Road To Canton

Dear Board of Selectors,

Tommy Nobis, a San Antonio, Texas native played high school football at Thomas Jefferson. He was recruited by the University of Texas where his historic football career truly began.

Tommy developed into one of the best linebackers in Texas football history. As a sophomore starter, he became an All-American and was part of the 1963 National College Football Championship team which defeated a Navy team including Heisman Trophy Winner Roger Staubach. In the 1965 Orange Bowl he made one of the most famous tackles, stopping Joe Namath on the one foot line, giving Texas a victory over Alabama. He received numerous awards and became the first college football player to grace the cover of three (3) National Magazines: LIFE, Sports Illustrated and TIME.

In 1965, Tommy Nobis was the first pick in the NFL draft, taken by the expansion Atlanta Falcons. 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." 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. 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.

Nobis is a member of the Atlanta Falcons' Ring of Honor and20his #60 was the first number retired by the team. No other Falcons player has ever worn the number. The University of Texas would nominate player who would be honored with the opportunity of wearing #60 for the season in honor of Tommy. This was done up until 2008 when Tommys jersey was retired at the Darrell K. Royal Stadium.

Tommy may not have played on a Super Bowl winning team during his career or demanded the glitz of the media attention. He did play with the heart of a Super Bowl Champion and deserved the glitz of the media attention. Tommy is one of a kind, just a good ole TEXAS boy! Somewhere over the years the accomplishments of Tommys Rookie of Year, 7 Pro Bowls and records that still stand to this very day were placed on a shelf to accumulate dust. We are here to dust them off and nominate TOMMY Mr. Falcon NOBIS once again as a possible inducte e to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Tommy Nobis has been named to: Texas Longhorn Hall of Honor, College Football Hall of Fame, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame, Thomas Jefferson High School Alumni Hall of Fame, San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame, State of Texas Hall of Fame and has also been named the NFL Man of the Year.

*I feel that Nobis' contributions on the field merit those of the Cowboys Hall of Fame players. Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist and Hall of Fame voter Furman Bisher wrote, "There isn't much more one can say about Tommy Nobis. In the glow of a winning team, where he would have been a star on the isolated camera, he would already have been residing in Canton. It's not a Falcons thing, it's a Nobis thing, and here is a man who lives up to all the ideals I would establish for admission to the Pro Football Hall of Fame." A former Atlanta Journalist quote.

Tommy Nobis has been working for over 40 years with the Atlanta Falcons. He also has the Tommy Nobis Center, which provides training to individuals with disabilities so that they may find gainful employment.

Tommy is what Football is all about on and off the field. Tommy is a son, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a professional, a community leader, a friend and a LEGEND. He is deserving of a spot next to all the other Legends currently residing in the NFL Hall Of Fame.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Hookem