The Pro Football Writers of America has voted D. Orlando Ledbetter as the 2024 Bill Nunn Jr. Award winner.
Ledbetter, the 56th winner of the award, covers the Falcons for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and has covered the NFL since the late 1980s. He is the first journalist who worked primarily at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution 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 other finalists were Mary Kay Cabot (Cleveland Plain Dealer), Vic Carucci (The33rdTeam.com/SiriusXM), Jeff Legwold (ESPN.com) and Barry Wilner (Associated Press).
The award is named for Nunn, who before his Hall of Fame scouting career with the Steelers worked for 22 years at the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the most influential Black publications in the United States.
Ledbetter joined the AJC in 2003, and he moved to the Falcons beat in 2005. During his time covering the Falcons, he was one of the lead writers in the AJC’s coverage of the Michael Vick dog fighting federal case in 2007 and described the Falcons run to the NFC title and a berth in Super Bowl LI. He also hosts a podcast for the AJC, the “Bow Tie Chronicles”.
Ledbetter previously spent eight years (1992-2000) at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, seven as a writer covering the Green Bay Packers, the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and Marquette University basketball, and his final year as a columnist for the newspaper. He was with the Cincinnati Enquirer for seven years (1985-92) with a stint covering the Bengals, after beginning his career at the Charlotte Observer (1984-86).
During his time in Cincinnati, Ledbetter graduated with a Juris Doctorate from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1990. After moving to Milwaukee, he passed the State Bar of Wisconsin and became a practicing attorney while writing for the Journal Sentinel. He also has practiced law in the Atlanta area.
He is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute, was an adjunct professor at Clark Atlanta University and he has lectured at the Marquette University National Sports Law Institute.
Ledbetter is a longtime member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee, including the Hall’s seniors selection committee. He served as the 26th president of the Pro Football Writers of America during the 2013-14 seasons.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame will honor Ledbetter in Canton, Ohio later this summer.
