View source for Pro Football Reference

{{Short description|American football statistics database}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox website
|name             = Pro Football Reference
|url              = {{URL|https://www.pro-football-reference.com/}}
|logo             = Pro Football Reference logo.svg
| logo_size       = 300px
|language         = English
|owner            = [[Sports Reference]]
|launch_date      = {{Start date and age|2000|12}}
|current_status   = Online
}}
'''Pro Football Reference''' ('''PFR''') is an online statistics database for professional [[American football]] maintained by [[Sports Reference]]. The site provides career statistics for players, teams, and games, as well as records and [[NFL draft]] history.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sports Reference: Sports Stats, fast, easy, and up-to-date|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/ |website=Sports Reference |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250207050037/https://www.sports-reference.com/ |archive-date=2025-02-07 |url-status=live |access-date=February 12, 2025 |language=en}}</ref> PFR was established independently by Doug Drinen in 2000, and became part of Sports Reference in 2007. Sports Reference also publishes similar statistics websites for basketball, [[Baseball Reference|baseball]], and hockey.<ref name="CBS News">{{cite web |title=Fantasy Sports Ventures Takes Minority Stake In Sports Reference LLC |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fantasy-sports-ventures-takes-minority-stake-in-sports-reference-llc/ |website=[[CBS News]] |date=February 17, 2009 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20221122022808/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fantasy-sports-ventures-takes-minority-stake-in-sports-reference-llc/ |archive-date=November 22, 2022 |url-status=live |last1=Kramer |first1=Staci D. |access-date=August 27, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wagner |first=James |date=February 13, 2019 |title=From a Church in Philadelphia, Sports Reference Informs the World |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/sports/sean-forman-sports-reference.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240404085926/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/sports/sean-forman-sports-reference.html |archive-date=April 4, 2024 |access-date=August 1, 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

==History==
The Pro Football Reference website and database was established by Doug Drinen in December 2000.<ref name="about">{{cite web |title=About Sports Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/about.html |website=[[Sports Reference]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240802103010/https://www.sports-reference.com/about.html |archive-date=2024-08-02 |url-status=live |access-date=August 1, 2024 |language=en}}</ref> In 2007, PFR merged with the previously unrelated [[Baseball Reference]] and Basketball Reference to form [[Sports Reference]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Drinen |first=Doug  |title=About pro-football-reference.com |url=http://pro-football-reference.com/about/ |access-date=30 January 2025 |website=Pro Football Reference|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030407171053/http://pro-football-reference.com/about/ |archive-date=April 7, 2003 }}</ref><ref name="about"/> In December 2019, PFR introduced the Pro Football Hall of Fame monitor. The purpose of this monitor is to apply a formula to quantify player contributions during their career (including [[All-Pro]] selections, [[Pro Bowl]] selections, various awards, and career statistics) and to highlight where [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] players rank in comparison, often with the goal of estimating a player's chances of making the Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |title=PFR HOF Monitor: Methodology |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/blog/pfr-hof-monitor-methodology/ |website=[[Sports Reference]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20231208103220/https://www.sports-reference.com/blog/pfr-hof-monitor-methodology/ |archive-date=December 8, 2023 |url-status=live |access-date=August 1, 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=What the Hall of Fame Monitor says about the Vikings and football immortality |url=https://www.si.com/fannation/bringmethesports/vikings/what-the-hall-of-fame-monitor-says-about-the-vikings-and-football-immortality |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |date=February 14, 2023 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230330011424/https://www.si.com/fannation/bringmethesports/vikings/what-the-hall-of-fame-monitor-says-about-the-vikings-and-football-immortality |archive-date=March 30, 2023 |url-status=live |last1=Coller |first1=Matthew |access-date=August 1, 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sorry, but Philip Rivers is not a Hall of Fame quarterback |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/01/22/sorry-philip-rivers-is-not-hall-fame-quarterback/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20210228021257/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/01/22/sorry-philip-rivers-is-not-hall-fame-quarterback/ |archive-date=February 28, 2021 |url-status=live |last1=Greenberg |first1=Neil |access-date=August 1, 2024}}</ref> Drinen is also responsible for the creation of the "approximate value" statistic, a metric used to quantify the value of a player's season.<ref>{{cite web |title=Approximate Value |url=https://pro-football-reference.com/about/approximate_value.htm |website=Pro Football Reference |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240212122622/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/about/approximate_value.htm |archive-date=February 12, 2024 |url-status=live |access-date=August 1, 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pro Football Reference lists 5 Eagles among top 100 players in Approximate Value rating |url=https://theeagleswire.usatoday.com/2018/01/18/pro-football-reference-lists-5-eagles-among-their-top-100-av-rated-players/ |website=[[USA Today]] |date=2018-01-18 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240801195326/https://theeagleswire.usatoday.com/2018/01/18/pro-football-reference-lists-5-eagles-among-their-top-100-av-rated-players/ |archive-date=2024-08-01 |url-status=live |last1=Stifford |first1=Lee |access-date=August 1, 2024}}</ref>

In 2000, John Turney and Nick Webster, members of the [[Professional Football Researchers Association]] (PFRA), conducted extensive research to create a more complete record of sacks in the NFL. After examining the play-by-play records of every NFL team as well as game film at NFL films they compiled a list of players with 100 sacks beginning in 1960.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pre-1982 Sacks Added To Pro Football Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2021/07/pre-1982-sacks-added-to-pro-football-reference/ |website=[[Sports Reference]] |date=July 12, 2021 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20231015214635/https://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2021/07/pre-1982-sacks-added-to-pro-football-reference/ |archive-date=October 15, 2023 |url-status=live |last1=Lynch |first1=Mike |access-date=August 1, 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Seeking sacks: How two researchers got Deacon Jones, Bubba Baker and others the credit they deserve |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2714500/2021/07/19/seeking-sacks-how-two-researchers-got-deacon-jones-bubba-baker-and-others-the-credit-they-deserve/ |website=[[The Athletic]] |date=2021-07-19 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240801195327/https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2714500/2021/07/19/seeking-sacks-how-two-researchers-got-deacon-jones-bubba-baker-and-others-the-credit-they-deserve/ |archive-date=2024-08-01 |url-status=live |last1=Morrison |first1=Jay |url-access=subscription |access-date=August 1, 2024}}</ref> These statistics, both the official and unofficial sack counts, are counted and displayed separately on the site from 1960 onwards.<ref>{{cite web |title=NFL Sacks Career Leaders (since 1960) |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/sacks_career.htm |website=Pro Football Reference |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240801001424/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/sacks_career.htm |archive-date=2024-08-01 |url-status=live |access-date=August 1, 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Sports Reference]]
* [[Baseball Reference]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.pro-football-reference.com/}}

[[Category:NFL websites]]
[[Category:Sports databases]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2000]]