1989 Atlanta Falcons season
| 1989 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach |
Marion Campbell Jim Hanifan (interim) |
| Home field | Fulton County Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–13 |
| Division place | 4th NFC West |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
The 1989 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 24th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Falcons drafted Deion Sanders with their first round pick in the NFL Draft. Marion Campbell retired after the twelfth game of the season.[1]
Despite having Sanders in their defensive backfield, the Falcons surrendered 7.59 yards per pass attempt (including quarterback sacks) in 1989, one of the ten worst totals in NFL history.[2]
The latter part of the season was marred by two tragedies. On November 24, rookie offensive tackle Ralph Norwood was killed in an automobile accident eight miles from the Falcons' training facilities.[3] Just under a month later, on December 19, backup tight end Brad Beckman was also killed in an auto accident.[4]
Offseason
NFL Draft
| 1989 Atlanta Falcons draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Deion Sanders * † | Cornerback | Florida State | |
| 1 | 27 | Shawn Collins | Wide receiver | Northern Arizona | |
| 2 | 38 | Ralph Norwood | Offensive tackle | LSU | |
| 3 | 62 | Keith Jones | Running back | Illinois | |
| 6 | 145 | Troy Sadowski | Tight end | Georgia | |
| 7 | 172 | Undra Johnson | Running back | West Virginia | |
| 8 | 202 | Paul Singer | Quarterback | Western Illinois | |
| 9 | 229 | Chris Dunn | Linebacker | Cal Poly | |
| 11 | 286 | Greg Paterra | Running back | Slippery Rock | |
| 12 | 313 | Tony Bowick | Defensive tackle | Chattanooga | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff
| 1989 Atlanta Falcons staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10, 1989 | Los Angeles Rams | L 31–21 | |
| 2 | September 17, 1989 | Dallas Cowboys | W 27–21 | |
| 3 | September 24, 1989 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 13–9 | |
| 4 | October 1, 1989 | at Green Bay Packers | L 23–21 | |
| 5 | October 8, 1989 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 26–14 | |
| 6 | October 15, 1989 | New England Patriots | W 16–15 | |
| 7 | October 22, 1989 | at Phoenix Cardinals | L 34–20 | |
| 8 | October 29, 1989 | at New Orleans Saints | L 20–13 | |
| 9 | November 5, 1989 | Buffalo Bills | W 30–28 | |
| 10 | November 12, 1989 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 45–3 | |
| 11 | November 19, 1989 | New Orleans Saints | L 26–17 | |
| 12 | November 26, 1989 | at New York Jets | L 27–7 | |
| 13 | December 3, 1989 | San Francisco 49ers | L 23–10 | |
| 14 | December 10, 1989 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 43–17 | |
| 15 | December 17, 1989 | Washington Redskins | L 31–30 | |
| 16 | December 24, 1989 | Detroit Lions | L 31–24 | |
Standings
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| San Francisco 49ers(1) | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 5–1 | 10–2 | 442 | 253 | W5 |
| Los Angeles Rams(5) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 426 | 344 | W2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 5–7 | 386 | 301 | W3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 0–6 | 1–11 | 279 | 437 | L7 |
Awards and records
- Shawn Collins, led all NFL rookie wide receivers in receptions (58)
Milestones
The Falcons drew a franchise-low attendance of 7,792 for their finale, a 31–24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Dec. 24.[6]
References
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p.98
- ↑ Cold Hard Football Facts: Ryan Kalil ad: Carolina D not up to the task
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/26/sports/pro-football-no-drug-found-in-falcon.html
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/19/sports/sports-news-briefs-car-crash-kills-falcon-tight-end.html
- ↑ "1989 Atlanta Falcons Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
- ↑ New York Times December 25, 1989