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The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American Football team based in Atlanta, Georgia . They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Falcons joined the NFL as a 1966 Expansion Team . FRANCHISE HISTORY 1965-1979 On June 30, 1965, the Atlanta Falcons are born. The , LB, University of Texas with the first pick of the 1966 NFL Draft held on November 27, 1965, making him the first ever Falcon. "History: 1966 Draft - Pro Football Hall of Fame" , Pro Football Hall of Fame The Atlanta Falcons were awarded their first NFL season in 1966, and had their first game (preseason) on Randy Johnson hit for a trio of TD's. Their first ever home victory was against the St. Louis Cardinals , 16-10 to a crowd of 57,169. The Falcons end their inaugural season at 3-11, yet Nobis wins the NFL Rookie of the Year Award and becomes the first Falcon named to the Pro Bowl. was the first Falcon.]] The 1967 season was no better, the Falcons would exit their second season with only 1 win and a 1-12-1 season. After a dreadful 0-3 start in the 1968 season, , 24-12, before home fans. Rookie Tight End Jim Mitchell scored two TD's and club set team record with 229 yards rushing. On December 7, Harmon Wages threw for a TD in the first quarter (16 yards to Paul Flatley), caught a pass for a TD in the second quarter (88 yards), and then ran for a TD in the fourth quarter (66 yards) in a 45-17 rout of the Saints. The Falcons finished the year with a vastly improved 6-8 record. The Falcons would have their first Monday Night Football game in Atlanta for the 1970 season, on November 30 vs. the Miami Dolphins . The Falcons would end up losing 20-7 to 30 million TV viewers. The Falcons would end up going 4-8-2 for the 1970 season, however despite the losing record, Atlanta would find their first winning season in 1971. On November 22, the Falcons won their first nationally televised game with a 28-21 triumph over Green Bay in Atlanta. The Falcons would enter their final game of the season in New Orleans on December 19th with a 6-6-1 record, needing to beat the Saints to have their first winning record. The Falcons would beat New Orleans, 24-20, with 40 seconds left in the game. The victory gives the Falcons with a winning record for the first time, at 7-6-1. On October 1, 1972, the Falcons finally defeat the Los Angeles Rams , 31-3 at Atlanta Stadium. Dave Hampton and Art Malone set a club record by each running for over 100 yards. On December 17, Hampton technically became the club's first 1,000- yard rusher. Against the Kansas City Chiefs , the veteran running back ran for his 1,000th yard. However, his next carry was a six-yard loss and his final carry a one-yard gain. Thus, he ended at 995. Standing at 7-5 the Falcons played against the San Francisco for a playoff spot, however San Francisco would win 20-0 and the Falcons playoff dreams were ended. The Falcons finish second in the NFC West, their highest division finish in franchise history up to that point, with a 7-7 record. The Falcons opened the 1973 season against New Orleans, smashing 35 team records en route to a 62-7 victory on September 16. Although the Falcons opened the season with a huge win, the Falcons would only manage to score 15 total points in the next 3 games, losing them as well. The Falcons however came back and won 7 in a row, including a victory against the unbeaten Vikings , 20-14, on November 19 before a national television audience. Dave Hampton once again barely misses the 1,000 yard mark. The Falcons finish 9-5 for their most wins and best record ever, but lose out for the playoffs by one game. In 1974, the Falcons lost their first 3 games, won the next 2, and then the next 3. Because of the constant losses, Van Brocklin is dismissed as Head Coach. Van Brocklin was replaced by Marion Campbell, and still had a losing season. The Falcons fall into last place in the NFC West with a 3-11 record. On 1975, with the first pick in the NFL Draft, the club selects quarterback Steve Bartkowski of the University Of California . The Falcons finish the year with a 4-10 record, but Dave Hampton finally breaks the 1,000 yard mark (1,002) in a 22-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers . Steve Bartkowski would continue to struggle in the 1976 season, throwing only 2 TD's while being picked off 9 times. Bartkowski was then replaced by Kim McQuilken, who was even worse than Steve. Because of the abysmal season, Coach Marion Campbell resigned. Pat Peppler would replace him, and the Falcons would go on to finish at 4-10. In 1977 former quarterback Eddie LeBaron is named General Manager, and Leeman Bennett becomes the fifth Head Coach in club history. The Falcons