I’ve been a Falcons fan since my family moved to Atlanta in 1970. My dad used to get us tickets to games in Fulton County Stadium, where we’d brave the chill and rain the way football Is meant to be watched – outdoors --  especially in the South!  My father taught us what it was to be a real fan of the Braves and Falcons, back when it wasn’t a particularly popular thing to be. He’d never let us leave the games early, especially when we were getting clobbered. We weren’t allowed to boo. And when the National Anthem played, we’d put our right hands over our hearts and sing…loudly and proudly.  Around 1980, Dad got my little brother Frank and me tickets to a Monday Night Football game during the holidays back when Howard Cossell was broadcasting them.  We were so excited that we took one of our parents’ king-sized bed sheets and made a sign in bold letters that read, “Howard is our favorite turkey! Happy Thanksgiving!” Frank and I walked all the way around the stadium, then climbed high to hang the sign over an entranceway behind the goal posts. When we unfurled the sheet, the crowd around us roared their approval. I don’t think it ever did get mentioned on Monday Night Football, but we know they saw it and had a chuckle.

In 1999, my brother got my mom and me tickets to see the Falcons in their first and only Super Bowl in Miami – what a trip! We brought friends and, since my brother lives in Denver, we ended up sitting in some Denver section of the stadium where we made friends with Broncos fans and bet squares with them.  We won the bets, the Falcons lost the Super Bowl! Pooh!

Well, 2013 and we’re getting close, again. This is when my friends and family start ribbing me about how The Falcons are gonna choke.  This is where I lose money because I would NEVER bet against my team. This is where I get my hopes up, and won’t give up till that very last play. The best part is, I’m not alone. I know there are other peeps out there who have been as loyal as I, and who love The Falcons as much as I do. Here’s to us, and to The Falcons going ALL THE WAY this time!