The Falcons will be playing their 50th NFL season this fall and names like Tommy Nobis, Jeff Van Note, Steve Bartkowski, Claude Humphrey and Deion Sanders are likely to come to mind while revisiting memories about the franchise’s greatest players that began their careers in Atlanta.
But a strong case can also be made for George Kunz, who finished his career with as many Pro Bowls as Sanders (eight) but would do it in 11 seasons to Sanders’ 14.
Kunz, the offensive tackle with the memorable wavy 1970’s haircut, actually had one of the most interesting careers of any NFL player in the modern-day era. Who else can say that he was the second pick in the 1969 draft behind the infamous O.J. Simpson and then in 1974 was the reason Steve Bartkowski became a Falcon when Kunz was traded to Baltimore for the No. 1 pick, which turned into the franchise’s golden-boy quarterback? But let’s start in 10th grade in Los Angeles when Kunz was in the seminary. His mother was raising him in a house where they paid $75 a month in rent and suddenly puberty hit and Kunz, with mom in tow, showed up at Loyola High School in L.A. where he became one of the top offensive linemen in the country. In 1966, while southern teams like Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee were not scouting the West Coast and going through integration, a little school called Notre Dame and Ara Parseghian showed up in Kunz’s front door and signed him. In South Bend during his sophomore season (freshman were not eligible to play then), Kunz was on the 1966 national championship team though he tore his ACL in his second game that season. He did go on to make consensus All-America his senior season. In ’67 he actually played one game as a tight end and caught seven passes for 101 yards at Purdue but was moved back inside the next week when the starting right tackle went down with an injury. Kunz was also killing it in the classroom and was named an academic All-American, was a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete honoree and he won a NCAA post-graduate scholarship.
Meanwhile, Simpson, from Southern Cal, was a lock for the No. 1 pick, going to Buffalo while Falcons coach Norm Van Brocklin was looking to rebuild his offensive line and went with Kunz. It was a great choice for the club as he signed a three-year, $150,000 deal which included his signing bonus. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, got hurt his second year but returned to the Pro Bowl the next three years for the Falcons. Then, after the strike year in 1974 during which the team went 3-11, the Falcons desperately needed a quarterback and Kunz was their biggest asset. He, along with the Falcons’ No. 3 pick (became guard Ken Huff) were sent for the top pick. In Baltimore, Kunz helped turned around a team that was 2-12 in 1974 to 10-4 and a division crown and two more AFC East titles. He would make four Pro bowls there, opening holes for the great running back Lydell Mitchell. If it wouldn’t have been for a spinal fusion surgery in 1978, he most certainly would have finished with double-digit Pro Bowls. The injury was so bad he missed the entire ’79 season and retired after playing nine games in 1980. But the success continued as he opened and sold a group of one-hour photo stores as well as a chain of McDonald’s in Las Vegas. Like Humphrey’s long road to the Hall of Fame which finally ended last year, many feel Kunz belongs in Canton with other offensive line greats of his time which include Art Shell (eight Pro Bowls), Dan Dierdorf (six Pro Bowls) and Ron Yary (seven Pro Bowls).
Where he lives: Kunz, 67, lives in Las Vegas and has been married to Mary Sue for 46 years. His wife went to Gainesville High and they got married a few hours after a Falcons game when he ''still had mud behind his ears.'' They have one child, Matt, who is a city councilman in Milton and also played at Notre Dame.
What he does now: Kunz is an attorney, entering law school at Nevada-Las Vegas when he was 59 and actually had to have help from another student his first day of class. The lesson? How to turn on a computer. He is a lawyer today with a very healthy practice in family law and estate planning as well as doing pro bono work. He also finds time to get away and hunt with some of his former teammates.
On the colleges who recruited him: "I had good enough grades where every Ivy School team except Brown talked to me, all the schools in California and much of the Midwest. My mother wanted me to go to Stanford but I wanted to get a Catholic education.
On playing in South Bend: It was a privilege. I remember one game against Michigan State where there we something like 17 first-round picks on the field. I remember playing tight end in one game and catching seven passes. But the next week I was the tackle. I asked the coach what I did wrong and he said nothing but it was going to be better for the team if I just moved to tackle instead of them bringing in another guy there. It was a great idea.''
On playing for Van Brocklin: "The thing I remember most about Norm is he and his wife opening up his home to orphans when they were in their 40's. There is a good and bad side to everybody, but I think that is a sign of great character and dedication.''
On whether he experiences head trauma today: "The NFL Players Union has an agreement with the Cleveland clinic and they have a branch here in Las Vegas. I went in and they gave me a battery of tests. They said I had above average memory but my reactions were just normal. That bothered me because no first-round draft picks have just normal reactions and I went in and had an MRI. When the results came back, the doctor asked me if I had ever had a stroke. The doctor said (the MRI) showed there were certain capillaries that were not allowing blood to the brain. I don't know if that is attributable to football because I am 67 but it probably had something to do with it. I am just trying to keep my mind occupied, exercise and keep my weight down. I am financially fine but I'm more worried about the guys who are not. Like (Falcons teammate) Randy Johnson who was living in Florida off a small pension and died in a shed. That's who I worry about.''
On being the pick behind O.J.: "I was actually clerking in the same courthouse he was in when I was in law school and he was waiting for his (last) trial (in Las Vegas). I tried to go see him but they wouldn't let me and wrote him a letter but he never returned it.''
On the toughest defender he faced: "It was Claude Humphrey; going against him every day in practice. I was so happy to see him get into the Hall and had a great time at his induction.''
On his memories in Atlanta: "It is a great town with a lot of great people. It was great coming to a place where a young man would say 'yes, sir' and 'no, sir' to you. The poverty I saw, I wasn't ready for that but I was really exposed to a lot of diversity and the experience helped make me who I am.''
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