This is the original logo of the National Football League Atlanta Falcons, used from their inaugural season as an expansion team in 1966 until 1989. The Falcons were originally owned by Rankin Smith Sr. and their first ever draft pick upon entering the league was Texas All America linebacker Tommy Nobis, who became the face of the franchise for their first 10 years of existence. The team has mostly a history of losing, with only 10 playoff appearances in 45 years of existence, and also made the collossal mistake of trading away a young Brett Favre early in his career. Besides Nobis, other notable Falcons over the years include Claude Humphrey, Steve Bartkowski, Deion Sanders, Michael Vick, Jamal Anderson and Michael Turner.