| 1969 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Rankin M. Smith Sr. |
| General manager | Frank E. Wall |
| Head coach | Norm Van Brocklin |
| Home field | Atlanta Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–8 |
| Division place | 3rd Coastal |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
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The 1969 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's fourth year in the National Football League (NFL). The team improved on their previous season's output of 2–12, winning six games.[1] The Falcons had yet to reach the postseason, and would not until 1978. The Falcons rookie squad would play a preseason game against the minor league Alabama Hawks.[2]
| 1969 Atlanta Falcons draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | George Kunz * | Tackle | Notre Dame | |
| 2 | 29 | Paul Gipson * | Running back | Houston | |
| 3 | 54 | Malcolm Snider | Tackle | Stanford | |
| 3 | 67 | Jon Sandstron | Guard | Oregon State | |
| 4 | 81 | James Mitchell * | Tight end | Prairie View A&M | |
| 4 | 103 | Dickie Lyons | Defensive back | Kentucky | |
| 5 | 127 | Tony Pleviak | Defensive end | Illinois | |
| 6 | 137 | Wally Oyler | Defensive back | Louisville | |
| 7 | 148 | Dick Enderle | Guard | Minnesota | |
| 7 | 164 | Ted Cottrell | Linebacker | Delaware Valley | |
| 8 | 185 | Jim Callahan | Wide receiver | Temple | |
| 10 | 237 | Jeff Stanciel | Running back | Mississippi Valley | |
| 11 | 262 | Jeff Van Note * | Linebacker | Kentucky | |
| 12 | 289 | Denver Samples | Defensive tackle | Texas–El Paso | |
| 13 | 314 | Harry Carpenter | Tackle | Tennessee State | |
| 14 | 341 | Billy Hunt | Defensive back | Kansas | |
| 15 | 366 | Jim Weatherford | Defensive back | Tennessee | |
| 16 | 393 | Ed Hughes | Running back | Texas Southern | |
| 17 | 418 | Paul Williams | Running back | California | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 21 | San Francisco 49ers | W 24–12 | 1–0 | Atlanta Stadium | 45,940 |
| 2 | September 28 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 7–17 | 1–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 58,031 |
| 3 | October 5 | Baltimore Colts | L 14–21 | 1–2 | Grant Fielda | 57,806 |
| 4 | October 12 | Dallas Cowboys | L 17–24 | 1–3 | Atlanta Stadium | 54,833 |
| 5 | October 19 | atSan Francisco 49ers | W 21–7 | 2–3 | Kezar Stadium | 28,684 |
| 6 | October 26 | atGreen Bay Packers | L 10–28 | 2–4 | Lambeau Field | 50,861 |
| 7 | November 2 | Los Angeles Rams | L 6–38 | 2–5 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 |
| 8 | November 9 | atDetroit Lions | L 21–27 | 2–6 | Tiger Stadium | 53,242 |
| 9 | November 16 | Chicago Bears | W 48–31 | 3–6 | Atlanta Stadium | 53,722 |
| 10 | November 23 | atWashington Redskins | L 20–27 | 3–7 | RFK Stadium | 50,345 |
| 11 | November 30 | atBaltimore Colts | L 6–13 | 3–8 | Memorial Stadium | 60,238 |
| 12 | December 7 | New Orleans Saints | W 45–17 | 4–8 | Atlanta Stadium | 51,021 |
| 13 | December 14 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | W 27–3 | 5–8 | Franklin Field | 60,658 |
| 14 | December 21 | Minnesota Vikings | W 10–3 | 6–8 | Atlanta Stadium | 52,872 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||
^a Atlanta Stadium was in use for the Atlanta Braves' NLCS game against the New York Mets, hence the Falcons moved their game to nearby Grant Field. As of 2023, this remains the only NFL game at Grant Field.[3]
| NFL Coastal | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Los Angeles Rams | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 5–1 | 7–3 | 320 | 243 | L3 |
| Baltimore Colts | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 3–3 | 5–4–1 | 279 | 268 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–4 | 4–6 | 276 | 268 | W3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 2–4 | 3–7 | 277 | 319 | W1 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
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| Stadiums |
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| Lore |
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| Rivalries |
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| Wild card / First round berths (8) |
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| Division championships (6) |
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| Conference championships (2) |
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| Ring of Honor |
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Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance |
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