Who Am I?

-An award-winning author, including the Pro Football Writers of America's Dick Connor Writing Award for Feature Writing and the Professional Football Researchers Association's Ralph Hay Award for Lifetime Achievement in pro football research.

-Frequent guest on radio and podcasts.

-A sought-after interview subject for major publications.

Ken Crippen

I have researched and written about pro football history for over 30 years. I started writing early on and developed a passion for sharing the knowledge and experience that I learned along the way. My published works include being the solo author of two books, the managing editor of two other books, a contributor to two additional books, and have written hundreds of articles on pro football history. My work has appeared in publications such as SI.com (Sports Illustrated), National Football Post, Packer Report, The Coffin Corner and Cold Hard Football Facts, among others.

Over the three decades that I have been doing this, I have had the chance to interview some legends of the game, including many Pro Football Hall of Famers. I have also been interviewed by many outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Deadspin, Fox News, ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio and the History Channel.

Using my passion for football history and the desire to give back, I volunteered to be in a leadership position of the Professional Football Researchers Association for 15 years. Now, I have formed the Football Learning Academy (FLA) in order to teach football history.

FLA Logo

The FLA is dedicated to teaching football history. This is accomplished through classes, videos, interviews and a blog. The goal is for today's fans to be able to put the game into historical context, as well as to learn how the game evolved into what we see today.

Retired players have been very good to me over the years. They’ve granted me interviews and helped me get in touch with their teammates. I’ve been able to form a lasting bond with these players. I want to give back to them. Not all players, especially the older players, are multi-millionaires. Many struggle to pay their mounting medical bills and struggle to transition to life after football. They need help. Therefore, a portion of all proceeds from the FLA goes to helping retired players in need.

Our instructors are leading authorities in their respective fields. The FLA also has special guests that teach master classes, as well as lend their knowledge and experience to the students.

There is growing library of interviews with trailblazers in the industry and with players who have done amazing work in the communities. These are fascinating and unique looks at the people themselves that you will not find anywhere else but the FLA.

Speaking Engagements or Interview Requests

I am currently accepting new inquiries for speaking engagements or for interview requests.

Are you:
-A television host, radio host, podcast host or a media provider looking to interview a leading authority on pro football history
-A college or university looking for a guest lecturer or adjunct professor
-Group or institution that would be interested in a guest speaker talking about pro football history (virtual or in-person appearance) (contact for current rates)


What you get:
-A leading authority on pro football history
-Topics tailored for your particular audience
-Virtual or in-person presentation (contact for current rates)

Email Me to Set Up an Appointment

Ken Crippen's Media One-Sheet

Historical Pro Football Scouting Reports

Background: The Historical Pro Football Souting Reports project was our way of trying to educate people on players whose names continually come up in discussions for the Pro Football Hall of Fame (HOF). The scouts watched game film and graded each player based on applicable criteria for their particular position. Every position requires a different skillset. Therefore, each position is graded differently. Once the film has been reviewed and the player has been graded for each game, overall scores are calculated, strengths and weaknesses are listed, and an overall evaluation of the player is provided.

As with any project of this type, grades are subjective. The scouts work together to form a consensus on all reviews and grades.

Players are strictly graded on game film. No outside factors are involved (personality, charity work, etc.)

Players are divided into two categories: One-Way Players and Two-Way Players. This division is based on the type of player they were the bulk of their career. A one-way player is a player that strictly played offense or strictly played defense. A two-way player was on the field for both offense and defense.

Position Key:
C: Center
DB: Defensive Back
DT: Defensive Tackle
FL: Flanker
LB: Linebacker
LDE: Left Defensive End
LE: Left End
LG: Left Guard
LOE: Left Offensive End
LT: Left Tackle
QB: Quarterback
RDE: Right Defensive End
RE: Right End
RG: Right Guard
ROE: Right Offensive End
RT: Right Tackle
SE: Split End
TB: Tailback

The "HOF" column lists whether the player has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The "Games" column is the number of games that were reviewed for that particular player. Games were based off what was available for review, and is not a comprehensive list of all possible games.

The scouts for this project were Ken Crippen and Matt Reaser.

These historical pro football scouting reports have gained a lot of attention from members of the media, Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors, historians and fans of the game. More reports will continually be added to the library.



