Washington, D.C. - D. Orlando Ledbetter (B.A. ’84), longtime Atlanta Falcons beat reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) and a former editor-in-chief of The Hilltop, will be presented with the 2024 Bill Nunn Memorial Award by the Professional Football Writers of America on August 2 as part of the National Football League (NFL)’s Hall of Fame Weekend in Canton, Ohio.

With the award, annually given by the Pro Football Writers of America to a reporter for their “long and distinguished contribution to pro football coverage,” a plaque commemorating Ledbetter’s selection will be housed in the writer’s wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Museum in Canton. The award is named after the former Pittsburgh Courier reporter turned scout for the Pittsburgh Steelers who is credited with identifying players that helped build Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain dynasty of the 1970s. Nunn’s son Bill Nunn III was an actor best known for his role as Radio Raheem in Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing.”

“Having grown up a (Cleveland) Browns fan and attending the University of Cincinnati Law School, it’s very humbling for me to be going back to the Buckeye State for such an honor,” Ledbetter said. “I’m really looking forward to having my family, friends, (Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.) line brothers and others in attendance for this special moment.”

Ledbetter, USA Today reporter Jarrett Bell and fellow Bison Jim Trotter (B.A. ’86) are the only three Black recipients of the award, which was first presented in 1969 as the Dick McCann Memorial Award, the first director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The award was changed to honor Nunn in 2021 because of McCann’s association with segregationist policies of the Washington Redskins when he was the team's general manager from 1947 to 1961. Now the Washington Commanders, the Redskins were the last team in the NFL to sign a Black player.

The honor means a great deal to Ledbetter, a Cleveland native. As a sports journalist for more than 40 years, his career includes coverage at some of the nation’s largest daily newspapers, including The Charlotte Observer, The Cincinnati Enquirer and The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Following a brief period practicing corporate law, Ledbetter returned to journalism in 2003 covering high school football for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. By 2005, he was named beat reporter for the Falcons. A highly respected journalist, Ledbetter made history when he became the first Black president of the 300+ member Pro Football Writers Association in 2013. For 12 years, he has served on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee, participating in the process to vote on which retired NFL players receive the coveted invitation to join the sport’s exclusive group of accomplished players.

Like many alumni, Ledbetter credits his professional success to what he learned during his time as a student here, acknowledging the guidance of legendary journalism professor Lawrence Kaggwa and former sports information director Ricky Clemons. He also gained a great deal of insight from his peers, including Pulitzer Prize winning author Isabel Wilkerson, who was editor of The Hilltop when Ledbetter was an underclassman churning out “up to 40 articles per year.”

In 1983, Ledbetter made a successful presentation to The Hilltop Board and was named editor of the paper for his senior year. He recalls how close Hilltoppers were and how committed they were to looking out for one another, during time on campus and beyond. As a reporter with The Cincinnati Enquirer in the 1980s, Ledbetter remembers looking out for – and being impressed with – an intern from Howard University - current Washington Post reporter and Hilltop advisor Keith Alexander, who is now a multiple Pulitzer Prize winner.

“We definitely lift as we climb. That’s always been my motto,” said Ledbetter, who in addition to mentoring young journalists, has also taught journalism at Clark Atlanta University and the University of Georgia.

Ledbetter believes he and alumnus like Alexander, NFL Network reporter Steve Wyche and ESPN reporter Jim Trotter, who received the 2023 Nunn Award recipient, embrace the responsibility of pouring into student journalists and ensuring they have support as they begin their career.

“We really do enjoy reaching back to and helping the younger kids entering the business,” Ledbetter said. “If we’re able to help out, we certainly do what we can to do that.”

Ledbetter has been married to his wife Deborah, whom he affectionately calls “Queen” for 32 years and they are the proud parents of two daughters Danielle (B.A. ’17) and Dionne (B.F.A. ’20), both of whom followed in his footsteps to Howard. An active student during his days here, Ledbetter was a 1982 initiate of the Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and served as basileus – or president – of the chapter his senior year while serving as Hilltop editor. Simultaneously juggling the roles improved his time management and flexibility, traits that have served him well throughout his professional career.

“The landscape has changed a lot for journalists. The more you can do, the better,” Ledbetter said, stressing that diverse skill sets can be developed and enhanced through engaging in extracurricular activities. “We just wrote and sat at our typewriters back in the 80s. Now, (journalists) have to learn how to blog, do podcasts, and report in front of the camera. I strongly encourage current students to take advantage of as many opportunities that they can while at Howard because the more they do without messing up their GPA, the better off they will be in being prepared to excel at their given career.”