Tommy Nobis
Encyclopedia
Thomas Henry Nobis, Jr. (born September 20, 1943 in San Antonio, Texas
) is a former American football
player. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School (San Antonio, TX)
where he was an all-state offensive end and middle linebacker. He played college football
for the University of Texas at Austin
and professionally, in the National Football League
, for the Atlanta Falcons
.
s. In his tenure with the Texas Longhorns (1963–1965) he averaged nearly 20 tackles
a game and, as the only sophomore starter
, was an important participant on the Longhorns’ 1963 National College Football Championship team, which defeated Heisman Trophy
winner Roger Staubach
in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Nobis was a two time All-America
n and made the All-Southwest Conference team three times. In the 1965 Orange Bowl, Nobis made one of the most famous tackles in the game’s history. On fourth-and-inches, and clinging to a 21-17 lead, he led his teammates to a game saving halt of top ranked Alabama
’s QB
Joe Namath
. Tommy Nobis was an iron man, playing (and starting) on both defense and offense
for his entire college career. Aside from being an All-American linebacker, he also played guard
on the offensive side of the ball and was often the primary blocker
on touchdown
runs. Famed Texas coach
Darrell K. Royal
called him "the finest two-way player I have ever seen." A knee injury slowed him during the latter part of his senior season, but he still was able to perform at a high level and won a number of major individual awards including the Knute Rockne
Award, best lineman, the Outland Trophy
, best interior lineman, and the Maxwell Award
for college football’s best player. Nobis also finished seventh in the Heisman voting to USC
’s Mike Garrett
. He appeared on the covers of LIFE
, Sports Illustrated
and TIME
magazines.
, Tommy Nobis became the first player ever drafted by the expansion
Atlanta Falcons as well as the second linebacker to be chosen first overall when he was taken with the #1 pick in the 1966 NFL Draft
on November 27, 1965. The Houston Oilers
also drafted him in the American Football League Draft
. This presented a dilemma and also sparked a debate that reached as far as outer space when Frank Borman
, an astronaut
aboard Gemini 7
, talked back to earth with the message, "tell Nobis to sign with Houston." Tommy Nobis instead signed with Atlanta on December 14, 1965 and became the first ever member of the Atlanta Falcons. This culminated in the nickname "Mr. Falcon".
Tommy Nobis joined the Falcons for their inaugural season in 1966
. That season he won the league's NFL Rookie of the Year, was voted to the Pro Bowl
and amassed an unprecedented 294 combined tackles which still stands today as the team's all-time single-season record, and is unofficially the most tackles ever credited to one player, in a season, in NFL history. In eleven professional seasons he led the Falcons in tackles nine times, went to five Pro Bowls (one in 1972
after two knee surgeries), was named All-Pro
twice and was chosen for the NFL's "All-Decade Team" for the 1960s. Miami Dolphins
great, running back
Larry Csonka
commented, "I'd rather play against Dick Butkus
than Nobis," and Falcon's coach Norm Van Brocklin
once pointed to Nobis' locker and proclaimed, "There's where our football team dresses."
Nobis is a member of the Atlanta Falcons' Ring of Honor and his #60 was the first number retired by the team. No other Falcons player has ever worn the number.
where it was offered only to the best of linebackers. All American Britt Hager wore #60 during his senior season, as did All American Brian Jones. In 2004, another Longhorn All-American linebacker, Derrick Johnson
, decided to wear the jersey in his final collegiate home game to honor Nobis. The number has recently joined Earl Campbell
's #20, Bobby Layne
's #22, Ricky Williams
' #34, Vince Young
's #10 and Colt McCoy
's #12 as UT's only retired numbers.
Tommy Nobis was inducted into the Texas Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1976. He was named to Sports Illustrated ’s All-Century Team (1869–1969) and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame
, the State of Texas Hall of Fame, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
, the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame, and the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame. In May 2007, he was inducted as a charter member into the Thomas Jefferson High School Alumni Hall of Fame.
Tommy Nobis is currently the Falcons Vice President of Corporate Development and has been a member of the organization, in the front office and on the field, for over 40 years.
