If there’s one thing that Americans seem to love, it’s football.And, nothing seems to matter more than the National Football League (NFL), an event that takes place yearly. One such team that plays as a part of the National Football Conference (NFC) South division, is the Atlanta Falcons.This NFL team has been in existence for around 56 years, and has managed to win several division championships. Through the years, the Atlanta Falcons have gone through quite a bit of change, but it has still managed to hold a very strong fan base, especially in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2021, the team announced Arthur Smith as its new head coach, while Terry Fontenot became the new general manager. Moreover, the team has had many Pro Football Hall of Famers, including Deion Sanders and Morten Andersen among others.So, keep on reading if you’re interested in learning more impressive Atlanta Falcons facts.History Of The Atlanta FalconsLike any good football team, we have to start with the history of the Atlanta Falcons.The Atlanta Falcons were founded in 1965 and Rankin Smith, the executive Vice President of Life Insurance Company of Georgia, was given the team’s franchise. Rankin Smith had paid $8.5 million for the professional football team. Later, the ownership of the team fell into the hands of Taylor Smith, from whom Arthur Blank, the co-founder of Home Depot, bought the Atlanta Falcons in 2002. There have been some rumors about Matt Ryan, the football quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, being related to Arthur Blank, but we don’t have any conclusive information.The Atlanta Falcons joined the National Football League (NFL) in 1965 as an expansion team. As a part of NFL history, it is known that the NFL actually offered Rankin Smith the franchise to stop him from joining the American Football League (AFL).In the initial days, the Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, which was known as the Atlanta Stadium, served as the home field. After 1991, it was changed to the Georgia Dome. And, recently during the 2017 season, it was moved to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.The Atlanta Falcons managed to win division championships in the years of 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2016.In the first preseason game, the Atlanta Falcons lost against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, their first win was against the New York Giants in the Yankee Stadium.Norb Hecker was the first head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, but he was fired in 1968 only after heading three games. By far, Mike Smith is the most well-known head coach for the Atlanta Falcons, and he held the position between 2008–2014. Mike Smith left the position with a record of 66–46 and was replaced by Dan Quinn in 2015.The first winning season in the franchise history of the Atlanta Falcons was in 1971 and the professional football team ended with a score of 7-6-1.The name ‘Falcons’ was chosen through a contest, and it was won by Miss Julia Elliott, who was a school teacher in Griffin. She chose the name ‘falcons’ as this bird is proud and dignified.Currently, the team’s headquarters are in Flowery Branch, Georgia. During the Falcons Training Camp, fans can visit the place and catch the team practicing. A Mini Camp is also organized after the NFL Draft, when some practice games are open to view for the public.Until now, the Atlanta Falcons have participated in two Super Bowls. The first Super Bowl was during the 1998 season and the second one was the Super Bowl LI hosted for the 2016 season. Sadly, the Atlanta Falcons haven’t won a Super Bowl as of yet. The first Super Bowl was lost against the Denver Broncos and the second one against the New England Patriots. The game with the New England Patriots had a score of 34–28, while the one played against the Denver Broncos had a score of 34–19.Players Of The Atlanta FalconsOver the years, the Atlanta Falcons have had some amazing players. So, here’s some information about them:Currently, the lineup of the Atlanta Falcons include Feleipe Franks and Matt Ryan as the quarterbacks, Mike Davis and Kieth Smith as running backs, Calvin Ridley and Frank Darby as wide receivers. Parker Hesse and Kyle Pitts have been positioned as tight ends, while Drew Dalman, Matt Hennessy, Rick Leonard T, Chris Lindstrom, Jake Matthews, Jalen Mayfield, and Kaleb McGary are offensive linemen. The defensive linemen currently consist of John Cominsky, Marlon Davidson, Tyeler Davison, Ta’Quon Graham, and Grady Jarrett. Similarly, the players Deion Jones, Adetokunbo Ogundeji, James Vaughters, and Mykal Walker have been given the position of linebackers. Last but not least, the position of defensive backs are held by Richie Grant, Darren Hall, Jaylinn Hawkins, Kendall Sheffield, A. J. Terrell, and Avery Williams. There aren’t any special teams as of yet.Looking at the Atlanta Falcons Hall of Famers, you’ll first find Tommy McDonald, who was tenured in 1967. The last inducted player was Tony