Atlanta Falcons
| Atlanta Falcons | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Established 1965 Play in Atlanta, Georgia | |||
| League / conference affiliations | |||
| National Football League ([[{{{NFL_start_yr}}} NFL season|{{{NFL_start_yr}}}]]–present) | |||
| Uniforms | |||
| Team colors | Black, Red, Silver, and White | ||
| Personnel | |||
| Head coach | Jim L. Mora | ||
| Team history | |||
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| Championships | |||
| League championships (0) | |||
Conference championships (1)
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Division championships (3)
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| Home fields | |||
| {{{stadium_years}}} | |||
The Atlanta Falcons American football club is a National Football League team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Falcons joined the NFL as a 1966 expansion team.
- Founded: June 30, 1965; played first game in 1966
- Home field: Georgia Dome
- Previous home field: Atlanta Fulton County Stadium (1966-1991)
- Team colors: Home jerseys are red and white with white letters and black trim. Away jerseys are white with black letters and red trim.
- Helmet design: Black with a black face mask and a red and black falcon logo with a grey and white border on both sides, which forms the shape of an F.
- Unofficial Nickname(s): "Dirty Birds" (The team's nickname during their 1998-99 NFC Championship season)
- Mascot: Freddie Falcon
- Radio Station: WZGC (92.9 FM)
- Radio Announcers: David Archer, Wes Durham, Jeff Van Note, and Nicole Watson
Franchise history
Timeline / Important Years
- 1965 - The Atlanta Falcons are born. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, grants ownership to Rankin M. Smith Sr. They draft Tommy Nobis, LB, University of Texas with the 1st pick of the 1966 NFL Draft held on November 27, 1965, making him the first ever Falcon.
- 1966 - The Falcons play their first NFL season. After losing their first nine games, the Falcons would get their first franchise win against the New York Giants 26-14. Despite ending their inaugural season at 3-11, the aforementioned Nobis wins the NFL Rookie of the Year Award and becomes the first Falcon named to the Pro Bowl. He amasses 294 total tackles a franchise record that stands today.
- 1970 - First Monday Night Football game in Atlanta - Nov. 30 vs. Miami Dolphins (Lost 20-7)
- 1971 - The Falcons finish with a winning record for the first time, at 7-6-1.
- 1972 - The Falcons finish second in the NFC West — their highest division finish in franchise history up to that point.
- 1977 - The Falcons defense sets an NFL record for the fewest points allowed in a 14 game season, 129.
- 1978 - The Falcons make the playoffs for the first time, and beat visiting Philadelphia Eagles, but lose to the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas.
- 1980 - Another playoff berth for the Falcons, as they win the NFC West, but again lose to the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs.
- 1982 - The Falcons make the playoffs in this strike-shortened season with a record of 5-4, and lose to the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota.
- 1991 - The "2 Legit 2 Quit" Falcons make the playoffs as the sixth seed. Most notable personalities on this team are CB Deion Sanders and WR Andre Rison. Rapper MC Hammer is seen on the sideline at several games during the season. The Falcons made it to the second round of the playoffs by beating the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome (27-20). However, they would end up losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins 27-20. During the season, the Falcons make a lopsided trade with the Green Bay Packers. The Packers give them a first round NFL Draft pick for (then) backup QB Brett Favre
- 1992 - The Georgia Dome becomes the new home for the Atlanta Falcons, as they move from the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
- 1995 - In the final game of the season, the Falcons beat the San Francisco 49ers to secure a playoff spot. They go on to lose to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
- 1998 - Led by QB Chris Chandler and RB Jamal Anderson, the Falcons have their greatest season to date. On November 8, they win 41-10 over the Patriots at New England, snapping a streak of 22 consecutive losses at cold-weather sites in November and December that had dated back to 1982. With a 14-2 final record and winners of the NFC West, the Falcons would reach Super Bowl XXXIII after upsetting the 15-1 Vikings at Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game. Once there, however, they lost, 34-19 to the Denver Broncos.
- 2001 - Trade the #5 pick along with Tim Dwight to the San Diego Chargers for the #1 pick in the draft. With that pick they selected Michael Vick, who goes on to become the face of the franchise.
- 2002 - The Falcons make the playoffs, then shock the National Football League by becoming the first road team in NFL history to defeat the Green Bay Packers in a playoff game at Lambeau Field. The Falcons beat the Packers 27-7 on January 4th, 2003. Unfortunately, their playoff run would end in Philadelphia as the Eagles would win 20-6.
