The team finished the 1960s with 12 wins in four seasons. The Falcons had their first Monday Night Football game in Atlanta during the 1970 season, a 20–7 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
The uniform tops, pants and socks closely resembled their 1960s kits.
The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League (AFL). In their 55 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 379–487–6 ( in the regular season and in the playoffs), winning division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2016.
Two years later, the AFL held another exhibition, this time with the New York Jets taking on the San Diego Chargers. In 1965, after the Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium (then known simply as Atlanta Stadium) was built, the city of Atlanta felt the time was right to start pursuing professional football.
The second expansion team, the New Orleans Saints, joined the NFL as planned in 1967 as its 16th franchise. The Atlanta Falcons franchise began on June 30, 1965, when Rozelle granted ownership to 40-year-old Rankin Smith Sr., an Executive Vice President of Life Insurance Company of Georgia.
Although the Falcons selected many good players in those drafts, they still were not able to win right away. The Atlanta team received its nickname on August 29, 1965.
The Atlanta expansion team became the 15th NFL franchise, and they were awarded the first overall pick in the 1966 NFL Draft as well as the final pick in each of the first five rounds.
It is deadly and has a great sporting tradition." ===1966–1977: Early struggles=== The Falcons' inaugural season was in 1966, and their first preseason game was on August 1, a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Under head coach Norb Hecker, Atlanta lost their first nine regular-season games in 1966; their first victory came on the road against the struggling New York Giants on November 20 in Yankee Stadium.
When the team began play in 1966, the Falcons wore red helmets with a black falcon crest logo.
It was announced at the 2009 state of the franchise meeting that the Falcons would wear 1966 throwback uniforms for a couple games during the 2009 season.
The Atlanta Falcons wore 1966 throwback jerseys for two home games in 2009 – against the Carolina Panthers on September 20 and against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 29.
The second expansion team, the New Orleans Saints, joined the NFL as planned in 1967 as its 16th franchise. The Atlanta Falcons franchise began on June 30, 1965, when Rozelle granted ownership to 40-year-old Rankin Smith Sr., an Executive Vice President of Life Insurance Company of Georgia.
The team finished the 1960s with 12 wins in four seasons. The Falcons had their first Monday Night Football game in Atlanta during the 1970 season, a 20–7 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
They switched from black to red jerseys in 1971, and the club began to wear silver pants in 1978.
The facemasks on the helmets were initially gray, becoming white in 1978, and then black in 1984; the team has worn black facemasks since then. A prototype white helmet was developed for the team prior to the 1974 season, but was never worn. In 1990, the uniform design changed to black helmets, silver pants, and either black or white jerseys.
The only two winning seasons in their first 12 years were and ===1978–1989=== In the 1978 season, the Falcons qualified for the playoffs for the first time and won the Wild Card game against the Eagles 14–13.
They switched from black to red jerseys in 1971, and the club began to wear silver pants in 1978.
The facemasks on the helmets were initially gray, becoming white in 1978, and then black in 1984; the team has worn black facemasks since then. A prototype white helmet was developed for the team prior to the 1974 season, but was never worn. In 1990, the uniform design changed to black helmets, silver pants, and either black or white jerseys.
The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League (AFL). In their 55 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 379–487–6 ( in the regular season and in the playoffs), winning division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2016.
The following week, they lost to the Dallas Cowboys 27–20 in the Divisional Playoffs. In the 1980 season, after a nine-game winning streak, the Falcons posted a franchise then-best record of 12–4 and captured their first NFC West division title.
After that, the black pants and uniforms were retired and the white pants were now used full-time with the regular uniforms. In the 1980s, the Falcons wore their white uniforms at home most of the time because of the heat.
In the strike-shortened 1982 season, the Falcons made the playoffs but lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 30–24.
The facemasks on the helmets were initially gray, becoming white in 1978, and then black in 1984; the team has worn black facemasks since then. A prototype white helmet was developed for the team prior to the 1974 season, but was never worn. In 1990, the uniform design changed to black helmets, silver pants, and either black or white jerseys.
The team then had losing seasons for the next eight years. ===1989–1996=== In the 1989 NFL Draft, the Falcons selected cornerback Deion Sanders in the first round, who helped them for the next four years, setting many records for the franchise.
The facemasks on the helmets were initially gray, becoming white in 1978, and then black in 1984; the team has worn black facemasks since then. A prototype white helmet was developed for the team prior to the 1974 season, but was never worn. In 1990, the uniform design changed to black helmets, silver pants, and either black or white jerseys.
(The red numerals could be seen on the away jerseys briefly in 1990.) Both the logo and uniforms changed in 2003.
But due to the NFL's one-shell rule that prevented them from resurrecting the red helmets, the Falcons instead wore the black helmets with the original logo decal similar to the design they wore in the 1990s. It was revealed in January 2020 that the Falcons will change uniforms for the 2020 NFL season.
