Tommy Nobis, First Atlanta Falcon Ever, Dies At 74

ATLANTA, GA — They called him "Mr. Falcon." Tommy Nobis, the hard-nosed linebacker who became the first player ever for the Atlanta Falcons, died Wednesday, the team announced. He was 74.

Nobis died at his home, with his wife by his side, after an extended illness, according to the Falcons.

In the 1966 NFL Draft, Nobis was selected first overall out of the University of Texas by the newly created Falcons franchise. The hard-hitting San Antonio native made an immediate impact in the league, earning Rookie of the Year honors and tallying 296 tackles — which stands as the club's single-season record to this day.

In the years that followed, he would post career numbers comparable to more famous contemporaries like Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke, but would be largely overshadowed due to laboring his entire 11-year career for a then-moribund Falcons squad.

He earned five Pro Bowl selections and led the Falcons in tackles in nine of those 11 years. In 1970, Nobis finished second in an ABC poll to pick the best athlete of the 1960s.

The team retired Nobis's No. 60 upon his own retirement in 1976, making him the only Falcon to ever wear it, and in 1983 he was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

In 2004, Nobis joined running back William Andrews, quarterback Steve Bartkowski, and linebacker Jessie Tuggle as an inaugural member of the Falcons Ring of Honor.

"On behalf of the Atlanta Falcons we extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the great Tommy Nobis," Falcons owner and chairman Arthur Blank said in a written statement. "Tommy’s legacy began as the first Falcons player in team history, was built over 40 years with the organization and will live on for years to come in our Ring of Honor. 'Mr. Falcon' is rightfully beloved by generations of Falcons fans and we will always be grateful for his many contributions to our team and community."

In his post-football years, Nobis became as well-known in Atlanta for his philanthropic work as for his play. For more than 40 years, The Tommy Nobis Center — now known officially as Nobis Works — has been dedicated to working with people with mental and physical disabilities.

Through the years, more than 25,000 people have found and kept meaningful jobs through the center, which is located in Marietta.

Sadly, Nobis had declined mentally in his later years, a fact his family ascribes to his years on the gridiron. He was one of more than 250 former players in an NFL program that reimburses its retirees for treatment for cognitive issues like dementia, Parkinson's and ALS.

He also was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the NFL regarding damage caused by repeated concussions to players.

In February, his wife, Lynn, told the Houston Chronicle that she wasn't sure whether the man called "Mr. Falcon" would even watch his old team during their second-ever appearance in the Super Bowl.

"We've told him the Falcons are in the Super Bowl, and we wear red and black," she told the paper. "But it doesn't seem to click. I don't know if he understands."

She continued: "It's sad what football has done to these players. But I know he loved it more than anything. He wouldn't have had it any other way."

Nobis is survived by Lynn, his three children, Tommy, Kevin and Devon, and eight grandchildren.

In this Sept. 20, 2009, file photo, former Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowler Tommy Nobis (60), the first player ever drafted by the franchise, is introduced along with other members of the 1966 inaugural team during halftime of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)