager until 1977 and then as head equipment manager until 1993 season. 

Simmons was the equipment manager for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1966-1987. His son, Dan "Chief" Simmons, was a 2022 Awards of Excellence winner who worked for the elder Simmons in 1972 before working 42 years for the Saints as their head equipment manager.

Public relations personnel - Greg Aiello, Kevin Byrne and Budd Thalman.

The NFL's spokesman for the majority of his 27 years in the league's Park Avenue offices, Aiello was in the NFL for 39 years - the first dozen with the Dallas Cowboys in public relations.

Byrne officially retired in 2020 but remained as a consultant to the Ravens' franchise for whom he served for 41 seasons.

Thalman was with the Buffalo Bills from 1973 through 1986 and then served as the Sports Information Director for Penn State until he retired in 2001. Prior to his time with the Bills he worked for the Associated Press for a short time then as the SID for the Naval Academy.

Recipients will be honored June 28-29 in Canton, Ohio.

Last year's Awards of Excellence winners were —

Assistant Coaches - Alex Gibbs, Jimmy Raye, Terry Robiskie, Fritz Shurmur and Ernie Zampese

Athletic Trainers - George Anderson, Otho Davis, John Omohundro, Jerry Rhea and Fred Zamberletti

Equipment Managers - Sid Brooks, Ed Carroll, Tony Parisi, Dan “Chief” Simmons and Whitey Zimmerman

Public Relations personnel - Joe Browne, Charlie Dayton, Joe Gordon, Jim Saccomano and Gary Wright