The season of 1971 might be considered to most casual observers as a mediocre year for the Atlanta Falcons. But it was actually a watershed year for the team. The 1971 season marked the first year that Atlanta achieved a winning record, finishing with a 7-6-1 mark. Their overall numbers were for the most part pedestrian.
They scored 274 points, which ranked smack dab in the middle of the 26-team NFL at that time. Their defense permitted 277 points, which also ranked 13th in the league. But anytime that a team establishes success with its first winning season, it should be recognized and remembered.
NORM VAN BROCKLIN'S YOUNG GUNS
The 1971 Atlanta Falcons were coached by none other than Norm Van Brocklin, the former Minnesota Vikings head coach. The majority of his players were under the age of 30, so the Dutchman had to give his youthful charges as much experience as they could possibly get. NFL roster sizes back then were only 40 active players, so practically every player on the 1971 Falcons team saw a good amount of action.
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On both sides of the ball, the 1971 Falcons showed signs of improvement from their previous seasons. Their offense scored 274 points in 1971, which placed them with a ranking of 13th-best in the NFL. They fell just 41 yards short of reaching 4,000 accumulated yards.
Atlanta’s passing attack was indeed stronger than their rushing attack in 1971. Quarterback Bob Berry started 10 games for Atlanta, and backup Dick Shiner started four games for the Falcons. Both of these signal callers experienced moderate success. Berry threw for 2,005 yards and 11 touchdowns that season, and Shiner contributed 463 yards and five scoring passes.
BALANCED AIR ATTACK
Both of those quarterbacks spread the ball out to several different receivers and setbacks in 1971. Art Malone came out of the backfield to lead the team in pass receptions with 34. Wide receiver Ken Burrow and tight end Jim Mitchell each snared 33 passes. Burrow led the Falcons with six touchdown receptions in 1971, and his average of 22.5 yards per catch is a record that still stands in the Atlanta record book.
Leading the Falcons rushing attack was Jim “Cannonball” Butler, who ran for 594 yards in 1971. Art Malone gouged out 438 ground yards and six scores. Harmon Wages pitched in with 266 yards, and Willie Belton added 237 more ground yards. Atlanta runners combined for 12 total rushing touchdowns in 1971.
The Falcons defense benefitted from a mixture of several young players and several established veterans. Middle linebacker Tommy Nobis and defensive end and future Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey were major team leaders. Defensive end John Zook and linebacker Greg Brezina were a quality pair of up and coming stars. Their defense intercepted 20 passes in 1971. Leading them in that category was cornerback Ken Reeves, who picked off six passes. The Falcons defense also recovered 39 fumbles in 1971.
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SYMMETRICAL SEE-SAW SEASON
The 1971 NFL season for Atlanta was quite a symmetrical see-saw of a season. It featured a slow start. After the first five weeks, the Falcons posted a lackluster 1-3-1 record. Three straight wins over New Orleans, Cleveland and Cincinnati boosted them back into at least some semblance of respectability, however. The remainder of the year leveled out with wins and losses intermixed with each other.
Atlanta’s first big win on the season’s opening day was a 20-17 triumph over the defending NFC Western Division Champion San Francisco 49ers. The Falcons defense may have given up 372 total yards in this contest, but they led the way in this victory, as they caused seven San Francisco turnovers.
The Falcons’ last big win came in the final game of the 1971 season at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Atlanta’s offense made the key plays that it needed to, especially late in the game. Ken Burrow caught a 22-yard touchdown from quarterback Bob Berry in the waning moments of this contest, and the Falcons had secured the first winning season in their history.
Trivia Question:
Which Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman actually caught a pass during the 1971 season?
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Host of Pro Football in the 1970s - Joe Zagorski
Throughout his days, Joe spent some time as a sportswriter and has been a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association since the mid-1980s. Joe is also a proud member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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