1966_Atlanta_Falcons_season
1966 Atlanta Falcons season
NFL team season (Inaugural season)
The 1966 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's inaugural season in the National Football League (NFL). The Falcons finished in seventh place in the NFL Eastern Conference with a record of 3–11, ahead of only the New York Giants.
| 1966 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Rankin M. Smith Sr. |
| Head coach | Norb Hecker |
| Home field | Atlanta Stadium |
| Local radio | WSB |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–11 |
| Conference place | 7th NFL Eastern |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | LB Tommy Nobis |
The Falcons attempted to acquire Green Bay Packers running back Jim Taylor. There were tensions in Green Bay because the Packers first round pick, Jim Grabowski would be groomed to take over for Taylor.[1] The signing of Grabowski upset Taylor but he stated he would leave Green Bay once his contract expired, therefore the Falcons could not acquire the running back.
NFL Draft
Due to the addition of the team for the 1966 NFL season, the Falcons were allotted the first pick in all twenty rounds of the 1966 NFL draft, as well as five compensatory picks and the end of the first five rounds.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Tommy Nobis | Linebacker | Texas |
| 1 | 16 | Randy Johnson | Quarterback | Texas A&I |
| 2 | 17 | Nick Rassas | Defensive Back | Notre Dame |
| 2 | 32 | Jerry Jones | Tackle | Bowling Green |
| 3 | 33 | Mike Dennis | Running Back | Mississippi |
| 3 | 48 | Phil Sheridan | Wide Receiver | Notre Dame |
| 4 | 49 | Ken Reaves | Defensive Back | Virginia State |
| 4 | 64 | Willie Asbury | Running Back | Kent State |
| 5 | 65 | Bill Wolski | Running Back | Notre Dame |
| 5 | 80 | Martin Kahn | Tackle | North Texas State |
| 6 | 81 | Charley Casey | Wide Receiver | Florida |
| 7 | 96 | William Johnson | Running Back | University of the South |
| 8 | 111 | Bill Goss | Linebacker | Tulane |
| 9 | 126 | Bob Sanders | Center | North Texas State |
| 10 | 141 | Mike Bender | Guard | Arkansas |
| 11 | 156 | Steve Sloan | Quarterback | Alabama |
| 12 | 171 | Ken Hollister | Tackle | Indiana |
| 13 | 186 | Bob Collins | Tackle | South Carolina |
| 14 | 201 | Steve Ecker | Kicker | Shippensburg |
| 15 | 216 | Tom Tolleson | Wide Receiver | Alabama |
| 16 | 231 | Jim Vining | Guard | Rice |
| 17 | 246 | Lurley Archambeau | Center | Toledo |
| 18 | 261 | Doug Korver | Center | Southern Iowa |
| 19 | 276 | Walt Mainer | Defensive Back | Xavier |
| 20 | 291 | Bob Riggle | Defensive Back | Penn State |
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
|
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Rookies in italics | ||||||
The Falcons played their first game (preseason) on August 1, 1966, against the Philadelphia Eagles before a crowd of 26,072 at Atlanta Stadium, a two-point Falcons loss, 9–7.[2][3] In their inaugural regular season, Atlanta played each of the fourteen other teams in the league once. The Falcons lost their first nine regular season games; their first win was on the road against the New York Giants, 27–16, on November 20.[4][5] Former Giant Ernie Wheelwright scored two touchdowns receiving and ran for 51 more yards as QB Randy Johnson hit for a trio of touchdowns.
Their first ever home victory was over the St. Louis Cardinals, 16–10, before 57,169 on December 11.[6] The Falcons ended their inaugural season at 3–11, yet Tommy Nobis won the NFL Rookie of the Year Award and became the first Falcon named to the Pro Bowl.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 11 | Los Angeles Rams | L 14–19 | 0–1 | Atlanta Stadium | 54,418 | Recap |
| 2 | September 18 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 10–23 | 0–2 | Franklin Field | 54,049 | Recap |
| 3 | September 25 | at Detroit Lions | L 10–28 | 0–3 | Tiger Stadium | 47,615 | Recap |
| 4 | October 2 | Dallas Cowboys | L 14–47 | 0–4 | Atlanta Stadium | 56,990 | Recap |
| 5 | October 9 | at Washington Redskins | L 20–33 | 0–5 | D.C. Stadium | 50,116 | Recap |
| 6 | October 16 | San Francisco 49ers | L 7–44 | 0–6 | Atlanta Stadium | 54,788 | Recap |
| 7 | October 23 | at Green Bay Packers | L 3–56 | 0–7 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 48,623 | Recap |
| 8 | October 30 | Cleveland Browns | L 17–49 | 0–8 | Atlanta Stadium | 57,235 | Recap |
| 9 | Bye | ||||||
| 10 | November 13 | Baltimore Colts | L 7–19 | 0–9 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 | Recap |
| 11 | November 20 | at New York Giants | W 27–16 | 1–9 | Yankee Stadium | 62,746 | Recap |
| 12 | November 27 | at Chicago Bears | L 6–23 | 1–10 | Wrigley Field | 44,777 | Recap |
| 13 | December 4 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 20–13 | 2–10 | Metropolitan Stadium | 37,117 | Recap |
| 14 | December 11 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 16–10 | 3–10 | Atlanta Stadium | 57,169 | Recap |
| 15 | December 18 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 33–57 [note 1] | 3–11 | Atlanta Stadium | 56,229 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
- A bye week was necessary in 1966, as the league expanded to an odd-number (15) of teams (Atlanta); one team was idle each week.
Game Summaries
Week 1 vs Los Angeles Rams
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 3 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| Falcons | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
- Date: September 11
- Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C)
- Box Score
Week 11 at New York Giants
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Yankee Stadium, New York City
- Date: November 20
- Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C)
- Box Score
| NFL Eastern Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 9–3–1 | 445 | 239 | W1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 8–5 | 326 | 340 | W4 | |
| Cleveland Browns | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 9–4 | 403 | 259 | W1 | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 7–5–1 | 264 | 265 | L3 | |
| Washington Redskins | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 7–6 | 351 | 355 | L1 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 4–8–1 | 316 | 347 | W2 | |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 2–5 | 204 | 437 | L1 | |
| New York Giants | 1 | 12 | 1 | .077 | 1–11–1 | 263 | 501 | L8 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
- Tommy Nobis, NFL Rookie of the Year[8]
- When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss,p. 385, Simon & Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-84418-3
- "Fledgling Falcons lose, but scare Philadelphia". Rome News-Tribune. Georgia. UPI. August 2, 1966. p. 7.
- "Falcons drop close game; grid squabbles continue". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. August 2, 1966. p. 13.
- "Falcons finally make it - cut down Giants for first victory". Rome News-Tribune. Georgia. Associated Press. November 21, 1966. p. 8.
- "Major Events in Falcons History" Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, NFL
- "Atlanta 'stacks 'Cards' against St. Louis, 16-10". Rome News-Tribune. Georgia. Associated Press. December 12, 1966. p. 8.
- "Sporting News Rookie of the Year Winners". Pro Football Reference.
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