Falcons

In 1966 Atlanta added an NFL franchise to its list of growth industries — logistics, media, aviation. The debut season answered nothing kindly: a 1–13 record that set the tone for a club that would spend decades chasing a title it has never lifted, a distinction that now makes the Falcons the oldest major American sports franchise without a championship.

The nickname stuck for a different reason. "Dirty Birds" came from Jamal Anderson's touchdown dance during the 1998 season, the same year the Falcons reached their first Super Bowl. They got there on the back of Morten Andersen's 38-yard overtime field goal against Minnesota, a kick still remembered simply as "The Kick." Denver beat them in the Super Bowl itself, but the run stood as a notable moment in franchise history.

Then came 2016, and a second trip that ended worse than the first. Atlanta led New England 28–3 in Super Bowl LI before the Patriots pulled off the largest comeback in the game's history, winning in overtime. Two division titles, both won before the league realignment moved the Falcons into the NFC South, sit further back in the record book.

On defense, the name that carries furthest is John Abraham, the franchise's career sack leader, in a lineage that also produced Jessie Tuggle, whose number 58 the club retired. Since 2017 the Falcons have played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, seating 71,000, in the NFC South alongside New Orleans and Tampa Bay. It all still traces back to that first, losing season the city signed up for in 1966.