Gonzalez, who played for the professional team between 2009–2013.Morten Andersen, who was a placekicker, was tenured in the Atlanta Falcons between 1995–2000 and 2006–2007. Among the 25 NFL championships he played for, eight of them were with the Atlanta Falcons, and has been an all-time scoring leader for the team.The jersey number 22 has always been a big thing for the Atlanta Falcons team and the fans. Currently, it’s worn by Fabian Moreau, who is placed in the Unrestricted FAs. However, until now, about 17 players have worn the number 22 jersey. The most notable player was Rolland Lawrence, who wore the jersey between 1973-1980 and played only in Atlanta Falcons games throughout his career. He even managed to reach a Pro Bowl.The Mascot Of The Atlanta FalconsLet’s look at some facts related to the mascot of the Atlanta Falcons.The official NFL mascot for the Atlanta Falcons team is Frederick ‘Freddie’ Falcon.He was the first mascot of Atlanta, Georgia and has been so for more than 35 years.Freddie has performed in different states of the USA, as well as the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.Freddie has also visited military bases in countries like Egypt, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Japan.You may have also seen Freddie in the commercials played on the ESPN channel.Freddie also made it to the American Bowl held in Japan.Freddie now calls the Mercedes-Benz Stadium his home, but formerly he used to live in the Georgia Dome.‘The Secret Life Of Birds’ is said to be the favorite TV show of Freddie, while ‘Welcome To Atlanta’ is his favorite song.Recently, Freddie introduced the Atlanta Falcons team and the fans to Lil Fred, who is said to be the protégé of Freddie.There was an actual falcon mascot for the first 15 seasons of the Atlanta Falcons.Records Of The Atlanta FalconsOver the years, the Atlanta Falcons have been able to make some impressive records. Here, we will list some of the more interesting ones:The season of 1998 is said to be one of the best for the Atlanta Falcons when the team won the NFC West with a 14-2 record, and even pulled through the playoffs to go through the NFC championship and enter Super Bowl XXXIII.The Atlanta Falcons have managed to acquire postseason berths in the years of 1978, 1980, 1982, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, and 2017.When it comes to career records, the most number of total touchdowns have been completed by Roddy White, and this number sits at 63. Roddy also holds the career record of receiving 808 catches. At the same time, Matt Bryant holds the record for having the points, which sits at 1,163. Matt Ryan holds a passing rating of 94.6.For single-season records, in the season of 2015, Julio Jones had 135 receiving catches, and 1,871 in receiving yards. In the season of 2016, Matt Ryan had 38 passing touchdowns with a completion percentage of 69.9.Did You Know…The Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor is a way to honor players who performed well for the team, and Steve Bartkowski, who played quarterback between 1975–1985, was the first one to make it on the list. Other inclusions are Deion Sanders, William Andrews, Roddy White, Claude Humphrey, among others.Regarding the jersey of this football team, the black and white colors pay homage to the Georgia Bulldogs. During 1966-1970, the helmets also sported a pair of golden stripes to honor the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets team.In the season of 2021, we got to see some beautiful uniforms from the team, and the games started with the all-white uniform with red stripes on the side. While in the second week, the uniform contained a black top with a white bottom with continuous red stripes on the side. The all-black uniform in the fourth week was especially eye-catching, along with the alternate uniform of the sixth week that had a black and white gradient jersey.Some celebrities who are fans of the Atlanta Falcons include Jeff Foxworthy, Jimmy Carter, Samuel L. Jackson, and Usher. Even Moe Szyslak, a character of the popular TV show, ‘The Simpsons’, is a pretty big fan of the Dirty Birds.The New Orleans Saints are regarded as the perennial arch-rivals of the Atlanta Falcons. One of the most significant games took place post-hurricane Katrina during the 2006 season. The game was broadcasted by ESPN and garnered an audience of 10 million people throughout the USA.The Atlanta Falcons won the NFC South division championships in 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2016, along with the NFC West division championships in 1980 and 1998. The team is currently affiliated with the NFC South.As a part of the uniform, the Atlanta Falcons have adopted a matte helmet with an even bigger falcon logo than ever before.During 1971–1989, the colors present in the uniform were red, white, and black. The current colors of red, black, silver, and white are also similar to another team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If there’s one thing that Americans seem to love, it’s football.
