Jarrett Bell, a sportswriter, and columnist for USA Today; has been named the 2022 Bill Nunn Jr. Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA). He was chosen for his long and distinguished contribution to professional football through journalistic coverage.
According to a statement released by the PFWA; Jarrett Bell has covered the NFL since 1981 and has been with USA Today since 1993; is the 54th honoree and the first Black journalist to receive the award.
He will receive his award in August.
How It Started
The award is named after Bill Nunn Jr; a well-known sportswriter and editor who worked for the Pittsburgh Courier for 22 years. Which is one of the most influential Black publications in the United States.
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He began with the Courier in 1948; covering HBCU events and athletes, and organized the Black College All-America team for the publication in 1950.
Nunn became the Courier’s sports editor two years later. He was managing editor when the Pittsburgh Steelers hired him as a part-time scout in 1966. He was promoted; to Steelers, assistant director of player personnel in 1970, and remained with the team until his death in 2014.
Nunn was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame for the first time in 2011. In 2021, he will be inducted as a contributor into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bell, on his own path, continues to solidify his name and contributions to the worlds of pro football and journalism.
Jarrett Bell
Jarrett Bell, a native of Detroit, got his start in sports as a teenager at Olympia Stadium. Since then; he has edited and written for publications such as The Dallas Cowboys Weekly and The Dallas Times Herald.
According to USA Today; Bell has been a member of the Hall of Fame selection committee;as well as the hall’s contributors committee since 1997. He even helped choose the NFL 100 All-Time Team. The NFL columnist has also served as the PFWA’s designated pool reporter for five Super Bowls.
Jarrett Bell was an NFL contributor for ESPN from 2013 to 2017, primarily as a panelist on NFL Insiders.
Jarrett Bell has received multiple Pro Football Writers of America writing awards; including the Dick Connor Writing Awards. In 2020, he won first place from the Associated Press Sports Editors.