Each hit town with a splash. Each dazzled us with deeds and flair. We loved them for a time, and then, for varying reasons, we stopped loving them. In light of Jeff Francoeur's sudden fall, we look back on four former toasts of the town, and we assess the career of Frenchy, the local boy who'd made good but who unaccountably went bad.

Pete Maravich

* RISE: Was the Hawks' No. 1 pick (third overall) in the 1970 draft. So excited was ABC about the advent of the all-time collegiate scoring leader that the network aired his regular-season debut on a college football Saturday. Alexander Memorial Coliseum was sold out for the occasion, and Pistol Pete was suddenly the hottest sporting figure in Hotlanta.

* FALL: Played here for four seasons, averaging 24.3 points on teams that posted one winning record (46-36 in 1972-73) and never won a playoff series. Clashed with teammates over his reluctance to share the ball, and in 1978, Sports Illustrated quoted Lou Hudson as saying, "He will be a loser, always, no matter what he does. That's his legacy."

* DEPARTURE: Was traded to the New Orleans Jazz on May 3, 1974, for Dean Meminger, Bob Kauffman and future draft picks. Led the NBA in scoring in 1976-77. Retired in 1980.

* DENOUEMENT: Died of a heart attack at the age of 40 playing pickup basketball on Jan. 5, 1988. Was named one of the NBA's 50 greatest players in 1996.

Deion Sanders

* RISE: Was the Falcons' No. 1 pick (fifth overall) in the 1989 draft. Missed all of training camp while playing for the New York Yankees but returned a punt for a touchdown in his first game as a Falcon. Signed with the Braves as a free agent in 1991 and shuttled via helicopter between football practice and baseball games during the epic pennant race that fall. Scored 10 touchdowns over five NFL seasons here. Led the Braves in hitting during the 1992 World Series.

* FALL: Enraged the Braves by leaving the team during the 1992 NLCS and flying via Nike-funded jet to Miami for a Falcons game. (He returned to Pittsburgh and sat in the dugout that night.) Enraged the Falcons, who fined him $68,000, by skipping the first three games of the 1992 season while off with the Braves.

* DEPARTURE: Was traded by the Braves to Cincinnati for Roberto Kelly in May 1994. Left the Falcons to sign with San Francisco as a free agent in 1994.

* DENOUEMENT: Remains the only man to play in both a World Series and a Super Bowl (winning it in his one season with the 49ers). Played for 10 organizations in two sports, most recently for the Ravens in 2005. Is a commentator for the NFL Network.

Steve Bartkowski

* RISE: Was the Falcons' No. 1 pick (first overall) in the 1975 draft. Named NFC rookie of the year by Sporting News. Led them to their first playoff victory in 1978. Passed for an NFL-leading 31 touchdowns —- still the team's single-season best —- in 1980 as the Falcons went 12-4. Dated Jan Stephenson, the LPGA pin-up.

* FALL: Limited mobility due to bad knees —- "I wouldn't want to pass-block for me," Bartkowski once said —- led to an inordinate number of sacks (51 in 1983 and 40 in 1984). From 1980 on, the Falcons had only one winning season with Bartkowski as quarterback. Was benched in favor of David Archer in October 1985 when the Falcons were 0-5.

* DEPARTURE: After the benching, the Falcons sought to waive Bartkowski even though he was hurt, which isn't allowed. Started six games for the L.A. Rams in 1986, after which he retired.

* DENOUEMENT: Lives in Atlanta; has had double knee-replacement surgery and has undergone treatment for colon cancer; sits on the Falcons' board of directors; is playing in the American Century Championship golf tournament in Lake Tahoe this weekend.

Michael Vick

* RISE: Was the Falcons' No. 1 pick (first overall) in the 2001 draft. Excitement over his selection led to a traffic jam on a Saturday morning outside the team's Flowery Branch headquarters. Led the Falcons to the playoffs and a famous postseason victory in Green Bay in 2002, his first season as a starter, and to the NFC title game in 2004. Made the Pro Bowl three times. Signed a 10-year, $130 million contract extension Dec. 23, 2004.

* FALL: Falcons failed to have winning seasons in 2005 and 2006, and Vick's passing numbers slid. Also began to make unsavory news: an ugly lawsuit by a former girlfriend; the impolite gesture to Georgia Dome fans after a loss to New Orleans in 2006; the water-bottle incident in the Miami airport in 2007. And then ...

* DEPARTURE: Was indicted on dogfighting charges last July; pleaded guilty in August; was sentenced to 23 months in prison in December. Filed for bankruptcy protection this week.

* DENOUEMENT: Remains on the Falcons' roster while incarcerated in Leavenworth, Kan., but is unlikely to play for them again.

Jeff Francoeur

* RISE: Was the Braves' No. 1 pick (23rd overall) in 2002. Joined the big-league team July 7, 2005, and hit a home run that night. Batted .300 with 48 RBIs and 14 homers in helping the Braves to their 14th consecutive division title. Finished third in voting for NL rookie of the year. Drove in 100-plus runs each of the next two seasons. Came to personify the latest wave of young and gifted Braves.

* FALL: Saw his average dip from .269 to .234 in six weeks this season. Went 12 games without an RBI. Went 14 games without an extra-base hit. On-base percentage plunged to .287. Began to hear boos at Turner Field. Was 1-for-23 over a six-game stretch and seemed utterly helpless, which led the Braves to ...

* DEPARTURE: Send him to Class AA Mississippi, where he stayed for three games, going 7-for-13 with two RBIs. Was recalled to the majors Monday. Hit a home run, his first in 27 days, in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

* PROGNOSIS: Good if he starts to hit; less good if he doesn't. If local history teaches us anything, it's that one year's toast of the town can become next year's ghost.

mbradley@ajc.com

On ajc.com/sports: Go online for photo galleries on Mark Bradley's "Toast to Ghost" players.