The 1991 Atlanta Falcons were not the greatest team in NFL history. Not by a long shot. They went 10-6, finished second in the NFC West (yes, Atlanta in the “West” don’t get me started), and won their Wild Card round playoff game at their bitter rivals, the New Orleans Saints. Then they got blown at Washington in the divisionals.
However the 1991 Atlanta Falcons were the coolest team in NFL history, and no one comes close.
They were the most fun team of all time. One could argue they were the most unique group in history.
The 1991 Atlanta Falcons were undoubtedly the first to bring hip-hop culture into the league, and they did it at the same time that rap itself was only starting to become mainstream.
They were the swaggiest team of all time.
Led by the flashy head coach Jerry Glanville and the flashier Deion Sanders.
“Neon” Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, Glanville and his “Gritz Blitz” defense and “Red Gun” offense, Andre “Show Time” Rison, Tim “Frequent Flyer” McKyer and more transformed Atlanta’s sports culture.
Before ’91 the Falcons were perennial doormats.
They pretty much had no history at all, having been in the league since 1966, but only won a single playoff game.
The ’91 Atlanta Falcons didn’t reach the Super Bowl (the franchise finally got there in 1998) but they revolutionized the cultural DNA of the league by bringing hip-hop, celebrity culture, and unfiltered showboating on to the gridiron.
You never saw attitude on a level like this, in the NFL. You never saw end zone dancing like this, or showboating on a level this entertaining.
Plus they were literally and figuratively “Too Legit to Quit.” You had MC Hammer, at the absolute peak of his popularity, on the sidelines at games.
Hammer even led team prayers in the locker room. Basically, you had one of the world’s biggest pop stars, and the hands down best-selling rapper at the time, acting as a de facto team member.
The current heavyweight boxing champion at the time, Evander Holyfield, was attending games and hanging out with the team too. Not to mention, James Brown, the Godfather of Soul actually came to practice too.
With an entourage like this, no one else could match that cool factor, and players wanted to perform when the big stars were watching them. It was added motivation to say the least.
And Hammer actually billed himself as such at the time. It doesn’t get any more “cool” than that. You will never find a NFL team with any more street cred than this.
Although in today’s NFL, the current Los Angeles Rams squad certainly have a degree of that “it factor.”
There is a reason that Rison, Sanders, Glanville and the Falcons cheerleaders made cameos in the “Too Legit to Quit” music video.
And it makes perfect sense that Prime Time, who was close friends with Hammer, introduced/led his “Pumps and a Bump” music video.
Hammer, of course, rocked Falcons However, all the stars aligned for Atlanta that season.
Prime Time had a perfect running mate in McCyer, on the opposite cornerback slot.
McCyer was just like Sanders in that he was cocky, but could also back it up on the field.
He won three Super Bowls over the course of his career. Deion won two, to along with his six first team All-Pro selections and 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
Glanville was the perfect coach for this team, as his brashness set the standard for everyone else to follow.
Rison amassed five different 1,000 yard receiving seasons, and over 10,000 career receiving yards. Miller made his only Pro Bowl during that magical ’91 season, but multiple concussions cut his career short.
The Falcons unfortunately slumped back to 6-10 in 1992 (when Miller tore his knee up in midseason, all was lost. Billy Joe Tolliver was just not that guy). That season was not the way they wanted to christen the brand new Georgia Dome and then the birds finished 6-10 again in 1993.
The team that didn’t just beat you, but had as much fun as possible in doing so, was now getting beat most of the time. By 1994, it was clear they were just a one year wonder, and the band starting breaking up.
However, the swagger lives on.
Sanders is now Coach Prime at Colorado, and his team is flamboyant just like he was, is and forever will be.
The 1991 Atlanta Falcons were revolutionary for the league, and no matter what you though of them at the time, you most certainly remember them; vividly.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.