Apart from football Nobis is the founder and a Board of Directors member of the Tommy Nobis Center that began in 1975. The center provides youth and adults, with disabilities, job training and employment services. He won the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.
award for his work with the Georgia Special Olympics
and has been named the NFL Man of the Year.
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
) is a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School (San Antonio, TX)
Thomas Jefferson High School (San Antonio, TX)
Thomas Jefferson High School is a public high school in San Antonio, Texas and is one of ten high schools in the San Antonio Independent School District...
where he was an all-state offensive end and middle linebacker. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and professionally, in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, for the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
College years
Tommy Nobis is one of college football’s all-time greatest linebackerLinebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
s. In his tenure with the Texas Longhorns (1963–1965) he averaged nearly 20 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
a game and, as the only sophomore starter
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
, was an important participant on the Longhorns’ 1963 National College Football Championship team, which defeated Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Nobis was a two time All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n and made the All-Southwest Conference team three times. In the 1965 Orange Bowl, Nobis made one of the most famous tackles in the game’s history. On fourth-and-inches, and clinging to a 21-17 lead, he led his teammates to a game saving halt of top ranked Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
’s QB
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
. Tommy Nobis was an iron man, playing (and starting) on both defense and offense
Offense (sports)
In sports, offense or offence , also known as attack, is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals...
for his entire college career. Aside from being an All-American linebacker, he also played guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
on the offensive side of the ball and was often the primary blocker
Blocking (American football)
In American football, blocking is a legal move occurring when one player obstructs another player's path with his body. The purpose of blocking is to prevent defensive players tackling the ball carrier, or to protect the quarterback while attempting to pass or hand-off the ball...
on touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
runs. Famed Texas coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
Darrell K. Royal
Darrell Royal
Darrell K Royal is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Mississippi State University , the University of Washington , and the University of Texas at Austin , compiling a career college football record of 184–60–5...
called him "the finest two-way player I have ever seen." A knee injury slowed him during the latter part of his senior season, but he still was able to perform at a high level and won a number of major individual awards including the Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
Award, best lineman, the Outland Trophy
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
, best interior lineman, and the Maxwell Award
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
for college football’s best player. Nobis also finished seventh in the Heisman voting to USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
’s Mike Garrett
Mike Garrett
Michael Lockett Garrett is a former American collegiate and professional football player who won the 1965 Heisman Trophy as a tailback for the University of Southern California Trojans. Garrett also played professional football for eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers...
. He appeared on the covers of LIFE
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
and TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazines.
NFL career
In 19651965 in sports
1965 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* AFL Championship Buffalo Bills won 23-0 over the San Diego Chargers* NFL Championship – Green Bay Packers won 23-12 over the Cleveland Browns on January 2, 1966-England:...
, Tommy Nobis became the first player ever drafted by the expansion
Expansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
Atlanta Falcons as well as the second linebacker to be chosen first overall when he was taken with the #1 pick in the 1966 NFL Draft
1966 NFL Draft
The 1966 National Football League Draft was held on November 27, 1965. It was the last draft in which the NFL and the AFL drafted their players separate of one another. As a result, many players selected by teams from both leagues would choose to play for the more established NFL, or in a rarer...
on November 27, 1965. The Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
also drafted him in the American Football League Draft
American Football League Draft
The American Football League stocked its teams in two ways:# Signing free agents ....
. This presented a dilemma and also sparked a debate that reached as far as outer space when Frank Borman
Frank Borman
Frank Frederick Borman, II is a retired NASA astronaut and engineer, best remembered as the Commander of Apollo 8, the first mission to fly around the Moon, making him, along with fellow crew mates Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, the first of only 24 humans to do so...
, an astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
aboard Gemini 7
Gemini 7
Gemini 7 was a 1965 manned spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program. It was the 4th manned Gemini flight, the 12th manned American flight and the 20th spaceflight of all time . The crew of Frank F. Borman, II and James A...
, talked back to earth with the message, "tell Nobis to sign with Houston." Tommy Nobis instead signed with Atlanta on December 14, 1965 and became the first ever member of the Atlanta Falcons. This culminated in the nickname "Mr. Falcon".