Sanders was also famous for playing on major league baseball teams (New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves) while simultaneously playing in the NFL. After defeating the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card game, the Falcons' 1991 season ended in a divisional playoff loss to the Washington Redskins.
In the 1991 NFL Draft, the Falcons selected quarterback Brett Favre as the 33rd overall pick.
The first was the Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, sharing with the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball team until 1991.
The following February, Favre was traded to the Green Bay Packers. In 1992, the Atlanta Falcons opened a new chapter in their history moving into the newly constructed Georgia Dome, where the team has defeated all 31 other NFL teams at least once during its time there. ===1997–2000: The Dan Reeves era=== In 1998, under recently acquired head coach Dan Reeves, quarterback Chris Chandler and running back Jamal Anderson the "Dirty Bird" Falcons had their greatest season to date.
In 1992, the Georgia Dome was built, and the Falcons played there from its opening to the 2016 season.
Atlanta leads the series 52–48. ===Carolina Panthers=== In addition, the Falcons share a similar, yet smaller, rivalry with the Carolina Panthers, with both teams having been in the NFC West from the Panthers' founding in 1995 to the NFL realignment in 2002, where they have been in the NFC South since then.
The numbers on the white jerseys were black, but were changed to red in 1997.
The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League (AFL). In their 55 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 379–487–6 ( in the regular season and in the playoffs), winning division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2016.
The following February, Favre was traded to the Green Bay Packers. In 1992, the Atlanta Falcons opened a new chapter in their history moving into the newly constructed Georgia Dome, where the team has defeated all 31 other NFL teams at least once during its time there. ===1997–2000: The Dan Reeves era=== In 1998, under recently acquired head coach Dan Reeves, quarterback Chris Chandler and running back Jamal Anderson the "Dirty Bird" Falcons had their greatest season to date.
However, in their first-ever Super Bowl appearance, they lost 34–19 to the defending champion Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII. In the second game of the Falcons 1999 season, running back Jamal Anderson, who had been a key player in the Falcons' 1998 success, suffered a season-ending knee injury.
On January 17, 1999, the Falcons upset the top-seeded Vikings at the Hubert H.
However, in their first-ever Super Bowl appearance, they lost 34–19 to the defending champion Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII. In the second game of the Falcons 1999 season, running back Jamal Anderson, who had been a key player in the Falcons' 1998 success, suffered a season-ending knee injury.
On January 23, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coach and former linebackers coach for the 2000 Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens Mike Smith was named the Falcons' new head coach.
The Patriots' 25-point comeback was the largest in Super Bowl history. In 2016, the Falcons scored 540 points in the regular season, the seventh-most in NFL history, tied with the Greatest Show on Turf (the 2000 St.
On December 6, 2001, Arthur M.
In a special meeting prior to Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans on February 2, 2002, NFL owners voted unanimously to approve the purchase. The 2002 season saw the Falcons return to the playoffs with a regular-season record of 9–6–1, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Atlanta leads the series 52–48. ===Carolina Panthers=== In addition, the Falcons share a similar, yet smaller, rivalry with the Carolina Panthers, with both teams having been in the NFC West from the Panthers' founding in 1995 to the NFL realignment in 2002, where they have been in the NFC South since then.
The Falcons lead the series 27–17. ===Tampa Bay Buccaneers=== Finally, the Falcons share a rivalry with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since the NFL realignment in 2002.
A 20–6 loss to the Donovan McNabb-led Philadelphia Eagles the following week, however, ended the Falcons' season. On March 19, 2003, the Falcons presented their new logo.
During the 2003 preseason Vick broke his leg and missed the first 12 games of the season.
(The red numerals could be seen on the away jerseys briefly in 1990.) Both the logo and uniforms changed in 2003.
The ensuing design featured the return to black as the primary home uniform color for the first time since 2003.
The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League (AFL). In their 55 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 379–487–6 ( in the regular season and in the playoffs), winning division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2016.
In 2004, a new head coach, Jim L.
On December 21, 2008, Atlanta beat the Minnesota Vikings 24–17 to clinch a wild card spot, earning a trip to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
The Falcons also started wearing black cleats with these uniforms. In 2004, the red jerseys became the primary jerseys, and the black ones became the alternate, both worn with white pants.
The Falcons wore the all-black combination against the New Orleans Saints for four straight seasons starting in 2004, With the last time being in 2007, losing 34–14.
Duckett, 4 (December 12, 2004) and Michael Turner, 4 (November 23, 2008) Points scored: T.
They wore the combination again in 2006, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2.
Before the 2007 season began, Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL after pleading guilty to charges involving dog fighting in the state of Virginia.
On December 10, 2007, Vick received a 23-month prison sentence and was officially cut from the Atlanta roster. ===2007=== For the 2007 season, the Falcons were forced to start Joey Harrington at quarterback.
