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The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Rise Up: History )〕 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League (AFL). The AFL instead granted a franchise to Miami, Florida (the Miami Dolphins). The Falcons are tied with the Dolphins (who also began play in 1966) for being the oldest NFL franchise in the Deep South, and are the oldest NFC team in that region. In their 49 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 316–414–6 with division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, and 2012. Their only Super Bowl appearance was during the 1998 season in Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami.〔Super Bowl XXXIII.〕 The Falcons play their home games at the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta, but construction began on Mercedes-Benz Stadium in May 2014, with play beginning in the 2017 season. Their headquarters and practice facilities are located at a 50-acre site in Flowery Branch, Georgia.〔(Atlanta Falcons Corporate Headquarters and Training Facility )〕 ==Franchise history== Professional football first came to Atlanta in 1962, when the American Football League staged two preseason contests, with one featuring the Denver Broncos vs. the Houston Oilers and the second pitting the Dallas Texans against the Oakland Raiders. Two years later, the AFL held another exhibition, this time with the New York Jets taking on the San Diego Chargers. In 1965, after the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was built, the city of Atlanta felt the time was right to start pursuing professional football. One independent group which had been active in NFL exhibition promotions in Atlanta applied for franchises in both the American Football League and the National Football League, acting entirely on its own with no guarantee of stadium rights. Another group reported it had deposited earnest money for a team in the AFL. With everyone running in different directions, some local businessmen worked out a deal and were awarded an AFL franchise on June 7, 1965, contingent upon acquiring exclusive stadium rights from city officials. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, who had been moving slowly in Atlanta matters, was spurred by the AFL interest and headed on the next plane down to Atlanta to block the rival league's claim on the city of Atlanta.〔 He forced the city to make a choice between the two leagues. By June 30, the city picked Rankin Smith and the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons franchise began on June 30, 1965, when NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle granted ownership to 41-year-old Rankin Smith Sr.. Smith an Executive Vice President of Life Insurance Company of Georgia at the time, paid $8.5 million the highest price in NFL history at the time 1965 for an NFL franchise.〔 Former commissioner Pete Rozelle and Smith made the deal in about five minutes and the Atlanta Falcons brought the largest and most popular sport to the city of Atlanta. The Atlanta expansion franchise became the 15th NFL franchise, and they were awarded the first pick in the 1966 NFL draft as well as the final pick in each of the first five rounds.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1966 NFL Draft )〕 The Falcons drafted All-American linebacker Tommy Nobis from the University of Texas with the first pick of the draft, making him the first-ever Falcon. The league also held the 1966 NFL Expansion Draft six weeks later in which the Falcons selected unprotected players from existing franchises. Although the Falcons selected many good players in those drafts, they still were not able to win right away.〔 The Atlanta Falcons Football Club received its nickname on August 29, 1965. Miss Julia Elliott, a school teacher from Griffin, Georgia was singled out from many people who suggested "Falcons" as the Nickname for the new Georgia NFL franchise. She wrote: "the Falcon is proud and dignified, with great courage and fight. It never drops its prey. It is deadly and has a great sporting tradition."〔Nicknames http://www.profootballhof.com/history/nicknames.aspx〕 In February 2015, the team was investigated by the NFL for alleged use of artificial crowd noise in the Georgia Dome.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=NFL investigating Atlanta Falcons for fake crowd noise at Georgia Dome - ESPN )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Atlanta Falcons」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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