Atlanta Falcons' History

Atlanta Falcons first saw its light in June 30, 1965, the time which will always be remembered as both a termination and a commencement in the history of Atlanta sports. It was during that time that the football team began a storied tenure in the National Football League (NFL).

The person responsible for the birth of Atlanta Falcons was actually Rankin Smith, a young insurance executive. He paid $8.5 million for the franchise which was awarded by the American Football League to a group of Atlanta businessmen on June 7, 1965, provided that they could get exclusive football rights to the new Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Smith immediately endeared himself to the fanatics of football by asking a choice rhetorical question at a press conference following his acquisition of the franchise: "Doesn't every adult male in America want to own his own football team?" With such a great deal, he is indeed capable of dreams.

By the time Smith got back to his insurance office 24 hours after acquiring the franchise, there had been 1,000 phone calls for tickets. And, by August, when a contest was completed which resulted in the nickname Falcons, a few of the avid junkies even had come to blows in defense of what they believed their adopted team should be called. Numerous individuals have actually suggested the name "Falcons" in a contest, but it was only the school teacher from nearby Griffin, Miss Julia Elliott, who was chosen as the winner of her reason which goes this way: "The falcon is proud and dignified, with great courage and fight. It never drops prey. It is deadly and as a great sporting tradition."

The Atlanta Falcons recorded their first victory on August 27, 1966 in Columbia, South Carolina when they defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 24-27, in a preseason game. It was also during that year that the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was built and the people in Atlanta felt the time was ripe to start pursuing professional football.

The Atlanta Falcons played their first regular season game at home in September 11, 1966, losing to the Los Angeles Rams, 19-14. However, the Atlanta Falcons team didn't have a winning season until 1971, when they went 7-6-1. As the Atlanta Falcons' records reveal, the team's best period was the six-year stretch between 1977 and 1982, under Leeman Bennett. It is further interesting to know that the 1998 season was the Atlanta Falcons' best ever. That time, they went 14-2 and won the NFC championship. Unexpectedly, the Denver Broncos beat them, 34-19, in the Super Bowl.

A new chapter in the history of the Atlanta Falcons started on the 6th day of December 2001. It was actually on that day that Arthur M. Blank, the co-founder and retired co-chairman on Atlanta-based Home Depot, reached a preliminary agreement with the Atlanta Falcons' owner Taylor Smith to purchase the team. In February of 2002, the NFL approved the sale of the franchise for $545 million. 88 percent of the team owned by the Smith family was bought. And, Blank said that he also planned to purchase the remaining 12 percent of the team, which was split between two owners.