defense sets an NFL record for the fewest points allowed in a 14 game season, 129. Falcons finish with a 7-7 record. "Atlanta Falcons" , Pro Football Hall of Fame On November 12, 1978, the Falcons win over the New Orleans Saints in a game now known as "Big Ben Right". With 19 seconds left, Bartkowski threw 57 yards into a cluster where Alfred Jackson caught a pass deflected by Wallace Francis. The Falcons make the playoffs for the first time with a 9-7 record, and beat the visiting Philadelphia Eagles 14-13 on Christmas Eve. The next week they lose to the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas, 27-20. The Falcons were very fortunate in 1978, however, in 1979 the Falcons finished only 6-10. Records were broken for the season by William Andrews with 1,023 yards, by Wallace Francis with 74 catches for 1,013 yards and by Steve Bartkowski with 2,502 yards (203-379). 1980-1997 1980 was a highly successful season for the Falcons, as they finish 12-4. The Falcons would start 3-3, however the Falcons would fly off to an amazing 9-game winning streak. Bartkowski throws for three touchdowns on December 14 as the Falcons defeat the San Francisco 49ers , 35-10 to win their first-ever NFC West division title. In the Divisional Playoffs, the Falcons lose to the Dallas Cowboys , 30-27, as Cowboys rally for 20 points in Atlanta before a then-record 60,022 fans. The 1981 season was plagued with injuries and the Falcons would lose 3 key starters for the season. The Falcons would go on with a disappointing 7-9 record. "Atlanta Falcons (1966-Present)" , Sports E-Cyclopedia In 1982, The Falcons make the playoffs in this strike-shortened season with a record of 5-4, but they would end up losing to the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota 30-24. Bennett is dismissed as Head Coach soon after, and is replaced by Dan Henning . In 1983, William Andrews sets a new record with 331 rushes for 1,567 yards, Steve Bartkowski has third 3,000-yard season and sets mark with 63.4% completion rate and just 1.1% interception rate (5 in 432), while C Jeff Van Note starts his 200th game as a Falcon. "Major Events in Falcons History" , NFLHowever the Falcons finish with a 7-9 record only. The Atlanta Falcons suffered a huge loss when RB William Andrews had a knee injury during the preseason workout. He would be sidelined for 2 years before returning to the 1986 season to retire. Gerald Riggs would replace him, however the Falcons would finish with a dismal 4-12 record. Through the 1985-88 seasons, the Falcons made many changes. Steve Bartkowski would be released and to be replaced by David Archer , while coach Dan Henning is fired and replaced by previous Falcons coach Marion Campbell. Jeff Van Note would also retire; the Falcons would honor their center by retiring his number. The Falcons would finish with a 7-8-1 record for the season. In 1987 Marion Campbell unsuccessfully helped the Falcons and they would finish with a miserable 3-12 season. 1988 would also be an awful season as the Falcons finished with a terrible 5-11 season. "Atlanta Falcons (1966-Present)" , Sports E-Cyclopedia In 1988, the first-round draft pick Deion Sanders ends his lengthy contract holdout and reports to camp. He takes a Friday practice and Saturday walk through and puts on the football pads for the first time in seven months in the season opener vs. the Rams. In the first quarter, "Prime Time" returns a punt 68 yards for a touchdown. After hitting a home run for the New York Yankees earlier that week, it makes him the only modern day athlete to hit a HR and score a TD in the same week. However the Falcons were unable to win many games, and in response Coach Marion Campbell is fired and replaced by Jim Hanifan. The Falcons would go on to a 3-13 record. ]] The Falcons would start the 1990 season with an impressive game against the Houston Oilers, 47-27. However the Falcons would continue to go on a losing streak and finished the season with a 5-11 record. 1991 Falcons, also known as the "2 Legit 2 Quit" Falcons make the playoffs as the sixth seed with a 10-6 record, snapping a streak of eight consecutive losing seasons. 