List of Atlanta Falcons head coaches

Raheem Morris (pictured in 2015) is the current Falcons head coach

The Atlanta Falcons are an American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are members of the South division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Falcons joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1966, and have compiled an all-time record of 337 wins, 436 losses, and 6 ties. The team has won the NFC West championship twice in 1980 and 1998 and the NFC South championship 4 times in 2004, 2010, 2012 and 2016. The Falcons have appeared in two Super Bowls, losing both times; their first appearance was in Super Bowl XXXIII, with the Falcons falling to the Denver Broncos 19–34, and the second was in Super Bowl LI, where the Falcons fell to the New England Patriots 28–34 in overtime.[1]

There have been 18 head coaches for the Falcons franchise, 13 serving full-time. Among full-time head coaches, Mike Smith is the Falcons' winningest and longest tenured head coach, with a 66–46 regular season record. Under Smith's leadership, the team attained consecutive winning seasons (11–5 in 2008 and 9–7 in 2009), consecutive playoff appearances (2010 and 2011), and consecutive seasons with 10 wins or more (also in 2010 and 2011) for the first time in franchise history. Also, Smith is the only Falcons coach to win 2 divisional titles (NFC South, 2010 and 2012).

## Key

[edit]

# | Number of coaches[N 1]

|

Yrs | Years coached
First | First season coached
Last | Last season coached
GC | Games Coached
W | Wins
L | Loses
T | Ties
Win% | Win – Loss percentage
00‡  | Elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player
00*  | Spent entire NFL head coaching career with the Falcons

## Coaches

[edit]

Note: Statistics are correct as of end of the 2023 NFL season.
#  | Image  | Name  | Term[N 2] | Regular season  | Playoffs  | Accomplishments  | Ref.

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Yrs  | First  | Last  | GC  | W  | L  | T  | Win%  | GC  | W  | L
1  |  | Norb Hecker*  | 3  | 1966 | 1968[N 3] | 31  | 4  | 26  | 1  | .133  | —  |  | [2]
2  |  | Norm Van Brocklin‡ | 7  | 1968[N 3] | 1974[N 4] | 89  | 37  | 49  | 3  | .430  | —  |  | [3]
3  |  | Marion Campbell[N 5] | 3  | 1974[N 4] | 1976[N 6] | 25  | 6  | 19  | 0  | .240  | —  |  | [4]
4  |  | Pat Peppler*  | 1  | 1976[N 6] | 9  | 3  | 6  | 0  | .333  | —  |  | [5]
5  |  | Leeman Bennett | 6  | 1977 | 1982 | 87  | 46  | 41  | 0  | .529  | 4  | 1  | 3  | 1 NFC West Championship (1978)
3 Playoff Berths
2 UPI NFL Coach of the Year Awards (1977, 1980)  | [6]
6  |  | Dan Henning | 4  | 1983 | 1986 | 64  | 22  | 41  | 1  | .352  | —  |  | [7]
–  |  | Marion Campbell[N 5] | 3  | 1987 | 1989[N 7] | 43  | 11  | 32  | 0  | .256  | —  |  | [4]
7  |  | Jim Hanifan | 1  | 1989[N 7] | 4  | 0  | 4  | 0  | .000  | —  |  | [8]
8  |  | Jerry Glanville | 4  | 1990 | 1993 | 64  | 27  | 37  | 0  | .422  | 2  | 1  | 1  | 1 Playoff Berth | [9]
9  |  | June Jones | 3  | 1994 | 1996 | 48  | 19  | 29  | 0  | .396  | 1  | 0  | 1  | 1 Playoff Berth | [10]
10  |  | Dan Reeves | 7  | 1997 | 2003[N 8] | 109  | 49  | 59  | 1  | .454  | 5  | 3  | 2  | 1 NFC Championship (1998)
1 NFC South Championship (1998)
2 Playoff Berths
1 AP NFL Coach of the Year Award (1998) | [11]
11  |  | Wade Phillips | 1  | 2003[N 8] | 3  | 2  | 1  | 0  | .667  | —  |  | [12]
12  |  | Jim L. Mora | 3  | 2004 | 2006 | 48  | 26  | 22  | 0  | .542  | 2  | 1  | 1  | 1 NFC South Championship (2004)
1 Playoff Berth | [13]
13  |  | Bobby Petrino*  | 1  | 2007[N 9] | 13  | 3  | 10  | 0  | .231  | —  |  | [14]
14  |  | Emmitt Thomas* ‡ | 1  | 3  | 1  | 2  | 0  | .333  | —  |  | [15]
15  |  | Mike Smith*  | 7  | 2008 | 2014 | 112  | 66  | 46  | 0  | .589  | 5  | 1  | 4  | 2 NFC South Championships (2010, 2012)
4 Playoff Berths
1 AP NFL Coach of the Year Award (2008)[16] | [17]
16  |  | Dan Quinn | 6  | 2015 | 2020[N 10] | 85  | 43  | 42  | 0  | .506  | 5  | 3  | 2  | 1 NFC Championship (2016)
1 NFC South Championship (2016)
2 Playoff Berths | [18]
17  |  | Raheem Morris | 1  | 2020[N 10] | 11  | 4  | 7  | 0  | .364  | —  |  | [19]
18  |  | Arthur Smith*  | 3  | 2021 | 2023 | 51  | 21  | 30  | 0  | .412  | —  |  | [20]
–  |  | Raheem Morris | 0  | 2024–present  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | –  | —  |  | [19]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ A running total of the number of coaches of the Falcons. Thus, any coach who has two or more terms as head coach is only counted once.
2. ^ Each year is linked to an article about that particular NFL season.
3. ^ a b When Atlanta began the 1968 NFL season by dropping their first three games, Hecker was fired on October 1 and replaced by former Viking head coach Norm Van Brocklin.
4. ^ a b After winning just two of his first eight games in 1974, Van Brocklin was fired. He was replaced by defensive coordinator Campbell on an interim basis.
5. ^ a b Marion Campbell's full coaching record with the Falcons is 68 regular season games coached with a record of 17–51 (.250)
6. ^ a b After a 1-4 start to the season, head coach Marion Campbell was fired by general manager Pat Peppler, who himself would close out the season as the interim head coach and finish the season with a 3-6 record.
7. ^ a b Marion Campbell retired after the twelfth game of the season and replaced by offensive line coach, Jim Hanifan, on an interim basis.
8. ^ a b After losing seven straight games, Dan Reeves was let go by Falcons management, and Wade Phillps took over for the rest of the season.
9. ^ Petrino resigned just 13 games into the season to coach Arkansas. He was replaced by defensive backs coach Thomas on an interim basis.
10. ^ a b Quinn was fired after starting the season 0–5. He was replaced by defensive coordinator Morris on an interim basis.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Atlanta Falcons". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 5, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
2. ^ "Norb Hecker Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 6, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
3. ^ "Norm Van Brocklin Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
4. ^ a b "Marion Campbell Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
5. ^ "Pat Peppler Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on September 10, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
6. ^ "Leeman Bennett Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 8, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
7. ^ "Dan Henning Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
8. ^ "Jim Hanifan Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
9. ^ "Jerry Glanville Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
10. ^ "June Jones Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on September 8, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
11. ^ "Dan Reeves Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
12. ^ "Wade Phillips Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
13. ^ "Jim Mora Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on February 14, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
14. ^ "Bobby Petrino Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
15. ^ "Emmitt Thomas Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
16. ^ "Falcons' Smith voted as coach of year". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
17. ^ "Mike Smith Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on September 19, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
18. ^ "Dan Quinn Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
19. ^ a b "Raheem Morris Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
20. ^ "Arthur Smith Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2024.