- 2003 - After star QB Michael Vick breaks his leg in the preseason, the Falcons suffer through a 5-11 season. With 3 games left in the season, coach Dan Reeves resigns, handing the team to his defensive coordinator and former Bills coach Wade Phillips. The Falcons draft Virginia Tech CB DeAngelo Hall with the 8th pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.
- 2004 - Buoyed by the return of QB Michael Vick and energized by new head coach Jim L. Mora, the Falcons go 11-5 and win the NFC South easily. After having a first round bye and defeating the St. Louis Rams in the Divisional Round 47-17, the team advanced to the NFC Championship game where they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10.
- 2005 - After a 6-2 start the Atlanta Falcons lost 4 of their next 6. Should they not do better than 50% this season, the back to back winning seasons debacle will surely be moved to curse status. There were bright spots though, the Falcons did end the Monday Night Football jinx by going 3-0 and, on Thursday, November 24, the Falcons played on Thanksgiving Day for the first time in franchise history and won against the Detroit Lions 27-7. After a thrilling season, the Atlanta Falcons got eliminated from playoff contention with a 27-24 overtime loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Season-by-season
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 7th East | -- |
| 1967 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 4th Coastal | -- |
| 1968 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 4th Coastal | -- |
| 1969 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 3rd Coastal | -- |
| 1970 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 3rd NFC West | -- |
| 1971 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3rd NFC West | -- |
| 1972 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2nd NFC West | -- |
| 1973 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 2nd NFC West | -- |
| 1974 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 4th NFC West | -- |
| 1975 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 3rd NFC West | -- |
| 1976 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 3rd NFC West | -- |
| 1977 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2nd NFC West | -- |
| 1978 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2nd NFC West | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Cowboys) |
| 1979 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 3rd NFC West | -- |
| 1980 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1st NFC West | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Cowboys) |
| 1981 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 2nd NFC West | -- |
| 1982 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 5th NFC Conf. | Lost First Round (Vikings) |
| 1983 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 4th NFC West | -- |
| 1984 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 4th NFC West | -- |
| 1985 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 4th NFC West | -- |
| 1986 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 3rd NFC West | -- |
| 1987 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 4th NFC West | -- |
| 1988 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 4th NFC West | -- |
| 1989 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 4th NFC West | -- |
| 1990 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 4th NFC West | -- |
| 1991 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2nd NFC West | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Redskins) |
| 1992 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 3rd NFC West | -- |
| 1993 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 3rd NFC West | -- |
| 1994 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 3rd NFC West | -- |
| 1995 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2nd NFC West | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Packers) |
| 1996 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 4th NFC West | -- |
| 1997 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 3rd NFC West | -- |
| 1998 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1st NFC West | Lost Super Bowl XXXIII (Broncos) |
| 1999 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 3rd NFC West | -- |
| 2000 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 5th NFC West | -- |
| 2001 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 4th NFC West | -- |
| 2002 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2nd NFC South | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Eagles) |
| 2003 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 4th NFC South | -- |
| 2004 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1st NFC South | Lost Conference Championship (Eagles) |
| *2005 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 3rd NFC South | -- |
*=Current Standing
Players of note
Current roster
None
Retired numbers
- 10 Steve Bartkowski, QB, 1975-85
- 31 William Andrews, 1979-83, 1986 (short-lived comeback after knee injury)
- 57 Jeff Van Note, C, 1969-86
- 58 Jessie Tuggle, LB, 1987-2000
- 60 Tommy Nobis, LB, 1966-76
- 78 Mike Kenn, G, 1978-94
Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
- 60 Tommy Nobis, LB, 1966-76
- 87 Claude Humphrey, DE, 1968-78
- 57 Jeff Van Note, C, 1969-86
- Marion Campbell, Head Coach, 1974-76, 1987-89 (also Georgia native and University of Georgia player)
- 85 Alfred Jenkins, WR, 1975-83
- 31 William Andrews, 1979-83, 1986
- Dan Reeves, Head Coach, 1997-2003 (also Georgia native)
Not to be forgotten
- Morten Andersen
- Jamal Anderson
- Ray Buchanan
- Chris Chandler
- Bill Fralic
- Michael Haynes
- Billy "White Shoes" Johnson
- Terance Mathis
- Tony Martin
- Chris Miller
- Gerald Riggs
- Andre Rison
- Deion Sanders
- Esera Tuaolo
- OJ Santiago