Jeff Van Note obit

FALCON FOREVER 

Atlanta Falcons legend dead at 80 as tributes pour in for icon who made six Pro Bowls – ‘should be in Hall of Fame’

 

He was not on the list.

THE Atlanta Falcons are mourning the loss of an icon who’s in the team’s Ring of Honor.

The Falcons announced the death of longtime offensive lineman Jeff Van Note.

Selected by the Falcons in the 11th round of the 1969 NFL Draft, Van Note became one of the team’s all-time stalwarts.

He played with Atlanta until the 1986 season.

Van Note played linebacker at college, but made the switch to center in the pros.

And he never looked back, becoming the starter in 1970 and earned a second-team All-Pro nod twice and making six Pro Bowls.

Today, we mourn the loss of a true Falcons legend,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement.

“Jeff Van Note dedicated 18 seasons to this franchise and became one of the most respected and beloved players in our history.

“He embodied toughness, resilience, humility, and an unwavering commitment to his team, qualities that earned him the admiration of generations of Falcons fans.”

NFL fans took the news hard on social media.

“Man. RIP Jeff Van Note. A true legend who should have been in the Hall of Fame already,” one wrote on X.

“One of my childhood heroes. RIP,” another said.

“This hits hard. Jeff was one of my favorite players after moving from Montana and becoming a Falcons fan. RIP, Jeff!!!,” a third added.

Van Note played an astounding 246 games with the Falcons, which is second only to his former teammate Mike Kenn in the organization’s history.

He missed just four games in his whole NFL career.

After his playing days, Van Note entered media, working as a color commentator for most of the 1990s and early 2000s.

He was a contributor and voice of Atlanta sports radio and the Falcons.

The Falcons inducted Van Note into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2006.

Van Note played at the University of Kentucky, where he was a running back and defensive end for the Kentucky Wildcats football team from 1966 to 1968.

During the 1969 season, he played minor league football with the Alabama (Huntsville) Hawks of the Continental Football League.

Van Note soon moved to center by Falcons head coach Norm Van Brocklin. Despite his modest draft status and lack of experience in the position, Van Note established himself as one of the finest centers in the NFL, making six Pro Bowls and helping the young Atlanta franchise to some of the greatest seasons in team history. His 18-year tenure with the Falcons is one of the 25 longest in NFL history and is the second longest while staying with the same team. He played in 246 games over this stretch, and his 225 games started as a Falcon is second in team history to Mike Kenn. Van Note missed a mere four games in his entire NFL career.

In his final home game at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium on December 14, 1986, the Falcons honored Van Note and presented him a 57 Chevy. He would also be voted by fans as the franchise's favorite player during the Falcons' 25th Anniversary season in 1991. Van Note would be inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.

After retiring from professional football, Van Note served as color commentator on the Atlanta Falcons and Kentucky Wildcats football broadcasts throughout the 1990s. Throughout this period, he would also frequently be heard on Atlanta airwaves as a sports-talk radio host.

Van Note also spent time alongside Joe McConnell as the color commentator for the Tennessee Oilers in 1997.

Van Note gave up his commentator positions with both teams following the 2003 season, but was called back into regular duty when Georgia Tech football analyst Kim King was unable to call games and later died in the fall of 2004.

Though no longer occupying the Falcons' play-by-play booth, he continued to appear weekly on the Falcons' radio broadcasts, hosting a studio pre-game show and taking calls following the game.

Van Note called the University of Kentucky/Middle Tennessee State game with Tom Leach on UK radio in September 2008, filling in for regular commentator Jeff Piecoro.

Career history

Alabama Hawks (1969)

Atlanta Falcons (1969–1986)

Awards and highlights

2× Second-team All-Pro (1979, 1982)

6× Pro Bowl (1974, 1975, 1979–1982)

Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor

Second-team All-SEC (1966)

Career NFL statistics

Games played  246

Games started  226