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, as is country star Travis Tritt. The Falcons made it to the second round of the playoffs by beating the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome (27-20). The next week, they would end up losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins 24-7. After the season, the Falcons make a fateful trade with the Green Bay Packers. The Packers give them a first round NFL Draft pick for a third-string quaterback named Brett Favre ; Favre would go on to lead the Packers to several Super Bowls. In 1992, the Falcons would move from the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to the Georgia Dome . The Falcons would finish with a 6-10 record. For the 1993 season, Deion Sanders continued to be the star player of the Atlanta Falcons; picking off 7 passes while shutting down some of the league's top receivers. Despite Sanders' amazing performance, the Falcons finished once again ith a 6-10 record. After the season Coach Jerry Glanville was fired and replaced by June Jones. The Falcons would lose Deion Sanders in 1994, and they would also acquire QB Jeff George . With these changes, the Falcons mildly improved to a 7-9 record. In the final game of the 1995 season, the Falcons come from behind to beat the San Francisco 49ers 28-27 t o secure a playoff spot. They go on to lose to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field 37-20. The Falcons would disappoint in the 1996 season with a 3-13 record, while both Jeff George and Coach June Jones were dismissed to be replaced by Coach Dan Reeves who would lead the Falcons to a 7-9 record in 1997. 1998-present Led by QB Chris Chandler and RB Jamal Anderson , the "Dirty Bird" Falcons have their greatest season to date. On November 8, they won 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. The team finishes with a 14-2 regular season record and win the NFC West. On January 18, 1999, the Falcons upset the top-seeded 15-1 Vikings at Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game, 30-27 in overtime. They would lose, 34-19, to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII . The Falcons hoped to recapture their 1998 season in 1999, however Jamal Anderson would suffer a knee injury in the 2nd week of the season, putting them out of the playoffs with a 5-11 record. For the 2000 season the Falcons once again went to finish with a 4-12 record. Following the season the Falcons traded 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 went on to become the face of the franchise. Michael Vick slightly turned around the Falcons franchise in 2001, however they finished with a 7-9 record and missed the playoffs. But the Falcons made a change and released Chris Chandler to give Vick the starting job. The Falcons would also release Jamal Anderson who would then be replaced by Warrick Dunn. ]] The Falcons make the playoffs with a 9-6-1 record in 2002, then shocked the National Football League on January 4th, 2003 by becoming the first road team in NFL history to defeat the Green Bay Packers 27-7 in a playoff game at Lambeau Field . Their playoff run would end in Philadelphia as the Eagles won, 20-6. During the 2003 preseason, Falcons star QB Michael Vick breaks his leg, because of this 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 . In 2004 the Falcons were buoyed by the return of QB Michael Vick and energized by new Head Coach Jim L. Mora , the Falcons go 11-5 and easily win the NFC South . 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. During the 2005 season the Falcons would start 6-2 but lose 6 of their remaining 8 games. Bright spots include the Falcons ending their 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, beating the Detroit Lions 27-7. On the next-to-last game of the regular season, the Falcons got eliminated from playoff contention with a 27-24 overtime loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . The Falcons finished 8-8 and once again failed to attain back-to-back winning seasons. Logo and uniforms When the team debuted in 1966, the Falcons wore red helmets with a black falcon crest logo. They wore white pants and either black or white jerseys. At first, the falcon crest logo was also put on the jersey sleeves, but it was replaced by a red and white stripe pattern one year later. They switched from black to red jerseys in 1971, and the club began to wear grey pants in 1978. In 1990, the uniform design changed to black helmets, gray pants, and either black or white jerseys. The numbers on the white jerseys were black, but were changed to red in 1997.[http://www.atlantafalcons.com/history/uniformHistory.jsp "Falcons Uniform History"], NFL Both the logo and uniforms radically changed in 2003. The logo was redesigned with red and silver accents to depict a more powerful, aggressive falcon. "Falcons unveil New logo" , NFL Although the Falcons still wore black helmets, the new uniforms featured jerseys and pants with red trim down the sides. The uniform design consisted of either black or white jerseys, and either black or white pants. During that same year, a red alternate jersey with black trim was also introduced. In 2004, the red jerseys became the primary jerseys, and the black ones became the alternate. Season-by-season records
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