2016 ATLANTA FALCONS TEAM HISTORY 2016 ATLANTA FALCONS TEAM HISTORY 1 RANKIN M. SMITH — TEAM FOUNDER “He was a pioneer and a quiet leader. He was a commissioner Pete Rozelle and Smith made the person of great integrity and had a lot of respect deal in about five minutes and the Atlanta Falcons from me and my predecessor, Pete Rozelle, and from brought the largest and most popular sport to the all of the other owners. He was such a high quality city of Atlanta. person. He was a person on whose work you could rely on. In the 1960s he was a pioneer in bringing the Smith worked with the city, county and state to NFL to Georgia, and particularly in the Southeast.” build one of the largest facilities for conventions, – Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue trade shows and other major events in the world. The spectacular Georgia Dome opened its doors Team owner and founder Rankin M. Smith passed in 1992, giving the Falcons one of the best fan- away from heart complications just hours before friendly stadiums in America. Having the Georgia the Falcons October 26, 1997 game at Carolina. Dome helped bring the Olympic games to Atlanta Some of the largest footprints on professional, in 1992. college and high school sports in Atlanta belong to Smith, who founded the Atlanta Falcons in 1966. He was the catalyst and driving force in bringing the most prestigious of all sporting events, the Over three decades ago in the early 1960s, Smith Super Bowl, to Atlanta in 1994. The week-long began planting the seeds that saw professional fanfare and the most-watched TV sport in the sports finally blossom in Atlanta. world, added a huge economic value to the city and tons of free publicity to lure other events, Smith was part of a group that formed “Major conventions and meetings to the city. He lobbied Sports, Inc.,” with goals of pro sports franchises hard to bring back the game to Atlanta in 2000. for Atlanta. That group helped get Atlanta Stadium built by 1965. Major Sports, Inc., later became the The date June 30, 1965, will always be remembered Stadium Authority that operated Atlanta-Fulton as both a termination and a commencement in the County Stadium. history of Atlanta sports. For on that day the end came to the many and disparate struggles to place Smith paid the highest price in NFL history at a professional football team in the Southeast’s key the time in 1965 for an NFL franchise. Former metropolis. At the same time the Atlanta Falcons 2016 ATLANTA FALCONS TEAM HISTORY 2 were born and began a storied tenure in the Finally, three men were chosen from each club National Football League. and these 42 formed the nucleus of the roster Hecker had to work with when he took the team to All that had gone before — the successes (an $18 summer training camp in Black Mountain, North million stadium to play in) and the near-misses Carolina in early July. Added to this group were the (aborted attempts to place other franchises in the drafted rookies, scores of free agents and a few city) — was set aside for the immediate business miscellaneous players obtained in trades. In all, of fielding a team in little over a year’s time. Hecker and his staff were faced with evaluating over 130 men from July to September. Prime mover in this task was Rankin Smith, a young insurance executive who had controlling Then, on August 27, in Columbia, South Carolina, ownership of the Falcons. the Falcons recorded their first victory, defeating the San Francisco 49ers, 24–17, in a preseason Virtually unknown to the general public before game. that June day, Smith immediately endeared himself to aficionados of the sport by asking a Once the stadium, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, choice rhetor-ical question at a press conference was built, Atlantans felt the time was ripe to start following his acquisition of the franchise: “Doesn’t pursuing professional football. One independent every adult male in America want to own his own group which had been active in NFL preseason football team?” Not every adult male American promotions in Atlanta applied for franchises in has the wherewithal to swing such a deal, but it both the AFL and the NFL, acting entirely on its was comforting to hear that a man is capable of own with no guarantee of stadium rights. Another dreams like those of any other guy. group reported it had deposited earnest money for a team in the AFL. The day’s proceedings threw the city into a happy delirium unequaled in the history of football. By With everyone running in different directions, the time Smith got back