Quinn pays tribute to Tommy ‘Mr. Falcon’ Nobis
Falcons coach Dan Quinn paid tribute to Tommy Nobis before his press conference on Thursday.
Here’s what he said:
“Before we get started today, I want to make we sure we pay our respects to the original Falcon for Tommy Nobis. Not only was he the first pick for the franchise and a great player, but off the field he left a huge impact and was also the NFL man of the year. I thought he was a good example for the team. You can take it as far as you want. When I told them about him being a senior in college and being voted the best linebacker and offensive lineman in the country the same year, they just kind of shook their heads in disbelief how that could happen.
“I also went on tell the rookies that he set a record of 294 tackles as a rookie which is an average of over 20 a game. So, I don’t want to hear any stuff about a rookie wall. From here on, we have the Nobis rule in effect.
“For the team here, we were black jerseys on Fridays and some during the season. That is a tribute to the men who started this Brotherhood in 1966, so I want to think of his family today and the impact that he had in our community.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