The Falcons ended the year with a dismal 4–12 record. ===2008–2014: The Mike Smith era=== After the tumultuous and disappointing 2007 season, the Falcons made a number of moves, hiring a new General Manager and head coach, drafting a new starting quarterback, and signing a starting running back. On January 13, 2008, the Falcons named former Patriots director of college football scouting Thomas Dimitroff General Manager.
The Falcons wore the all-black combination against the New Orleans Saints for four straight seasons starting in 2004, With the last time being in 2007, losing 34–14.
The Falcons also wore their all-black uniform in 2007 against the New York Giants, and in 2008 against the Carolina Panthers and against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (for the second time).
The Falcons ended the year with a dismal 4–12 record. ===2008–2014: The Mike Smith era=== After the tumultuous and disappointing 2007 season, the Falcons made a number of moves, hiring a new General Manager and head coach, drafting a new starting quarterback, and signing a starting running back. On January 13, 2008, the Falcons named former Patriots director of college football scouting Thomas Dimitroff General Manager.
On April 26, Matt Ryan (quarterback from Boston College) was drafted third overall in the 2008 NFL draft by the Falcons. ====2008==== The Falcons finished the 2008 regular season with a record of 11–5, and the #5 seed in the playoffs.
On December 21, 2008, Atlanta beat the Minnesota Vikings 24–17 to clinch a wild card spot, earning a trip to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
The Falcons would go on to lose in the wild-card round of the 2008 NFL playoffs to the eventual NFC champion Arizona Cardinals, 30–24. Matt Ryan started all 16 games in his rookie season and was named the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year.
First-year head coach Mike Smith was named 2008 NFL Coach of the Year. ====2009==== Although they failed to make the playoffs in 2009 the team rallied to win their final three regular-season games to record back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history.
The Falcons also wore their all-black uniform in 2007 against the New York Giants, and in 2008 against the Carolina Panthers and against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (for the second time).
Duckett, 4 (December 12, 2004) and Michael Turner, 4 (November 23, 2008) Points scored: T.
First-year head coach Mike Smith was named 2008 NFL Coach of the Year. ====2009==== Although they failed to make the playoffs in 2009 the team rallied to win their final three regular-season games to record back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history.
It was announced at the 2009 state of the franchise meeting that the Falcons would wear 1966 throwback uniforms for a couple games during the 2009 season.
The Atlanta Falcons wore 1966 throwback jerseys for two home games in 2009 – against the Carolina Panthers on September 20 and against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 29.
The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League (AFL). In their 55 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 379–487–6 ( in the regular season and in the playoffs), winning division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2016.
The Falcons defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20–10 in the final game of the season to improve their record to 9–7. ====2010==== In 2010, with a regular-season record of 13–3, the Falcons secured a third straight winning season, their fourth overall divisional title, and the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs; however, the Falcons were overpowered by the eventual Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs 48–21.
They donned the throwbacks again for 2 games in 2010, against Baltimore and San Francisco, winning both of those games as well.
The team sent an NFL-high and franchise-best nine players to the 2011 Pro Bowl. ====2011==== The Falcons made a surprise trade up with the Cleveland Browns in the 2011 NFL draft to select Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones sixth overall.
In exchange, the Falcons gave up their first-, second- and fourth-round draft picks in 2011, and their first and fourth draft picks in 2012.
On August 30, 2011, Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King, who correctly predicted the 2011 Super Bowl, made his predictions for the 2011 season and picked the Falcons to defeat the San Diego Chargers in the 2012 Super Bowl.
The Falcons finished the season at 10–6, securing the fifth seed after a Week 17 beatdown of Tampa Bay in which the Falcons pulled their starters after leading 42–0 just 23 minutes into the game. The Falcons then went on to play the New York Giants in a 2011 NFC Wild Card Game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The throwbacks were used twice in 2011 and 2012; both times were against the Panthers and Saints.
The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League (AFL). In their 55 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 379–487–6 ( in the regular season and in the playoffs), winning division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2016.
In exchange, the Falcons gave up their first-, second- and fourth-round draft picks in 2011, and their first and fourth draft picks in 2012.
On August 30, 2011, Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King, who correctly predicted the 2011 Super Bowl, made his predictions for the 2011 season and picked the Falcons to defeat the San Diego Chargers in the 2012 Super Bowl.
Following the conclusion of the 2012 season, director of player personnel Les Snead departed the team to join the St.
Beating the San Francisco 49ers 41–13 in Week 15, the Falcons improved to 9–5 and secured their first winning season since 2012.
One week later, the Falcons defeated the Panthers in Charlotte, North Carolina, and clinched their first NFC South division title since 2012.
The throwbacks were used twice in 2011 and 2012; both times were against the Panthers and Saints.
