A Franchise Is Born: Atlanta Falcons Celebrate 60th Anniversary

On June 30, 1965, then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle approved the Atlanta Falcons and then-owner Rankin Smith Sr. to begin play in 1966, as the 15th franchise in the league. Smith paid $8.5 million for the team, the highest price in NFL history at the time, for the franchise. 

The Falcons were awarded the first pick in the 1966 NFL Draft, and the first player to ever become an Atlanta Falcon was All-American linebacker Tommy Nobis, also known as Mr. Falcon. 

The Falcons have competed in two divisions throughout their history: the NFC West from 1970 to 2001, and have played in the NFC South ever since. The Falcons won the NFC West three times (1980, 1982 and 1998) and the NFC South four times ( 2004, 2010, 2012 and 2016).

The Falcons have reached the playoffs 14 times in franchise history. Over that span, they have won 10 playoff games, the most recent one coming in 2017, a 26-13 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round. The Falcons made history as the first team to win a road playoff game in Lambeau Field. They upset the Green Bay Packers 27-7 in Michael Vick’s first-ever playoff game on Jan. 4, 2003.

The Falcons have made it to four NFC Championship games and won two of them. Atlanta’s first-ever NFC Championship appearance was during the 1998 season, a season in which the Falcons won 14 games, a franchise best. They faced off against the Minnesota Vikings and won in overtime 30 to 27. 

The night before Atlanta’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance was unprecedented. Falcons’ star safety Eugene Robinson was arrested for soliciting an undercover police officer. The Falcons went on to lose the Super Bowl the next day to the Denver Broncos 34-19.

The next time the Falcons made it to the NFC Championship was in 2004 with Michael Vick. After winning 11 games and beating the St.Louis Rams 47-17 in the Divisional round, the Falcons were flying high. Unfortunately, they fell 27-10 to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Falcons made it back to the Championship game eight years later, this time under Matt Ryan. After a 12-4 campaign and a hard-fought 30-27 victory against Seattle in the Divisional round, the Falcons faced off against former NFC West rivals in the NFC Championship in the San Francisco 49ers. The Falcons roared out to an early 17-0 lead due to two Julio Jones scores, but ultimately fell 28-24. Controversy arose at the end of the game, with many fans arguing that Navarro Bowman interfered with Roddy White on the final Falcons play of the game. 

Just four years later, the Falcons found themselves back in the NFC Championship after winning 11 games in 2016. The 2016 Atlanta Falcons offense is one of the best in NFL history, averaging 33.8 points per game. This is tied for the 10th-highest points per game average by any team in history.

The Falcons breezed through the Seattle Seahawks, beating them 36-20 in the Divisional round. They also had no trouble beating the Packers in the NFC Championship, winning handily 44 to 21. Ryan’s five total touchdowns are tied for the most in any championship game ever.

The Falcons infamously found themselves up 28-3  in Super Bowl LI, but unfortunately, were not able to win the game. The franchise is still chasing that first Lombardi trophy, although it has gotten very close multiple times.

Matt Ryan was awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award for his stellar 2016 campaign. He is the only player in franchise history to win the award. Six franchises have never had a player win the award.

On this day, 60 years ago, America’s most popular sport came to Atlanta in the form of the Falcons. This franchise has had its share of legendary players, from Deion Sanders to Matt Ryan. Atlanta’s history is filled with resilience and hope.

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