1990s
| Back in Black March 20, 1990 |
The Falcons announce plans for their 25th Anniversary season that include going back to their original black jerseys of 1966. In addition black helmets are unveiled along with the 25th anniversary logo patches for the uniforms. |
| Showstopping Trade April 20,1990 |
With the number one pick overall in the Draft, the Falcons deal with the Colts for six-time Pro Bowl lineman, Chris Hinton, all-rookie WR Andre Rison, and next year's #1 pick. |
| That's Super! May 23, 1990 |
Falcons owner Rankin Smith leads the way in securing Super Bowl XXVIII for the City of Atlanta at the NFL Owners Meeting in Dallas. |
| Opening Day Sept. 9, 1990 |
Houston, Jerry Glanville's former team, comes to town to face the new black-clad Falcons. With the defense scoring three touchdowns, the Falcons win in a rout, 47-27, before a sellout crowd. |
| National TV Oct. 28, 1990 |
With a national TV audience watching for the first time since 1984, the Falcons storm the Cincinnati Bengals, 38-17. The prime time viewers see "Prime Time" Deion Sanders set a club record with a 79-yard punt return TD in what was TNT's highest rated game of the season. |
| Happy Ending Dec. 30, 1990 |
With the Dallas Cowboys coming to town, needing a win to secure a playoff berth, the Falcons close out with a second straight win and a 26-7 romp behind a club record 68-yard run by Mike Rozier. The Falcons donated 2,000 tickets from the sellout to the USO for servicemen to attend. |
| Two-Timer Jan. 30, 1991 |
Deion Sanders becomes both an Atlanta Brave and an Atlanta Falcon as he signs a baseball contract. He's the first to play two sports in the same city in 30 years.Long Flights |
| Big Ben III Rings Nov. 3, 1991 |
QB Billy Joe Tolliver, subbing for injured Chris Miller, lofted a 44-yard ÒBig BenÓ pass caught in a crowd of seven players by WR Michael Haynes with nine seconds remaining. That gave the Falcons a 17-14 victory and season sweep over the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco had just taken the lead with only 53 seconds left in the game |
| Coming Up 3's Nov. 17, 1991 |
The Falcons go on a scoring spree in the second quarter and set a new club record for most points in one quarter with 33. WR Andre Rison scores 3 TD's (18 of the 33 points) with scores of 39, 12 and 15 yards. Rison also tied a club record for most points scored by an individual in a game. The 33 in a quarter were seventh highest ever in NFL history. |
| Long Flights | Atlanta recorded an NFL rarity by sweeping all western opponents either on the road or at home. The Falcons were 7-0, defeating the Rams and the 49ers twice, along with the Raiders, Chargers and the Seahawks. Atlanta was the only team in 1991 to defeat the 49ers in Candlestick Park. |
| West Coast Sweep 1991 |
WR Michael Haynes led the entire NFL in average yardage per catch with a 22.4 rate (the NFL's highest since 1983). Mike had 50 receptions on the year for 1,122 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 11 touchdown catches averaged 44.9 yards per play as he recorded 12 receptions over 30 yards. |
| Prince of Thieves | CB's Deion Sanders and Tim McKyer both co-led the NFC in interceptions with six thefts apiece. |
| National OT Victory Nov. 24, 1991 |
The Falcons scored 10 points in the last two minutes of regulation to send the New Orleans game into overtime on ESPN's Pigout Game of the Week. A 54-yard completion from QB Chris Miller to WR Michael Haynes set up the 50-yard field goal by K Norm Johnson for the OT win before ESPN's largest TV audience of the season. |
| The Tuggle Struggle | Falcon LB Jessie Tuggle, who had over 200 tackles the previous two seasons, had led the entire NFL in tackles, only to be forgotten when All-Pro teams and Pro Bowl selections were made. A 1992 Pro Bowl selection rejection, Tuggle was finally recognized as a first team All-Pro pick by Sports Illustrated. |
| Road Kill | The Falcons made club history as they swept through their NFC West road trips by defeating the Rams 31-14 in Anaheim, dropping New Orleans in Overtime 23-20 at the Superdome, and by giving the 49ers their only loss in 1991 at Candlestick Park 39-34. This was the first time ever the birds had beaten all their division rivals on the road. |
| One Last Time A Final Game Outdoors Dec. 15, 1991 |
A sellout crowd witnessed the Falcons' final home game of the 1991 season, as well as the birds' final game in Fulton-County Stadium. Atlanta defeated the Seattle Seahawks' 26-13, to run their home win streak to five straight. NFL thieves Tim McKyer and Deion Sanders combined on a 55-yard interception and lateral for a memorable touchdown. On hand with the 59,000 fans were Hammer, World Heavy Weight Champion Evander Holyfield, singer Wayne Newton, and country and western group Diamond Rio. |
| Playoff Win! Dec. 29, 1991 |
On the road at arch-rival New Orleans on ABC's national TV, the Falcons came from 10 points down to win their first-ever Playoff game away from home. New Orleans native Michael Haynes scored two touchdowns, including the game winning 61-yarder in the fourth quarter, then CB Tim McKyer ended any suspense by intercepting a pass. |