In March 2013, the Atlanta City Council voted 11–4 in favor of building the stadium.
However, the throwbacks were retired following a 2013 NFL rule requiring only one helmet shell per team. The Falcons unveiled an all-red Color Rush uniform on September 13, 2016; however, due to the fact that the Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had similar all-red Color Rush uniforms, the Falcons were unable to wear their Color Rush uniform until the 2017 season. Also in 2016, the Falcons unveiled a mixed throwback uniform set.
Tony Gonzalez, in his final season in the NFL, was selected to the 2014 Pro Bowl as a starter representing Team Rice.
The Falcons had the 6th overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft with which they selected Jake Matthews, who played as offensive tackle for Texas A&M. ====2014==== Despite having another rough season, the Falcons still had an opportunity to qualify for the playoffs at the end of the regular season.
The retractable roof Mercedes-Benz Stadium broke ground in May 2014, and became the third home stadium for the Falcons and the first for the new Atlanta United FC Major League Soccer club upon opening in 2017. ==Logo and uniforms== The Atlanta Falcons' colors are red, black, silver and white.
Wes Durham, son of longtime North Carolina Tar Heels voice Woody Durham, is the Falcons' play-by-play announcer, with former Atlanta Falcons QB and pro football veteran, Dave Archer serving as color commentator. In 2014, The CW owned-and-operated station WUPA became the official television station of the Falcons, gaining rights to its preseason games, which are produced by CBS Sports. In the regular season, the team's games are seen on Fox's O&O affiliate WAGA.
The Falcons had the 8th overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft with which they selected Vic Beasley, a defensive end from Clemson University. ===2015–2020: The Dan Quinn era=== ====2015==== In February 2015, the team was investigated by the NFL for alleged use of artificial crowd noise in the Georgia Dome.
The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League (AFL). In their 55 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 379–487–6 ( in the regular season and in the playoffs), winning division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2016.
The Falcons lost a 2016 NFL Draft selection as a result of the league's investigation. Dan Quinn's first season saw a 5–0 start, the team's best start in four years.
The Falcons used their first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft on safety Keanu Neal from the University of Florida. ====2016==== In the Falcons' 25th and final season in the Georgia Dome, Atlanta lost their week 1 game to the Buccaneers 24–31.
The Patriots' 25-point comeback was the largest in Super Bowl history. In 2016, the Falcons scored 540 points in the regular season, the seventh-most in NFL history, tied with the Greatest Show on Turf (the 2000 St.
The first regular-season game at the new stadium was a rematch of the 2016–17 NFC Championship, with Atlanta defeating Green Bay 34–23.
In 1992, the Georgia Dome was built, and the Falcons played there from its opening to the 2016 season.
However, the throwbacks were retired following a 2013 NFL rule requiring only one helmet shell per team. The Falcons unveiled an all-red Color Rush uniform on September 13, 2016; however, due to the fact that the Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had similar all-red Color Rush uniforms, the Falcons were unable to wear their Color Rush uniform until the 2017 season. Also in 2016, the Falcons unveiled a mixed throwback uniform set.
In their last regular-season game at the Georgia Dome, the Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints, and secured an 11–5 record and a first-round bye. In the divisional round of the playoffs, Atlanta defeated the Seahawks 36–20 in the Georgia Dome, and hosted their last game at the Dome against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game on January 22, 2017.
The Falcons defeated the Los Angeles Rams 26–13 in the Wild Card round, but their 2017 season came to an end a week later in the Divisional Playoff round at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles 15–10. ====2020==== In their first game with new uniforms, the Falcons lost to the Seattle Seahawks at home 38–25.
On October 11, after the team suffered a 23–16 loss at home against the Carolina Panthers, the Falcons announced they fired head coach Dan Quinn after 5 seasons and General Manager Thomas Dimitroff ==Stadiums== The Falcons have called three stadiums home in their 51 years of existence, and its third home in their history opened in the late summer of 2017.
The retractable roof Mercedes-Benz Stadium broke ground in May 2014, and became the third home stadium for the Falcons and the first for the new Atlanta United FC Major League Soccer club upon opening in 2017. ==Logo and uniforms== The Atlanta Falcons' colors are red, black, silver and white.
However, the throwbacks were retired following a 2013 NFL rule requiring only one helmet shell per team. The Falcons unveiled an all-red Color Rush uniform on September 13, 2016; however, due to the fact that the Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had similar all-red Color Rush uniforms, the Falcons were unable to wear their Color Rush uniform until the 2017 season. Also in 2016, the Falcons unveiled a mixed throwback uniform set.
But due to the NFL's one-shell rule that prevented them from resurrecting the red helmets, the Falcons instead wore the black helmets with the original logo decal similar to the design they wore in the 1990s. It was revealed in January 2020 that the Falcons will change uniforms for the 2020 NFL season.
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