AFAtlanta Falcons

Franchise history

The Atlanta Falcons were awarded to the city as an NFL expansion franchise on June 30, 1965, with the league moving quickly under Commissioner Pete Rozelle to plant a team in Atlanta ahead of a competing overture from the rival American Football League. Insurance executive Rankin Smith Sr. paid a then-record $8.5 million for the franchise. The nickname was chosen through a fan contest; the winning submission came from Julia Elliott, a schoolteacher, who wrote that "the Falcon is proud and dignified, with great courage and fight," and that it never preys on other birds.

The Falcons began play in 1966 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, moved into the Georgia Dome in 1992, and have played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium since 2017. Early decades brought little postseason success, punctuated by playoff droughts through much of the 1970s, 80s and 90s. The Michael Vick era (2001-2006) brought the franchise renewed national attention and a run to the 2004 NFC Championship Game before Vick's legal troubles ended his tenure.

Atlanta's signature season came in 1998, when the "Dirty Birds," led by Dan Reeves, Chris Chandler and Jamal Anderson, went 14-2 and reached Super Bowl XXXIII, losing to Denver 34-19. The franchise's most painful moment followed nearly two decades later: after a dominant 2016 season under Matt Ryan, the Falcons built a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI before New England completed the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, winning 34-28 in overtime.

Sources

• Pro Football Reference
• Wikipedia
• Atlanta Falcons Official Site

Runner-up finishes (2)

• Super Bowl XXXIII - 1998
• Super Bowl LI - 2016

See the full super bowl champions list for the winner each of these years.