I have never been what you would call a real Falcon fan.
I enjoy when they win because they represent my hometown, but I don’t live and die with them like I do UGA. My passions lie with college football, not professional.
If I’m not in Athens on Saturday, you can rest assured I am in front of my TV watching games. But Sundays, those are days I choose to do other things and watching a bunch of over-paid showboats is not one of them.
COLUMN: It's tough to be a Falcon fan
Perhaps, one of the reasons I’ve never been a fan is that they’ve never really given me any hope of being a successful team.
Sure, they have had their moments of success like when they went to the Super Bowl a few years back but for most of their history they have had losing records each season.
In fact, they have NEVER, in their 43-year history, had winning seasons two years in a row and based on recent games, I don’t think that trend is going to change this year. Their overall record is 275-400-6. That’s ridiculous!
On June 30, 1965, Pete Rozelle, then Commissioner of the NFL, awarded a franchise to owner Rankin Smith, Sr. due, primarily, to pressure from the new American Football League who had also granted Atlanta a franchise. Smith accepted the NFL franchise.
As an expansion team the Falcons received the first pick in the draft that year and they selected Tommy Nobis, a linebacker from the University of Texas making him the first-ever Falcon. A few weeks later the expansion draft was held and the Falcons were able to add some castoffs from the other teams to fill out their roster.
I was at the first preseason game ever against the Philadelphia Eagles. My high school band played the National Anthem. They lost. The Falcons — not my band.
The Falcons then proceeded to lose their first nine regular season games. Here’s one for you Falcon trivia buffs. Which NFL team was the first to lose to the Falcons in regular season action? I’ll have the answer at the end of the column.
I often scratch my head and ask, “How can anyone be a Falcon fan? What possible hope do they give you that causes you to pull for them week after week when all they do is disappoint?”
So, to get some answers to these and other questions regarding the Falcons, I went to one of the most ardent Falcon fans I know: my pastor. The Rev. Terry Tippens is pastor of Winder First United Methodist Church and he has been a season ticket holder for over twenty years.
I began our conversation by asking him how does one stay a fan after all the frustration the team has given you over the years? His answer is one you might expect coming from a pastor. Terry said, “Loyalty.” I guess that does sum it up.
He explained that loyalty is actually a biblical principle so his loyalty to them (the Falcons) is the same type of loyalty that should be given to anybody or anything in which we believe.
Terry’s dad taught him to be a Falcon fan and those experiences of sharing the wins and losses with him have continued on through the years. Terry has continued the tradition by sharing his love of the Falcons with his three children: Nick, now a student at Duke University, Tyler, in high school and Michelle, a middle schooler.
I then asked Terry what some of the high points and low points have been for him over the years as he has followed Falcon football. Terry recalls several high points including a 47-17 home game win over the Rams in the 2004 playoffs; a win against the Packers and Brett Favre in 2002 at Lambeau Field which was their first home playoff loss ever; and the entire 1998 season which ended with a Super Bowl loss to the Broncos.
Some of his most memorable low points were a 59-0 loss to the Rams in 1976 at the end of a 4-10 season after two previous seasons of double digit losses; the rumors of moving the team to Jacksonville after the 1989 season in which they finished with a 3-13 record; and the Bobby Petrino/Michael Vick trouble in 2007. And I thought the Dawgs had a bad year going 7-5 this year.
One of the main reasons that I chose to write about the Falcons this week was what I witnessed as I watched their game with the Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday. Contrary to my statements above, I did have the game on because I will admit that I was interested to see how the fans would react to the return of Michael Vick and I was stunned by what I saw and heard as he stepped on to the field for the first time.
While there were some audible boos being delivered, I was amazed by how many people were actually standing and cheering for Vick, many of them still sporting his #7 Falcon jersey.
I asked Terry what his reaction to this was and he stated, “A true Falcon fan doesn’t cheer for the other team or any of its players.” How true! The very idea that anyone calling themself a Falcon fan could cheer for this guy is beyond me.
I’ve stated my case before. I don’t believe that Vick should have been allowed to ever play in the NFL again. I know he’s served his sentence and he has said and done the right things since then but he should not be allowed to play again. But that’s a topic for another column.
I admire those who consider themselves true Falcon fans. I am not one of them. You have withstood considerable frustration and disappointment over the years and you may be in for some more this year as well. Hang in there!
By the way, the answer is the New York Giants.
