Atlanta Falcons

Overview

The Atlanta Falcons are a National Football League (NFL) franchise that began play in the 1966 season. The Falcons were born at a time when the NFL was undergoing a period of expansion, a business tactic in its pitched battle with the rival American Football League (AFL). The city of Atlanta, Georgia, had been trying to get a professional sports franchise for years, and welcomed the new team with open arms.

After struggling for their first few seasons, the Falcons reached the NFL playoffs for the first time in 1978. However, it would be another two decades before the team reached its first Super Bowl, which it lost to the Denver Broncos. The Falcons continued to have mixed success into the twenty-first century, often struggling to make an impact in the postseason despite several strong campaigns behind star quarterbacks Michael Vick (2001–6) and Matt Ryan (2008–21). The franchise made its second trip to the Super Bowl in the 2016 season, only to lose in overtime to the New England Patriots.

Quick Facts

Inaugural season: 1966

Home field: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Owner: Arthur Blank

Team colors: Black, red, silver, white

History

By the late 1950s, the NFL had established itself as the dominant professional football league in the United States and was poised for even greater success. The 1958 NFL Championship game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants had scored phenomenal television ratings and raised the profile of the league to rival that of Major League Baseball (MLB). Many cities in non-NFL markets suddenly wanted their own franchises, but the NFL denied most of their requests. In 1959, a group of eight businessmen established a new league—the AFL—to compete against the NFL. The new league began play in 1960.

After a slow start, the AFL started to gain momentum and began to be seen as a serious challenger to the NFL’s supremacy. The leagues competed against each other for the services of college players and the lucrative television contracts offered by the networks. In some cases, the NFL fought back by moving into cities that had been awarded AFL franchises. The AFL team in Dallas, Texas, was forced to move to Kansas City in 1963 after the NFL established the Dallas Cowboys in 1960, for example. Minneapolis, Minnesota, was promised an AFL franchise, only to have the NFL expand into the market in 1961 by establishing the Minnesota Vikings.

Atlanta, Georgia, was seen as a major southern market, especially as the city was not then home to a professional franchise in any major sport. Several attempts had been made to bring pro sports teams to Atlanta, but had always ended in failure. In 1965, the city completed work on Atlanta Stadium with the hopes of luring an MLB team to the area. With a stadium in place, a group of Atlanta business owners then made a deal with the AFL to bring an expansion franchise to the city. The AFL deal was signed on June 7, 1965. NFL officials responded in quick fashion, however, and by June 30 had negotiated a deal with Atlanta businessman Rankin Smith to establish their own expansion team in the city. Smith paid a then-record $8.5 million franchise fee for the right to join the NFL.

Smith held a contest asking the public for suggestions on a team name. Among the entries submitted were the Knights, Lancers, Rebels, and Thrashers, but Falcons was selected as the name, in part, because the winning essay said the bird was “proud and dignified, with great courage and fight. It never drops prey.” The team logo was conceived as a black falcon with outstretched talon. The Falcons became the first NFL team in the southeastern United States, and enthusiastic fans swamped the front office to buy tickets. The team sold a then-NFL record 45,000 season tickets, signaling the strong market for pro sports in the area.

The Falcons began play in the 1966 season, but struggled to a 3–11 record. That same year, the NFL and AFL announced a merger to take effect for the 1970 season. The NFL was subsequently realigned, and the Falcons were placed in the West Division of the National Football Conference (NFC). Its main rivals in the division were the New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers. When the NFL realigned again in 2002, the Falcons were placed in the NFC South along with the Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers.

Atlanta had only two winning seasons in its first twelve years in the league, and did not make the playoffs until 1978. In 1980, the team went 12–4 and won the NFC West, but lost in the divisional playoff round and followed that up with just one winning season over the next decade. The Falcons made the postseason in 1991 and 1995, but were quickly eliminated both times. In 1998, Atlanta had one of the best regular seasons in franchise history, finishing 14–2. They advanced to the NFC Championship game against the Vikings, where they trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter but rallied to win in overtime and advance to their first championship game appearance. However, they lost Super Bowl XXXIII to the Denver Broncos, 34–19.

Rankin Smith died in 1997 and team ownership transferred to his son. In 2002, the franchise was purchased by businessman Arthur Blank, co-founder of the home-improvement chain Home Depot. For the 2003 season, the team also streamlined its Falcon logo, giving it a more modern look with red stripes along the wings and body.

