Tommy Nobis was the very first pick in Falcons history. Given the team’s fraught history, you would expect that pick to have not worked out, but Nobis grew into a legitimate legend. He finished his long career with favorable comparisons to Dick Butkus, an obvious spot in the Falcons’ Ring of Honor, and a lifetime of appreciation in NFL circles. It is borderline criminal that he is still not in the Hall of Fame after all these years.
Unfortunately, Nobis died today at the age of 74. It’s both a shock—74 seems young, somehow—and a loss for all of us.