* v
* t
* e

Atlanta Falcons

* Founded in 1966
* Based in Atlanta, Georgia
* Headquartered in Flowery Branch, Georgia

Franchise|

* Franchise
* Team history
* Seasons
* Players
* Quarterbacks
* Head coaches
* Expansion draft
* Draft history
* First-round draft picks

Stadiums|

* Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
* Georgia Dome
* Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Culture|

* Rankin M. Smith Sr.
* Arthur Blank
* Freddie Falcon
* The "Dirty Bird" (dance)
* "2 Legit 2 Quit"
* Brian Banks
* Quarterback

Lore|

* Grits Blitz
* Gary Anderson's missed field goal
* Michael Vick dog fighting investigation
* Timeline
* 28–3

Rivalries|

* Carolina Panthers
* New Orleans Saints
* Philadelphia Eagles
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Wild card / First round berths (8)|

* 1978
* 1982
* 1991
* 1995
* 2002
* 2008
* 2011
* 2017

Division championships (6)|

* 1980
* 1998
* 2004
* 2010
* 2012
* 2016

Conference championships (2)|

* 1998
* 2016

Ring of Honor|

* 10
* 21
* 28
* 31
* 42
* 57
* 58
* 60
* 78
* 84
* 87

Current league affiliations|

* League: National Football League
* Conference: National Football Conference
* Division: South Division

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Atlanta Falcons head coaches

* Norb Hecker (1966–1968)
* Norm Van Brocklin (1968–1974)
* Marion Campbell (1974–1976)
* Pat Peppler # (1976)
* Leeman Bennett (1977–1982)
* Dan Henning (1983–1986)
* Marion Campbell (1987–1989)
* Jim Hanifan # (1989)
* Jerry Glanville (1990–1993)
* June Jones (1994–1996)
* Dan Reeves (1997–2003)
* Wade Phillips # (2003)
* Jim Mora (2004–2006)
* Bobby Petrino (2007)
* Emmitt Thomas # (2007)
* Mike Smith (2008–2014)
* Dan Quinn (2015–2020)
* Raheem Morris # (2020)
* Arthur Smith (2021–2023)
* Raheem Morris (2024–present)

# denotes interim head coach

* v
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NFL head coaches

American Football Conference

| AFC East| AFC North| AFC South| AFC West

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* Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills)
* Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins)
* Jerod Mayo (New England Patriots)
* Robert Saleh (New York Jets)

* John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens)
* Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals)
* Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns)
* Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers)

* DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans)
* Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts)
* Doug Pederson (Jacksonville Jaguars)
* Brian Callahan (Tennessee Titans)

* Sean Payton (Denver Broncos)
* Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs)
* Antonio Pierce (Las Vegas Raiders)
* Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers)

National Football Conference

| NFC East| NFC North| NFC South| NFC West

|
|
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* Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys)
* Brian Daboll (New York Giants)
* Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles)
* Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders)

* Matt Eberflus (Chicago Bears)
* Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions)
* Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers)
* Kevin O'Connell (Minnesota Vikings)

* Raheem Morris (Atlanta Falcons)
* Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers)
* Dennis Allen (New Orleans Saints)
* Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

* Jonathan Gannon (Arizona Cardinals)
* Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams)
* Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers)
* Mike Macdonald (Seattle Seahawks)

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