Joe Horrigan
Born and raised in South Buffalo, Joe Horrigan attended Frontier HS and Canisius College and later graduated from the University of Akron. He is the son of former Buffalo News sportswriter and Buffalo Bills VP of Public Relations Jack Horrigan.
Horrigan has served in a variety of executive positions during his 42-year career at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Prior to being named Executive Director in 2016, he was the Hall of Fame’s Executive Vice President of Museums, Selection Process and Chief Communications Officer.
As Executive Director of the Hall of Fame, Joe oversees all aspects of the nationally accredited museum and its related objectives. He also administers the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Enshrinee Selection Process.
Regarded as the foremost historian on pro football, he has authored, co-authored, and edited several books on the subject, including NFL Century, The One-Hundred-Year Rise of America’s Greatest Sports League scheduled for publication by Penguin/Random House in August 2019. He is also the co-host of the popular weekly national radio show, Pro Football Hall of Fame Radio on SiriusXM. Horrigan is a regular contributor to NFL Films and NFL Network productions and has been featured in several films and documentaries on pro football.
During his long history with the Hall of Fame he has been intimately involved in the development and implementation of several major renovations and expansions of the museum, including the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Research Center. Under his guidance the Hall of Fame has expanded its outreach to include several nationally televised specials related to the annual Enshrinee Selection process and the Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony.
Horrigan has served on several NFL and Team Committees, including both the NFL’s 75th and 100th Anniversary Committees, the Washington Redskins 75th Anniversary Committee, and the Cleveland Browns Legends Committee. He currently serves on the Black College Football Hall of Fame Advisory Board and on the Board of Directors of ArtsInStark, a community arts council.
He previously served on the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Museums Association, was co-founder and past-president of the Professional Football Researchers Association, and the recipient of that organization’s Ralph E. Hay Award (1991). He was elected to the Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992 as a Historian.
He and his wife, Mary Ann, are the parents of two adult sons, Daniel and Shaun. They own a summer residence at Chautauqua Lake, NY.