Grading Scale

Class Grade Description
Hall of Fame 9.0 Rare
8.5 Exceptional to Rare
8.0 Exceptional
Hall of Very Good 7.5 Very Good to Exceptional
7.0 Very Good
6.5 Good to Very Good
Other 6.0 Good
5.5 Above Average to Good
5.0 Above Average
4.5 Average to Above Average



One-Way Players

Name Position HOF Grade Games Updated Teams
Robinson, Johnny DB Yes 8.0 7 3/5/2016 1960-62 Dallas Texans
1963-71 Kansas City Chiefs
Hill, Winston LT/RT Yes 7.9 5 1/23/2015 1963-76 New York Jets
1977 Los Angeles Rams
Smith, Jim Ray LG/RG No 7.9 3 2/25/2016 1956-62 Cleveland Browns
1963-64 Dallas Cowboys
Skoronski, Bob LT No 7.8 32 3/20/2016 1956 and 1959-68 Green Bay Packers
Kramer, Jerry RG Yes 7.8 30 3/19/2016 1958-68 Green Bay Packers
Tingelhoff, Mick C Yes 7.8 26 1/15/2015 1962-78 Minnesota Vikings
Lipscomb, Big Daddy DT No 7.8 13 3/13/2016 1953-55 Los Angeles Rams
1956-60 Baltimore Colts
1961-62 Pittsburgh Steelers
Karras, Alex DT Yes 7.8 11 3/13/2016 1958-62 and 1964-70 Detroit Lions
Shofner, Del SE/FL/LE No 7.8 8 3/7/2016 1957-60 Los Angeles Rams
1961-67 New York Giants
Boyd, Bobby DB No 7.7 8 7/19/2014 1960-68 Baltimore Colts
Meador, Eddie DB No 7.7 7 1/26/2015 1959-70 Los Angeles Rams
Wilson, Billy RE/SE/FL No 7.7 7 5/26/2015 1951-60 San Francisco 49ers
Dillon, Bobby DB Yes 7.7 2 7/19/2014 1952-59 Green Bay Packers
Conerly, Charlie QB No 7.6 9 8/13/2015 1948-61 New York Giants
Curtis, Mike LB No 7.6 7 2/24/2015 1965-75 Baltimore Colts
1976 Seattle Seahawks
1977-78 Washington
Banducci, Bruno RG No 7.5 11 3/21/2016 1944-45 Philadelphia Eagles
1946-54 San Francisco 49ers
Albert, Frankie QB No 7.5 7 3/14/2016 1946-52 San Francisco 49ers
Fischer, Pat DB No 7.5 5 2/22/2015 1961-67 St. Louis Cardinals
1968-77 Washington
Schafrath, Dick LT No 7.5 5 4/15/2015 1959-71 Cleveland Browns
Stanfel, Dick RG/LT Yes 7.4 19 11/8/2015 1952-55 Detroit Lions
1956-58 Washington
Sanders, Spec TB No 7.4 3 6/9/2015 1946-48 New York Yankees
1950 New York Yanks


Two-Way Players

Name Position HOF Grade Games Updated Teams
Hutson, Don LE/RE/SE/DB/LDE Yes 8.2 18 5/15/2016 1935-45 Green Bay Packers
Wistert, Al RT/RG/LG No 8.0 12 2/25/2016 1943 Steagles
1944-51 Philadelphia Eagles
Dilweg, LaVern LOE/LDE No 8.0 1 10/22/2015 1926 Milwaukee Badgers
1927-34 Green Bay Packers
Rymkus, Lou RT/LT No 7.9 18 4/4/2015 1943 Washington Redskins
1946-51 Cleveland Browns
Emerson, Ox LG No 7.9 1 7/21/2014 1931-33 Portsmouth Spartans
1934-37 Detroit Lions
1938 Brooklyn Dodgers
Barwegen, Dick LG/RG/DG/LB No 7.8 8 5/25/2015 1947 New York Yankees
1948-49 Baltimore Colts
1950-52 Chicago Bears
1953-54 Baltimore Colts
Millner, Wayne LOE/ROE/SE/LDE Yes 7.5 5 4/4/2016 1936 Boston
1937-41 and 1945 Washington
Hewitt, Bill LOE/SE/LDE Yes 7.5 3 3/27/2016 1932-36 Chicago Bears
1937-39 and 1943 Philadelphia Eagles