Barry Wilner, who covered the NFL from 1985 until his retirement in 2022 for the Associated Press, has been selected as the 2026 Bill Nunn Jr. Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
Wilner, the 58th Nunn Award honoree, is the third journalist who primarily worked at the Associated Press to win the award, joining Jack Hand (1976) and Dave Goldberg (2015). Wilner is a seven-time finalist for the Nunn Award (2020-26).
The Nunn Award is given to a reporter who has made a long and distinguished contribution to pro football through coverage. The award is named for Nunn, who prior to his Hall of Fame scouting career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, worked for 22 years at the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the most influential Black publications in the United States. Nunn, who started with the Courier as a sportswriter in 1948, regularly covered HBCU events and athletes. He compiled the definitive Black College All-America team for the Courier starting in 1950. Nunn became the sports editor, and he was the paper’s managing editor when the Steelers hired him as a part-time scout in 1966. He was hired as the Steelers’ assistant director of player personnel in 1970, and he stayed with the organization as a scout and personnel executive until his death in 2014. Nunn helped build the Steelers’ dynasty of the 1970s, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2021. The PFWA’s award was renamed for Nunn in 2021.
Other 2026 finalists for the Nunn Award were Clarence Hill Jr. (AllDLLS.com) and Mike Silver (The Athletic).
Wilner began his 46-year full-time career at the Associated Press in 1976, and he started covering the NFL as the New York Jets beat writer from 1985-2004. He added national duties in 1988, while also covering NFL-wide news and events, while also staying on top of the Jets beat. Wilner switched to covering the NFL entirely in 2005, and he eventually took over as the AP’s NFL point man when Dave Goldberg retired in 2009 – and stayed in that role until his retirement in July 2022.
Wilner broke countless stories for the AP during that time, using his numerous connections he made in league circles. He covered 35 Super Bowls for the AP, including 34 consecutive from Super Bowl XXI in January 1987 through Super Bowl LIV in February 2020. His final Super Bowl assignment before his retirement was Super Bowl LVI in February 2022.
Wilner also covered 13 Olympic Games, nine World Cups, seven Stanley Cup Final series and a variety of other sporting events for the AP in his career.
In addition to game, news and event coverage, Wilner meticulously oversaw the awards voting for the AP’s major NFL postseason honors as well as the ballots for the AP All-Pro teams.
Wilner graduated from City College of New York with a B.A. in journalism in 1973. He began his career at the New York Daily News from 1972-74, before working part-time at the AP in 1975 assisting in the production of The Official Associated Press Sports Almanac book before joining the organization full-time.
Wilner continues to serve as a selection committee member for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A prolific author, he has 75 book titles to his credit, and he is an adjunct professor of sports communication at both Manhattanville College and Fordham. He is also a member of the PFWA’s Scholarship committee.
“I am thrilled to receive the Bill Nunn Jr. Award. It is a career highlight,” said Wilner. “He was a trailblazing journalist and one of the most important figures in football history. This honor is as special as they come. To be included with the iconic recipients of this award is a crowning achievement for anyone who has covered pro football.”
“Through more than four decades with the Associated Press, Barry Wilner was one of the most trusted writers and voices in sports journalism,” said PFWA President Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. “His work on the NFL beat, which began in 1985, was both extensive and exemplary. His streak of covering 34 straight Super Bowls was one of the longest by any football writer, and his numerous books helped shed further light on the sport. The PFWA offers its heartfelt congratulations for this lifetime achievement award.”
Wilner will be honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio at the Enshrinees’ Gold Jacket Dinner on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.
BILL NUNN JR. AWARD WINNERS (To a reporter who has made a long and distinguished contribution to pro football through coverage): 1969 – George Strickler (Chicago Tribune); 1970 – Arthur Daley (New York Times); 1971 – Joe King (New York World Telegram & Sun); 1972 – Lewis “Tony” Atchison (Washington Star); 1973 – Dave Brady (Washington Post); 1974 – Bob Oates (Los Angeles Times); 1975 – John Steadman (Baltimore News American); 1976 – Jack Hand (Associated Press); 1977 – Art Daley (Green Bay Press-Gazette); 1978 – Murray Olderman (Newspaper Enterprise Association); 1979 – Pat Livingston (Pittsburgh Press); 1980 – Chuck Heaton (Cleveland Plain Dealer); 1981 – Norm Miller (New York Daily News); 1982 – Cameron Snyder (Baltimore Sun); 1983 – Hugh Brown (Philadelphia Bulletin); 1984 – Larry Felser (Buffalo News); 1985 – Cooper Rollow (Chicago Tribune); 1986 – William Wallace (New York Times); 1987 – Jerry Magee (San Diego Union); 1988 – Gordon Forbes (USA Today); 1989 – Vito Stellino (Baltimore Sun); 1990 – Will McDonough (Boston Globe); 1991 – Dick Connor (Denver Post); 1992 – Frank Luksa (Dallas Morning News); 1993 – Ira Miller (San Francisco Chronicle); 1994 – Don Pierson (Chicago Tribune); 1995 – Ray Didinger (Philadelphia Daily News); 1996 – Paul Zimmerman (Sports Illustrated); 1997 – Bob Roesler (New Orleans Times-Picayune); 1998 – Dave Anderson (New York Times); 1999 – Art Spander (Oakland Tribune); 2000 – Tom McEwen (Tampa Tribune); 2001 – Len Shapiro (Washington Post); 2002 – Edwin Pope (Miami Herald); 2003 – Joel Buchsbaum (Pro Football Weekly); 2004 – Rick Gosselin (Dallas Morning News); 2005 – Jerry Green (Detroit News); 2006 – John McClain (Houston Chronicle); 2007 – John Clayton (ESPN.com); 2008 – Len Pasquarelli (ESPN.com); 2009 – Peter King (Sports Illustrated); 2010 – Peter Finney (New Orleans Times-Picayune); 2011 – Bob McGinn (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel); 2012 – Tom Kowalski (MLive.com); 2013 – Dan Pompei (Chicago Tribune); 2014 – Ed Bouchette (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette); 2015 – Dave Goldberg (Associated Press); 2016 – Chris Mortensen (ESPN.com); 2017 – Ed Werder (ESPN); 2018 – Charean Williams (Pro Football Talk); 2019 – Sam Farmer (Los Angeles Times); 2020 – Don Banks (SI.com); 2021 – Bob Glauber (Newsday); 2022 – Jarrett Bell (USA Today); 2023 – Jim Trotter (The Athletic); 2024 – D. Orlando Ledbetter (Atlanta-Journal Constitution); 2025 – Mary Kay Cabot (Cleveland Plain Dealer); 2026 – Barry Wilner (Associated Press)