| The First Game in the New Dome Aug. 23, 1992  Michael Haynes |
A sold-out crowd (66,834 actual) and a national TV audience (ABC) on this Sunday afternoon saw the Falcons win the first-ever football game in the new Georgia Dome, 20-10, over the Philadelphia Eagles. While the Eagles' Ian Howfield kicked a 33-yard FG for the first points ever, the Falcons hooked up on their first play in the Dome for a 76-yard TD pass (Chris Miller to Michael Haynes). While all fans received a special souvenir ticket and commemorative pin, the day of entertainment included performances by megastar MC Hammer, doing the "Too Legit to Quit" theme song of the team, plus a Georgia native halftime show featuring major country recording stars Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson, Trisha Yearwood, Doug Stone, and T. Graham Brown. Recording star John Denver preformed the national anthem, while Las Vegas boxing announcer Michael Buffer began the proceedings with his trademark , "Let's get ready to rumble." The pre-game festivities also included a 100-yard red ribbon cutting by Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Falcons owner Rankin M. Smith. |
| This First One Counts as A "W" Sept. 6,1992 |
In the regular season opener in the Dome, the Falcons scored on their first four possessions en route to a 20-17 win over the New York Jets before a sellout of 65,585. The first play saw rookie RB Tony Smith run for 32 yards and the first points came on a Norm Johnson 25-yard FG. Just 17 seconds later, the Falcons scored the first TD in the Dome on a Chris Miller-to-Michael Haynes pass of 14 yards. Miller and Haynes hooked up again on an 11-yard play later in the first quarter as the Birds ran up a 17-0 lead. In the second period, Norm Johnson tied a club record with a 54-yard FG. Miller's 72% passing (21-29) and 117 yards from the ground game led the Falcons to victory. |
| Double Duty Oct. 11, 1992 |
Deion Sanders pulled off yet another first by participating in two pro sports in the SAME DAY. On Saturday night, he played in the Braves Playoff game in Pittsburgh, flew to Miami to play for the Falcons, then flew back to Pittsburgh for a game Sunday night. His presence helped the Falcons hold Dan Marino to a rare game without a TD pass, but the Falcons lost a 17-7 third quarter lead to bow, 21-17. |
| Shut 'Em Out Nov. 29, 1992 |
The Falcons defense posted the first shutout since 1988 in a 34-0 rout of the New England Patriots. Atlanta allowed just 15 net yards passing, second best in club history, and just 105 total yards with five QB sacks, two pass interceptions (both by Deion) and two fumble recoveries. Rookie Tony Smith had another hot day with an 8.1 rush average (10-81-1 td) and a 15-yard average on PR (5-75) for 151 yards. |
| Of Passing Interest: The '92 Season |
The Falcons led the NFL with a club record 33-TD passes and became the only team to have 30 or more TD's in both '91 and '92. The 336 pass completions were a club season best as were the 194 passing first downs. Andre Rison set a club record with 93 receptions and became the first player in NFL history to have 300 catches in their first four years in the League. The Rison-Haynes tandem netted 21 TD's to lead the NFL for a second straight year (23 in '91). Mike Pritchard's 77 catches were the 5th most in club history, 9th in the NFL. Wade Wilson finished with three consecutive 300-yard games (324, 342, 374) and 10 TD's in those three games and two consecutive 30-completion games. |
| Offensive Warfare The '93 Season |
Led by Pro Bowlers Andre Rison, Bobby Hebert and Norm Johnson, Atlanta's offense scored over 300 points for the fourth consecutive season. Rison scored a club-record 15 TD's, and set a new standard for most receptions in his first five seasons with 394. Hebert, meanwhile, finished third in the NFL with a career-high 24 TD passes and had the NFL's longest play of the year, a 98-yard TD strike to Michael Haynes. Johnson nearly had a perfect season, connecting on 26-of-27 field goals (.963), while stretching his consecutive FG streak to 26 in a row, the second best mark in NFL history. On defense, LB Jessie Tuggle led the team in tackles for the fifth consecutive season (183). Pro Bowl cornerback Deion Sanders continued to be an impact player, picking off seven passes while shutting down the league's top receivers. Third-year RB Erric Pegram more than made a name for himself, rushing for 1,185 yards, the fourth highest total in '93. |
| June Jones Named Coach Jan. 24, 1994 |
June Jones III is named the Falcons' 10th head coach, replacing Jerry Glanville, who resigned following the 1993 season. |
| Falcons lose long-time friend Nov. 3, 1994 |
Whitey Zimmerman, the Falcons original equipment manager since 1966, passes away. Always a constant in the locker room, "Zeke" will always be remembered as former Falcon Tommy Nobis stated, the "Original Falcon." |
| 111 Catches! Dec. 24, 1994 |
Terance Mathis closes out a brilliant season against Arizona, finishing the '94 campaign with a club-record 111 receptions, the 4th highest total of all-time. His 1,342 receiving yards ranks second on Atlanta's all-time charts. For his efforts, he is voted to '95 Pro Bowl. |