Atlanta had made the playoffs again in 2002 and reached the conference championship game in 2004, but continued to struggle to break through to a championship. The team began another relatively successful chapter after drafting quarterback Matt Ryan third overall in 2008. Under Ryan’s leadership, the team made the playoffs six times during the next decade, including three consecutive years from 2010 to 2012. In 2016, the Falcons won the NFC South with an 11–5 record and made it to Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots. Midway through the third quarter, Atlanta was up 28–3 and seemingly on their way to a Super Bowl title. However, the Patriots staged a furious comeback, scoring 25 unanswered points before winning in overtime, 34–28.

In 2017, the Falcons began play in their new home, a $1.6-billion indoor facility called Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The team returned to the playoffs that season but lost in the divisional round. After failing to make the postseason over the next several years, the team notably traded away Ryan before the 2022 season.

Notable Players

Several athletes who played for the Falcons at some point have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, but only a few spent significant portions of their career in Atlanta. Defensive end Claude Humphrey, who was inducted in 2014, played ten seasons with the Falcons from 1968 to 1978. Kicker Morten Andersen spent eight seasons with Atlanta across two stints, and made the overtime field goal in the 1998 NFC Championship game that propelled the Falcons to their first Super Bowl appearance. When he retired in 2007, he held the NFL record for most field goals and most points scored. Hall-of-Fame cornerback and kick returner Deion Sanders played his first five seasons for the Falcons after being drafted by the team in 1989. Tight end Tony Gonzalez, widely regarded as among the best ever at his position, finished his illustrious career in Atlanta from 2009 to 2013.

Other players have been named to the Falcon's Ring of Honor for their contributions to the franchise. Atlanta’s first taste of success in the late 1970s was engineered by quarterback Steve Bartkowski, who remained the team’s all-time leading passer until being surpassed by Ryan. Bartkowski was joined in the Falcons' inaugural 2004 Ring of Honor class by linebacker Tommy Nobis, the team’s first ever draft pick in 1966; running back William Andrews, a four-time Pro Bowler who played from 1979 to 1986; and linebacker Jessie Tuggle, who spent his whole NFL career from 1987 to 2000 with Atlanta. Other members include offensive lineman Jeff Van Note, who played with Atlanta from 1969 to 1986, and running back Gerald Riggs, who set the franchise all-time rushing record from 1982 to 1988. Star wide receiver Roddy White excelled with the team from 2005 to 2015.

The quarterback for the Falcons' Super Bowl XXXIII appearance was Chris Chandler, who played five seasons for Atlanta and made the Pro Bowl in 1997 and 1998. In the early 2000s, the team was led by star quarterback Michael Vick, one of the first at the position to become as well known for running ability as for passing. Matt Ryan became the team’s starting quarterback for the 2008 season and went on to set almost every franchise passing record during his long, decorated career, in which he also earned league-wide honors such as Offensive Rookie of the Year, the 2016 NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards, and four Pro Bowl selections. Another important star during the Ryan era was wide receiver Julio Jones, who was drafted by the Falcons in 2011 and became widely recognized as one of the top receivers of the next decade, setting several franchise records before being traded in 2021.

Bibliography

“Atlanta Falcons.” Pro Football Hall of Fame, www.profootballhof.com/teams/atlanta-falcons/. Accessed 22 Mar. 2024.

“Atlanta Falcons Franchise Encyclopedia.” Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/atl/. Accessed 22 Mar. 2024.

“Atlanta Falcons Team History.” Sports Team History, 2019, sportsteamhistory.com/atlanta-falcons. Accessed 23 July 2019.

Cooper, Robert. Atlanta Falcons. ABDO Publishing, 2019.

“Hall of Fame.” Atlantafalcons.com, www.atlantafalcons.com/team/history/hall-of-fame. Accessed 22 Mar. 2024.

Levin, Josh. “The Greatest, Saddest Super Bowl Ever.” Slate, 6 Feb. 2017, slate.com/culture/2017/02/the-atlanta-falcons-loss-in-super-bowl-li-was-an-amazing-catastrophe.html. Accessed 12 May 2019.

“Ring of Honor.” Atlantafalcons.com, www.atlantafalcons.com/team/history/ring-of-honor. Accessed 23 July 2019.

“Team History.” Atlantafalcons.com, www.atlantafalcons.com/team/history/. Accessed 22 Mar. 2024.