to his insurance office 24 some local businessmen worked out a deal and hours later, there had been over 1,000 phone calls were awarded an AFL franchise on June 7, 1965, for tickets. He had to push his way through stacks contingent upon acquiring exclusive stadium of mail. By August, when a contest was completed rights from city officials. NFL Commissioner Pete which resulted in the nickname Falcons, a few of Rozelle, who had been moving deliberately in the avid fans even had come to blows in defense Atlanta matters, headed on the next plane down of what they believed their adopted team should to Atlanta to protect his league’s claim on the city be called. Several persons suggested the name of Atlanta. He forced the city to make a choice “Falcons” in a contest, but a school teacher from between the two leagues. Of course, on that nearby Griffin, Miss Julia Elliott, was selected memorable June 30, Rankin Smith and the NFL winner because of her reasons: “the falcon is were the choice. proud and dignified, with great courage and fight. It never drops prey. It is deadly and has a great The huge void which had been the Southeast sporting tradition.” without an NFL team was beginning to close. Fans were looking now toward Atlanta. The Falcons By the middle of December, Smith had signed the expect to be filling that void for a long time. most coveted college football player in the nation, Texas linebacker Tommy Nobis. By Christmas Eve, A new chapter in the history of the Atlanta Falcons when the Falcons cut off a brief 54-day ticket sale began on December 6, 2001. On that day, Arthur requiring almost no promotion, an NFL record had M. Blank, the co-founder and retired co-chairman been established for season tickets sold by a new of Atlanta-based Home Depot, reached a prelim- club (45,000). inary agreement with the Falcons’ Taylor Smith to purchase the team. In a special meeting prior to And in January, Smith surprised the entire athletic Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans on February 2, fraternity by naming a head coach who never 2002, NFL owners voted unanimously to approve had been mentioned in the perpetual stream of the purchase. journalistic speculation about the job. But Green Bay Packer assistant Norb Hecker assumed his new post with vigor and immediately embraced the gigantic job of sifting — along with Director of Player Personnel Gene Cronin — a huge list of NFL players made available to the Atlanta expansion team by other teams in the league. 2016 ATLANTA FALCONS TEAM HISTORY 3 YEAR BY YEAR HISTORY 1966 would finish the season in its highest place yet in Rankin M. Smith was awarded, by the National the Coastal Division at third. Seven Falcons were Football League, a franchise for the city of named to the Pro Bowl: RB Jim Butler, QB Bob Atlanta for $8.5 million. At the time there were Berry, LB Greg Brezina, K Bob Etter, T George 14 NFL franchises in existence, eight AFL clubs. Kunz, TE Jim Mitchell and DB Ken Reaves. Officially, Atlanta became the 23rd professional football club in existence, the 15th in the NFL prior 1970 to the merger. An average of 56,526 people filled The Falcons completed their fifth season at 4–8– Atlanta Stadium to watch the Falcons finish their 2, but were not far away from having their first inaugural season at 3–11. The Falcons claimed winning season as four times Atlanta led deep in their first victory on November 20, defeating the fourth quarter (vs. San Francisco, Green Bay, the New York Giants, 27–16, at storied Yankee Los Angeles and Philadelphia) only to lose or be Stadium. Head Coach Norb Hecker’s team, at the tied in the final moments. Quarterback Bob Berry time, became the only expansion team in history had the franchise’s first 300-yard passing game not to finish in last place. The Falcons finished in vs. the Packers on September 27 and RB Jim Butler seventh place in a field of eight teams in the NFL’s set a new club record in rushing with 127 yards Eastern Conference. The Falcons’ first pick in the on 17 carries in the home opener vs. the 49ers draft, LB Tommy Nobis, was voted to the Pro Bowl on October 4. Over 30 million viewers saw the and named Rookie of the Year. Falcons face the Dolphins in Atlanta’s first game nationally on Monday Night Football with Miami 1967 prevailing, 20–7. Defensive end Claude Humphrey, A disappointing second year saw the Falcons T George Kunz and LB Tommy Nobis represented finish the season at 1–12–1. While the broad picture the Falcons at the Pro Bowl. looked bleak, there were cameos of excellence that led to a promising future.