Atlanta Falcons

The city of Atlanta was awarded a football franchise in1965. The franchise was awarded to Rankin M. Smith, and one of Smith’s first orders of business was to announce a contest to provide a nickname for the new team. A teacher from Georgia was the winner after she declared the the Falcon was proud and dignified.

Excited Georgia fans showed their appreciation by buying season tickets in record numbers. By Christmas Eve, an NFL record had been established for a new team with sales of 45,000 season tickets.

Norb Hector, an assistant on Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packer staff, was chosen as the Falcon’s first head coach. The Falcons lost their first nine games before defeating the New York Giants 27-16. They finished with three wins, tying an expansion team first-season record up to that time.

In 1971, the Falcons recorded their first winning season (7-6-1) under Coach Norm Van Brocklin. In 1977 the Falcons set an NFL team mark by allowing just 129 total points in a 14-game season.

In 1980, the Falcons won the NFC Western Division title with a team record 12 wins and six Pro-Bowl stars, including quarterback Steve Bartkowski and running back Willie Andrews.

The Falcons also had defensive end Claude Humphrey, center Jeff Van Note and running back Billy ”White Shoes” Johnson, who made things interesting for loyal Falcon fans.

In 1991 the Falcons closed out their 26 year era at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The next year, the team moved into the luxurious Georgia Dome, one of the best indoor stadiums in the country.

In 1998, the Falcons had their most successful season in franchise history. The team won the NFC Championship and earned a trip to Super Bowl XXXIII.

In 2001 the Atlanta Falcons selected Michael Vick as the #1 overall pick in the draft, making the Falcons a winning franchise once again. But in 2007, Vick, indicted on illegal dog fighting charges, was suspended from the team and the National Football league dealing a blow to the Atlanta Falcon franchise.