Atlanta Falcons fans who endured the first two decades of this franchise’s existence were only occasionally rewarded with winning seasons, much less greatness. As has been the case for the Falcons throughout their 60 year history, it was up to individual stars to make this franchise feel special when the wins and losses didn’t feel special at all.
So you watched Tommy Nobis, an underrated great who had the undying respect of his peers. You rooted hard for Claude Humphrey, who put together the first
leg of a Hall of Fame career in Atlanta. You winced as Steve Bartkowski took big hits and cheered as he still delivered some of the franchise’s biggest passes. Later on, you watched William Andrews glide and dance through defenders and mourned the career he might have had if not for injury.
But if you were a fan of this team all the way back to the 60s, mostly you watched Jeff Van Note. Maybe he didn’t jump out to you on a play-by-play basis, but you saw him every single game mauling some hapless defensive tackle, paving the way for a rotating cast of runners, and keeping everyone from Bob Berry to David Archer upright. You watched him suit up in rain and sunshine, for the worst and best squads the Falcons had to offer, surrounded by players and coaching staffs who continually turned over and changed. The constant was Van Note, with a bloody nose and an injured knee, with that mustache and his 57 jersey crouched over the ball for thousands upon thousands of snaps. He did it for 18 years, missing only four games with that aforementioned knee injury, and along the way Van Note became the greatest center in Falcons history and one of the finest centers the NFL produced in the era.
What made Jeff Van Note great—inspiring, even—was that consistency. He did something he loved and was good at tenaciously, professionally, and with little complaint, no matter how dark and dumb everything around him might have been or felt. He gave so much to this franchise as a player, a legend, and later a broadcaster that it was a no-brainer to make the six-time Pro Bowler a Ring of Honor inductee. The very best players and people the Falcons have offered us over these many years, from Van Note to Mike Kenn to Julio Jones to Grady Jarrett to Matt Ryan, have followed in his footsteps by coming to play, by leading in word and deed, and showing up on Sundays to try to drag this impossible franchise to greatness with everything they could give. It’s a wonder, and the work and the dignity and the consistency are something we can all admire and emulate in our own lives.
Jeff Van Note has died, as the headline says, and we mourn the passing of a Falcons legend. But we also remember Jeff Van Note as a good man and a great player who gave so much to our favorite team, and we can and should kindle that memory for many, many years to come.
