| 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 |
| Pro Bowlers | 1 |
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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] It marked the death of three players of the team in the space of two seasons (the previous year, cornerback David Croudip died of an overdose).
| 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 | |||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10 | Los Angeles Rams | L 21–31 | 0–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 38,708 |
| 2 | September 17 | Dallas Cowboys | W 27–21 | 1–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 55,285 |
| 3 | September 24 | atIndianapolis Colts | L 9–13 | 1–2 | Hoosier Dome | 57,816 |
| 4 | October 1 | atGreen Bay Packers | L 21–23 | 1–3 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 54,647 |
| 5 | October 8 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 14–26 | 1–4 | Anaheim Stadium | 52,182 |
| 6 | October 15 | New England Patriots | W 16–15 | 2–4 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 39,697 |
| 7 | October 22 | atPhoenix Cardinals | L 20–34 | 2–5 | Sun Devil Stadium | 33,894 |
| 8 | October 29 | atNew Orleans Saints | L 13–20 | 2–6 | Louisiana Superdome | 65,153 |
| 9 | November 5 | Buffalo Bills | W 30–28 | 3–6 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 45,267 |
| 10 | November 12 | atSan Francisco 49ers | L 3–45 | 3–7 | Candlestick Park | 59,914 |
| 11 | November 19 | New Orleans Saints | L 17–26 | 3–8 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 53,173 |
| 12 | November 26 | atNew York Jets | L 7–27 | 3–9 | Giants Stadium | 40,429 |
| 13 | December 3 | San Francisco 49ers | L 10–23 | 3–10 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 43,128 |
| 14 | December 10 | atMinnesota Vikings | L 17–43 | 3–11 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 58,116 |
| 15 | December 17 | Washington Redskins | L 30–31 | 3–12 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 37,501 |
| 16 | December 24 | Detroit Lions | L 24–31 | 3–13 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 7,792 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||
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[6] This would be the final win of the season for Atlanta.
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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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 |
The Falcons drew a franchise-low attendance of 7,792 for their finale, a 31–24 loss to the Detroit Lions on December 24.[7]
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| Franchise |
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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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| Current league affiliations |
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Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance |
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