Former Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, after he was announced as a member of 2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, reflected on his five seasons with team Saturday at the Fox Theatre.
“The Falcons, it made my career to come here,” Gonzalez said. “It really did. Nothing against Kansas City, I was there for 12 years. Went to three playoffs games. Never won a playoff game. A lot of losing seasons. Fans were second to none. I loved it.
“But when I got to Atlanta, all of sudden you are a part of this amazing organization. You got to meet guys like Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones and John Abraham. We were going to the playoffs. We won a playoff game. We were playing the NFC Championship game. We were on TV every week. Monday Night Football. Sunday Night Football. It really was a nice bow tie on my career.”
Gonzalez was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round (13th overall) of the 1997 draft. The Falcons acquired Gonzalez in a 2009 trade with the Chiefs for a well-spent second-round pick.
Before the trade, he likely already was bound for Canton, Ohio. He played 190 games and caught 916 passes for 10,940 yards and 76 touchdowns for the Chiefs. In five seasons with the Falcons he added 80 games, 409 catches, 4,187 yards and 35 touchdowns.
Gonzalez’s 1,325 catches rank second to Jerry Rice (1,549) on the all-time receptions list. He was voted to 14 Pro Bowls.
He originally planned to play two seasons after the trade. He ended up playing five.
“It lasted a lot longer than I thought it was going to last,” Gonzalez said. “I thought I was only going to be here for two ears. After I was traded, general manager Thomas Dimitroff said, ‘Hey, I just gave up a second-round draft choice for you, can I get at least two years out of you.’ Obviously, that turned into five years.”
Gonzalez likes the city and used to frequent some of the restaurants in Buckhead.
“This is a great city,” Gonzalez said. “I love being back here this week. Driving around town seeing all of my old stomping grounds and favorite restaurants. I enjoyed this place. It’s a great town.”
Gonzalez used to play against former Denver cornerback Champ Bailey when he was with the Chiefs. Bailey, the former Georgia Bulldog, also is a member of the 2019 class.
“I didn’t like it when he was on me,” Gonzalez said. “He won some battles, and I won some battles. You want to go against guys like that and test you.”
Gonzalez sensed that he would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but it was a long wait in the hotel room.
“I just tried to keep myself busy,” Gonzalez said. “I knew I had a good chance. But still, when you get the knock, your heart drops. You see (Hall of Fame president David) Baker coming in door in this big blue suit. Big head and big hands.
“It was great. It’s what a lot of the guys told. I’m good friends with (Michael) Strahan and Warren Moon. They told me that there’s nothing like it.”
Things got pretty emotional.
“After I talked to Mr. Baker, he gave me his whole (speech), and I turned around and looked at my family,” Gonzalez said. “I saw that my cousin had tears in his eyes. My wife has tears in her eyes. Everybody is like crying.
“That’s when it hits you that it’s more than just me. It’s my family. It’s my friends that have been there since the beginning. I think that’s going to be the best part of this process. Sharing that process with them.”
The induction ceremony will be Aug. 3 in Canton, Ohio.
Gonzalez will become the ninth inductee with Falcons ties in the Hall of Fame, joining wide receiver Tommy McDonald (1967), kicker Morten Andersen (1995-2000 and 2006-07), running back Eric Dickerson (1993, four games), cornerback Deion Sanders (1989-93), defensive end Claude Humphrey (1968-1978), defensive end Chris Doleman (1994-95), quarterback Brett Favre (1991, four games) and general manager Bobby Beathard (scout 1968-71 and senior adviser 2002).
The other modern-era finalists were safety Steve Atwater, tackle Tony Boselli, wide receiver Isaac Bruce, coach Don Coryell, offensive lineman Alan Faneca, coach Tom Flores, offensive guard Steve Hutchinson, running back Edgerrin James and safety John Lynch.
Gonzalez will become the ninth modern-era tight end to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. He will join David Casper, Mike Dikta, John Mackey, Ozzie Newsome, Charlie Sanders, Shannon Sharpe, Jackie Smith and Kellen Winslow.
Gonzalez was pretty stoked.
“This is going to be great,” he said.
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