Who: Moe Gardner
Starring role in Falcons' history: Gardner, a defensive tackle, played 90 games for the Falcons from 1991-96, starting 85. Quick and active, Gardner was a dependable member of the Falcons' front. He helped the team to two playoff berths, including a 37-20 loss at Green Bay's Lambeau Field on Dec. 31, 1995.
What he recalls: I think the biggest thing is everyone was excited to get there because we barely squeaked into the playoffs against San Francisco [the previous week]. We didn't have anything to lose.
They had a really big drive the closing minutes of the first half. I want to say Brett Favre threw to their tight end Mark Chmura to go up 27-10. We were back and forth, and you just want to get to halftime. They put that together, and that just kind of took the momentum a little bit away from us at that point.
Some stadiums just have that kind of aura that hearkens back to the beginnings of football. It's palpable. For a guy who grew up in the Midwest that didn't get to play in the Super Bowl, that game was one of the highlights of my playing career.
Where is he now? Gardner, 43, is married with four children and lives in Alpharetta. After football, Gardner earned a master's degree in library science at Clark Atlanta. He is now the program division manager at the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History, where he is responsible for creating events and galleries.