| Mike Kenn Retires Dec. 24, 1994 |
Offensive lineman Mike Kenn finally closes out 17-year NFL career after being drafted by the Falcons in 1978. His last game against Arizona was his 251st game played, ranking 6th on the NFL's all-time list. He played in five Pro Bowls and six playoff games. |
| Falcons Land Morten Andersen July 21, 1995 |
The birds kick off camp by signing Morten Andersen, one of the best kickers in NFL history. Andersen, a long-time Falcons nemisis with New Orleans, had been cut by the Saints, who wanted to re-work his contract. The Falcons act swiftly by waiving Norm Johnson and bringing in the former Saint. |
| I-85 Rivaly Begins Sept. 3, 1995 |
The new Carolina Panthers make NFL debut in Georgia Dome and jump out to a 10-0 lead. Atlanta then takes over, building a 20-13 lead on first drive of third quarter. But, Carolina hits on a 44-yard bomb with 26 seconds left to force overtime. The Falcons register their record-tying 9th QB sack of the game, forcing a fumble, and go on to quickly kick the game-winning 35-yard field goal. |
| Sweet Revenge! Sept. 17, 1995 |
Morten Andersen goes against his former team for the first time as a Falcon and boots the game-winning field goal from 21-yards out in overtime at the Superdome. |
| Morten Sets NFL Record Dec. 10, 1995 |
Morten Andersen beats his old team again, but this time sets another NFL record in the process. Andersen establishes a new League mark with three field goals from beyond 50 yards in one game, including shots from 55, 55, and 51 yards, as Atlanta comes away with a 19-14 victory and sweeps the Saints for the first time since 1985. |
| Playoff Bound! Dec. 24, 1995 |
 Terance Mathis |
| The Ghosts of Lambeau Field Dec. 31, 1995 |
The Falcons play in their first playoff game since 1991, but face a hot Packers team who had never lost a post-season game in Lambeau Field. That record stays in tact as Green Bay's balanced offensive attack offsets a 366-yard passing day by Jeff George. The Falcons outgain Green Bay, 360-307, despite the muddy conditions of Lambeau. |
| Four 1,000-yard Players! 1995 Season |
The Falcons establish an NFL record by having four players each gain 1,000 yards, including receivers Eric Metcalf (1,189), Terance Mathis (1,039), Bert Emanuel (1,039), and running back Craig Heyward (1,083). Jeff George, meanwhile, became only the 18th QB in League history to have over 4,000 yards passing (4,143). |
| Jamal Anderson Hits 1,000 Dec. 15, 1996 |
RB Jamal Anderson becomes the 7th Falcon in club history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, combining for 111 yards against the Rams in Atlanta. Anderson had previously signed a 3-year contract extension on 10-28-96, taking him through the 1999 season. |
| Jones Let Go As Falcons Coach Dec. 23, 1996 |
Head Coach June Jones was fired with two years left on his contract following Atlanta's 3-13 season in 1996. During his three years (1994-96) he compiled a 19-29 record and led the Falcons to a playoff berth in 1995. |
| Tuggle Hammers Out Extension Jan. 3, 1997 |
Jessie Tuggle, fresh off a club-leading 184-tackle season in '96, signs a 2-year contract extension, taking him through the 1999 campaign. Tuggle, a 3-time Pro Bowler, has led the Falcons in tackles for eight straight seasons. |
| Dan Reeves Becomes 8th Falcons Coach Jan. 20, 1997 |
Dan Reeves becomes the 8th head coach in franchise history, signing a 5-year contract as Exec. VP of Football Operations/Head Coach. He quickly assembles an impressive staff, including Rich Brooks as Asst. Head Coach/Defensive Coord. and Hall of Famer Art Shell as Offensive Line Coach. |
| Falcons Owner Rankin Smith Passes Away Oct. 26, 1997 |
Team owner and founder Rankin M. Smith passed away from heart complications just hours before the Falcons were to play a nationally-televised game at Carolina on TNT. The 72-year old was remembered at a Tuesday memorial service as a quiet, behind-the-scenes "pioneer" who helped bring professional sports, and other major contributions, to his beloved city of Atlanta. |
| Falcons sweep West Coast Trip! Nov, Dec., 1997 |
Due to back-to-back west coast trips, the team spent all week practicing in La Jolla, Calif., following its 24-17 win at Seattle to get ready for the Chargers. The extra time saved from not traveling across the country twice in four days translated into a 14-3 win at San Diego. |
| Falcons finish Season 6-2 Under Reeves 1997 Season |
After a difficult 1-7 start, the Falcons went 6-2 in their final eight games to finish 7-9, marking one of the best second-half comebacks in NFL history. QB Chris Chandler came on strong and ranked second in the NFL in QB rating (95.1) behind Steve Young en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance, joining teammate Jessie Tuggle. The real story of the season, however, was the tremendous play of the defensive line, which established a club-record 55 sacks to rank 2nd in the NFL. Chuck Smith (12.0 sacks) and Travis Hall (10.5 sacks) led the charge. |
| 1998 NFC Championship Season |
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