Winder resident Randy Blalock is a columnist for the Barrow Journal. He also recently wrote a children’s book titled, “What Cloud Does God Live In?” For comments about this column or to obtain a copy of his book, e-mail him at rblalock@mindspring.com.
Sure, they have had their moments of success like when they went to the Super Bowl a few years back but for most of their history they have had losing records each season.
In fact, they have NEVER, in their 43-year history, had winning seasons two years in a row and based on recent games, I don’t think that trend is going to change this year. Their overall record is 275-400-6. That’s ridiculous!
On June 30, 1965, Pete Rozelle, then Commissioner of the NFL, awarded a franchise to owner Rankin Smith, Sr. due, primarily, to pressure from the new American Football League who had also granted Atlanta a franchise. Smith accepted the NFL franchise.
As an expansion team the Falcons received the first pick in the draft that year and they selected Tommy Nobis, a linebacker from the University of Texas making him the first-ever Falcon. A few weeks later the expansion draft was held and the Falcons were able to add some castoffs from the other teams to fill out their roster.
I was at the first preseason game ever against the Philadelphia Eagles. My high school band played the National Anthem. They lost. The Falcons — not my band.
The Falcons then proceeded to lose their first nine regular season games. Here’s one for you Falcon trivia buffs. Which NFL team was the first to lose to the Falcons in regular season action? I’ll have the answer at the end of the column.
I often scratch my head and ask, “How can anyone be a Falcon fan? What possible hope do they give you that causes you to pull for them week after week when all they do is disappoint?”
So, to get some answers to these and other questions regarding the Falcons, I went to one of the most ardent Falcon fans I know: my pastor. The Rev. Terry Tippens is pastor of Winder First United Methodist Church and he has been a season ticket holder for over twenty years.
I began our conversation by asking him how does one stay a fan after all the frustration the team has given you over the years? His answer is one you might expect coming from a pastor. Terry said, “Loyalty.” I guess that does sum it up.
He explained that loyalty is actually a biblical principle so his loyalty to them (the Falcons) is the same type of loyalty that should be given to anybody or anything in which we believe.
Terry’s dad taught him to be a Falcon fan and those experiences of sharing the wins and losses with him have continued on through the years. Terry has continued the tradition by sharing his love of the Falcons with his three children: Nick, now a student at Duke University, Tyler, in high school and Michelle, a middle schooler.
I then asked Terry what some of the high points and low points have been for him over the years as he has followed Falcon football. Terry recalls several high points including a 47-17 home game win over the Rams in the 2004 playoffs; a win against the Packers and Brett Favre in 2002 at Lambeau Field which was their first home playoff loss ever; and the entire 1998 season which ended with a Super Bowl loss to the Broncos.
Some of his most memorable low points were a 59-0 loss to the Rams in 1976 at the end of a 4-10 season after two previous seasons of double digit losses; the rumors of moving the team to Jacksonville after the 1989 season in which they finished with a 3-13 record; and the Bobby Petrino/Michael Vick trouble in 2007. And I thought the Dawgs had a bad year going 7-5 this year.
One of the main reasons that I chose to write about the Falcons this week was what I witnessed as I watched their game with the Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday. Contrary to my statements above, I did have the game on because I will admit that I was interested to see how the fans would react to the return of Michael Vick and I was stunned by what I saw and heard as he stepped on to the field for the first time.
While there were some audible boos being delivered, I was amazed by how many people were actually standing and cheering for Vick, many of them still sporting his #7 Falcon jersey.
I asked Terry what his reaction to this was and he stated, “A true Falcon fan doesn’t cheer for the other team or any of its players.” How true! The very idea that anyone calling themself a Falcon fan could cheer for this guy is beyond me.
I’ve stated my case before. I don’t believe that Vick should have been allowed to ever play in the NFL again. I know he’s served his sentence and he has said and done the right things since then but he should not be allowed to play again. But that’s a topic for another column.
I admire those who consider themselves true Falcon fans. I am not one of them. You have withstood considerable frustration and disappointment over the years and you may be in for some more this year as well. Hang in there!
By the way, the answer is the New York Giants.
Winder resident Randy Blalock is a columnist for the Barrow Journal. He also recently wrote a children’s book titled, “What Cloud Does God Live In?” For comments about this column or to obtain a copy of his book, e-mail him at rblalock@mindspring.com.
Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry
No Trackbacks