Tommy Nobis joined the Falcons for their inaugural season in 1966
1966 Atlanta Falcons season
The 1966 Atlanta Falcons season was the Falcon's inaugural season.- Offseason :The Falcons attempted to acquire Green Bay Packers running back Jim Taylor. There were tensions in Green Bay because the Packers first round pick, Jim Grabowski would be groomed to take over for Taylor...
. That season he won the league's NFL Rookie of the Year, was voted to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
and amassed an unprecedented 294 combined tackles which still stands today as the team's all-time single-season record, and is unofficially the most tackles ever credited to one player, in a season, in NFL history. In eleven professional seasons he led the Falcons in tackles nine times, went to five Pro Bowls (one in 1972
1973 Pro Bowl
The 1973 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on January 21, 1973 at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. The final Score was AFC 33, NFC 28. O. J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills was the game's MVP....
after two knee surgeries), was named All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
twice and was chosen for the NFL's "All-Decade Team" for the 1960s. Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
great, running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Larry Csonka
Larry Csonka
Larry Richard Csonka is a former collegiate and professional American football fullback.-Childhood:One of six children, Csonka was born in Stow, Ohio where he was raised on a farm by his Hungarian family...
commented, "I'd rather play against Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus
Richard Marvin "Dick" Butkus is a former American football player for the Chicago Bears. He was drafted in 1965 and he is also widely regarded as one of the best and most durable linebackers of all time. Butkus starred as a football player for the University of Illinois and the Chicago Bears. He...
than Nobis," and Falcon's coach Norm Van Brocklin
Norm Van Brocklin
Norman Mack "Norm" Van Brocklin , nicknamed "The Dutchman", was an American football player and coach. He was also a first rate punter in college and in the NFL...
once pointed to Nobis' locker and proclaimed, "There's where our football team dresses."
Nobis is a member of the Atlanta Falcons' Ring of Honor and his #60 was the first number retired by the team. No other Falcons player has ever worn the number.
After the NFL
Number 60 is also revered at TexasUniversity of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
where it was offered only to the best of linebackers. All American Britt Hager wore #60 during his senior season, as did All American Brian Jones. In 2004, another Longhorn All-American linebacker, Derrick Johnson
Derrick Johnson
-Kansas City Chiefs:Johnson started every game for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005, becoming the first Chiefs linebacker in 20 years to start all 16 games of his rookie campaign. He was subsequently awarded the Mack Lee Hill Award by the Chiefs...
, decided to wear the jersey in his final collegiate home game to honor Nobis. The number has recently joined Earl Campbell
Earl Campbell
Earl Christian Campbell , nicknamed The Tyler Rose, is a former professional American Football running back. He, Paul Hornung and O.J Simpson are the only people to have won the Heisman Trophy , were first overall National Football League draft picks and are in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
's #20, Bobby Layne
Bobby Layne
Robert Lawrence "Bobby" Layne was an American football quarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948, the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit Lions from 1950–1958, and the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1958–1962...
's #22, Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams
Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams, Jr. is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft...
' #34, Vince Young
Vince Young
Vincent Paul Young, Jr. , nicknamed "VY", is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans. Young was the third overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college...
's #10 and Colt McCoy
Colt McCoy
Daniel "Colt" McCoy is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
's #12 as UT's only retired numbers.
Tommy Nobis was inducted into the Texas Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1976. He was named to Sports Illustrated ’s All-Century Team (1869–1969) and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
, the State of Texas Hall of Fame, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is located in Macon, Georgia. It is the largest state sports hall of fame in America at .-Exhibitions:The Hall of Fame houses over of exhibit space broken down into sections including Hall of Fame Inductees, High School, collegiate sports, Olympic, Paralympic,...
, the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame, and the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame. In May 2007, he was inducted as a charter member into the Thomas Jefferson High School Alumni Hall of Fame.
Tommy Nobis is currently the Falcons Vice President of Corporate Development and has been a member of the organization, in the front office and on the field, for over 40 years.
Apart from football Nobis is the founder and a Board of Directors member of the Tommy Nobis Center that began in 1975. The center provides youth and adults, with disabilities, job training and employment services. He won the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.
Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Jr. was an American bomber pilot during World War II. He was the eldest of nine children born to Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr., and Rose Elizabeth Kennedy....
award for his work with the Georgia Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
and has been named the NFL Man of the Year.