The last time an Atlanta professional sports team won a ring was back in 1995 when the Braves won the World Series. It's been long overdue, and some are wondering if the city of Atlanta is cursed. (P.S. I don't count Atlanta United.)
The Falcons
The Falcons were Atlanta's first professional sports franchise founded in 1965. They were founded as an NFL expansion team, The Falcons struggled for many years. The franchise only won nine games in the 1960s. In 1978, the Falcons qualified for the playoffs and won the Wild Card game against he Philadelphia Eagles 14-13. The following week they lost to the Dallas Cowboys 27-20 in the Divisional Round. The Falcons again made the playoffs in 1982, but then lost to the Minnesota Vikings 30-21. For the next eight years the Falcons struggled, and had all losing seasons.
In 1989, the Falcons selected Deion Sanders in that years NFL Draft. Sanders nickname was "primetime" and he was a stud. Sanders went on to be a superstar, and set franchise records until he left for the San Francisco 49ers.
During the 1997 season the Falcons went 14-2 under new head coach Dan Reeves. Chris Chandler led the team at quarterback with explosive running back Jamal Anderson at running back. The Falcons edged the Vikings 30-27 in the NFC Championship game. Legendary kicker Morten Anderson hit a last second field in overtime to send the Falcons to the Super Bowl for the first time ever. John Elway and the Denver Broncos thrashed the Falcons 34-19.
In 2001, the Falcons traded up for the first pick and drafted Virginia Tech phenom Mike Vick. In college Vick was known for his scrambling ability, and also his arm. During his first year as a start he led the team to a 9-6-1 record and a playoff birth. The Falcons traveled Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers, and surprisingly won. The following week the Falcons lost to the Eagles 20-6.
During the 2003 season the Falcons struggled with the loss of Mike Vick to a broken leg, and went 5-11. Head coach Dan Reeves was then fired, and then in 2004 Jim Mora was hired. Mora went 11-5 in his first year and the Falcons had a first round bye in the playoffs. The Falcons thrashed the St. Louis Rams 47-17 but then got beat in the NFC Championship by the Eagles.
In 2007, news broke that Mike Vick was arrested on alleged dog fighting charges. He was tried then convicted, and then was sentenced to 23 months in prison. Falcons owner Arthur Blank then cut Vick. The team struggled to find a starting quarterback after Vick's departure. The team played Chris Redmon, Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich. The Falcons ended up with a 4-12 record that year and head coach Bobby Petrino literally left in the middle of the night.
During the 2008 NFL Draft the Falcons selected quarterback Matt Ryan out of Boston College in the first round. Since Ryan was drafted the Falcons have been more relevant in the NFL. In 2012 he led the Falcons to the NFC Championship game against the 49ers. The Falcons led 24-14, but blew the lead and lost 28-24.
Matt Ryan played his best season ever in 2016 and threw for over 4,900 yards and 38 TDs. He led the Falcons to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1997. The Falcons led the New England Patriots 28-3 but eventually blew that lead and lost in overtime. The next season in 2017 the Falcons came back with new offensive coordinator. The Falcons made the playoffs that year, and impressively beat the Rams in the Wild Card round just to lose to Philadelphia the next week.
No matter what happens, the Falcons just came seem to close.
The Braves
The Atlanta Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966, and were bought by Ted Turner in 1976. From 1966-1974 the Braves were worse than average, but during that time had Hank Aaron on the team. During Aaron's career in Atlanta he surpassed 3,000 hits, and broke Babe Ruth's MLB home run record.
Turner bought the Braves which kept them from moving away from Atlanta. Then he hired former manager Bobby Cox. Cox was fired in 1981 after he couldn't have many winning seasons. Though in 1986 Cox was hired as the Braves general manager, but in 1990 he appointed himself manager. The Braves did not really assert their dominance until the 1990s. Between 1990 and 1995 the Braves won the National League three times. Finally in 1995 (the year I was born) the Braves won the World Series beating the Cleveland Indians in six games. The Braves made the World Series two more times in 1996 and 1999, but lost to the New York Yankees both times.
The Braves had an impressive run from 1991 to 2005, but then struggled for a few years. In Bobby Cox's last year the Braves made it to the playoffs, but then were beaten by the San Francisco Giants in the Wild Card. In 2011, the Braves blew an 8.5 game lead on the St. Louis Cardinals in September. In 2012, the Braves made it into the Wild Card game against the Cardinals and lost again.
For a few years after that the Braves were in a rebuild, and even opened up Suntrust Park in 2017. Currently in 2019 the Braves have almost clinched the NL East, but who knows what might come in the playoffs.
The Hawks
In 1968 the St. Louis Hawks relocated to Atlanta making it the organization's new home. It wasn't until seven years later until the Atlanta Hawks started to show some progress. Between 1968 and 1975 the organization saw greats like Pistol "Pete" Maravich and Lou Hudson.
In 1982, the Hawks traded Josh Drew, Freeman Williams and $1 million for UGA standout Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins was a superstar, and helped for Hawks win 50 plus games from 1985 to 1989. During that time the Hawks never got past the Eastern Conference Finals. In 1993, Wilkins led the Hawks to a team record 57 wins, but couldn't make it out of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Following the season Wilkins left for the Los Angeles Clippers.
After Wilkins left, it wasn't until 2007 when the Hawks finally drafted a great pick in Al Horford. Horford proved to be the missing puzzle piece the Hawks needed, and played nine seasons for Atlanta. Then Horford had an issue with his pectoral muscle, and he missed a lot of time. The Hawks looked like real championship contenders during the 2014-2015 season.
In 2014-2015, the Hawks won 60 games, and set a team record for wins in a season. That year they made the Eastern Conference and played against the Cleveland Cavaliers. During the regular season the Hawks had gone 3-1 against the Cavaliers, but got swept in the ECF. During that series that Hawks suffered injuries, but either way were dominated by the Cavaliers. After the season ended Demarre Carroll left for the Toronto Raptors left during the free agency period.
In the following seasons the Hawks continued to make the playoffs, but only to get swept again by the Cavaliers. In 2017, Horford left for the Boston Celtics. Everyone thought Dwight Howard might have been the answer, but unfortunately he was not. The Hawks started a rebuild stage, and have since been trying to reach the playoffs again.
Almost that time..
Being an Atlanta sports fan is hard, and the city finally won a championship when Atlanta United won the MLS cup in only it's second year. Right now, it is almost time for the MLB playoffs, and the Falcons kickoff soon. The Hawks tip off in October. The Braves are currently leading the NL East, and are the second best team in the NL. The Falcons are about about to start a season injury free, and the Hawks have a solid 2019 draft class. Atlanta United could return to the MLS playoffs, but only time will tell if another Atlanta team blows their season away.
