Atlanta Falcons Coaches

Head Coach
Dan Reeves.

Pro Career
Named the eighth coach in Falcons history on January 20, 1997. After a 0-5 start, Atlanta rebounded to finish 7-9, including wins in five of its last six games.

Reeves had been the head coach of the New York Giants from 1993-96. Prior to that, he compiled a 117-79-1 record as head coach of the Denver Broncos from 1981-92, earning NFL Coach of the Year honors in 1982, 1988, and 1991. He led the Broncos to three Super Bowl berths, four AFC Championship games, five AFC West Division titles, and eight winning seasons. In his first year in New York, he earned NFL Coach of the Year honors for a fourth time, taking the Giants from 6-10 to an 11-5 mark, including a wild-card playoff victory. Overall, Reeves has accumulated ten winning seasons as head coach, participated in 45 playoff games and eight Super Bowls as an NFL player, assistant coach, and head coach. He was the only NFL coach in the 1980's to take his team to back-to-back Super Bowls. Reeves, whose teams have won at least 10 games eight different times, was very successful at Mile High Stadium, where he compiled a 72-21 (.774) record. His Broncos teams finished in first place five times and in second place three times in the AFC West. In 1984, Denver set a team record with 10 straight wins en route to a franchise-best 13-win season. The following season (1985), the Broncos set a team record for total offense and points scored. In 1986, they started out 6-0 and established thirty-five team and individual club marks.

Prior to obtaining his first NFL head coaching job in 1981, Reeves had been a member of the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff since 1970, spending a total of 16 years under Tom Landry as a player and coach. In 1977 he was named offensive coordinator of Landry's staff. Reeves began his pro career as a free agent running back for Dallas in 1965. Prior to that he was a quarterback at South Carolina from 1962-64, passing for 2,561 yards and 16 TD's. He totaled 3,376 yards during his career with the Gamecocks, leading to his induction into the school's hall of fame in 1978. Reeves later was inducted into the state of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal
Born January 19, 1944, Americus, Ga. Dan and his wife, Pam, live in Atlanta, and have three children - Dana, Laura, and Lee.

Assistant Coaches

Don Blackmon, linebackers; bon March 14, 1958, Pompano Beach, Fla., lives in Atlanta. Linebacker Tulsa 1977-80. Pro linebacker New England Patriots 1981-87. Pro coach: New England Patriots 1988-90, Cleveland Browns 1991-92, New York Giants 1993-96, joined Falcons in 1997.

Rich Brooks, assistant head coach-defensive coordinator; born August 10, 1941, Forest, Calif., lives in Atlanta. Tailback, defensive back, and quarterback Oregon State 1959-62. No pro playing experience. College coach: Oregon State 1965-69, 1973, UCLA 1970, 1976, Oregon 1977-94 (head coach). Pro coach: Los Angeles Rams 1971-72, San Francisco 49ers 1974-75, St. Louis Rams 1995-96 (head coach), joined Falcons in 1997.

Jack Burns, quarterbacks, born January 3, 1949, Tampa, Fla., lives in Atlanta. Safety Florida, 1967-70. No pro playing experience. College coach: Florida 1971-73, 1975, Louisville 1974, 1985-88, Texas 1976, Vanderbilt 1977-78, Auburn 1979-80. Pro coach: Tampa Bay Bandits (USFL) 1983, Washington Redskins 1989-91, Minnesota Vikings 1992-93, joined Falcons in 1997.

James Daniel, tight ends; born January 17, 1953, Wetumpka, Ala., lives in Atlanta. Offensive guard Alabama State 1970-73. No pro playing experience. College coach: Auburn 1981-92. Pro coach: New York Giants 1993-96, joined Falcons in 1997.

Joe DeCamillis, special teams; born June 29, 1965, Arvada, Colo., lives in Alpharetta, Ga. No college or pro playing experience. College coach: Wyoming 1988. Pro coach: Denver Broncos 1989, Miami Dolphins 1990, New York Giants 1993-96, joined Falcons in 1997.

Tim Jorgensen, assistant strength and conditioning; born April 21, 1955, St. Louis, Mo., lives in Snellville, Ga. Guard Southwest Missouri State 1974-76. No pro playing experience. College coach: Southwest Missouri State 1977-78, Alabama 1979, Louisiana State 1980-83. Pro coach: Philadelphia Eagles 1984-86, joined Falcons in 1987.

Bill Kollar, defensive line; born November 27, 1952, Warren, Ohio, lives in Duluth, Ga. Defensive end Montana State 1971-74. Pro defensive end Cincinnati Bengals 1974-76, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1977-81. College coach: Illinois 1985-87, Purdue 1988-89. Pro coach: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1984, joined Falcons in 1990.

Ron Meeks, secondary; born August 27, 1954, Jacksonville, Fla., lives in Atlanta. Defensive back Arkansas State 1975-76. Pro defensive back Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL) 1977-79, Ottawa Rough Riders (CFL) 1979, Toronto Argonauts (CFL) 1980-81. College coach: Arkansas State 1984-85, Miami 1986-87, New Mexico State 1988, Fresno State 1989-90. Pro coach: Dallas Cowboys 1991, Cincinnati Bengals 1992-96, joined Falcons in 1997.

Al Miller, strength and conditioning; born August 29, 1947, El Dorado, Ark., lives in Atlanta. Wide receiver Northeast Louisiana 1965-69. No pro playing experience. College coach: Northwestern State (La.) 1974-78, Mississippi State 1980, Northeast Louisiana 1981, Alabama 1982-84. Pro coach: Denver Broncos 1987-92 New York Giants 1993-96, joined Falcons in 1997.

Harold Richardson, assistant head coach-football operations; born September 27, 1944, Houston, Texas, lives in Atlanta. Tight end Southern Methodist 1964-67. No pro playing experience. College coach: Southern Methodist 1971-72, Oklahoma State 1973-76, Texas Christian 1977-78, North Texas State 1979-80, Colorado State 1986-88. Pro coach: New Orleans Saints 1981-85, Denver Broncos 1989-92, joined Falcons in 1997.

George Sefcik, offensive coordinator-running backs; born December 27, 1939, Cleveland, Ohio, lives in Atlanta. Halfback Notre Dame 1959-61. No pro playing experience. College coach: Notre Dame 1963-68, Kentucky 1969-72. Pro coach: Baltimore Colts 1973-74, Cleveland Browns 1975-77, 1989-90, Cincinnati Bengals 1978-83, Green Bay Packers 1984-87, Kansas City Chiefs 1988, New York Giants 1991-96, joined Falcons in 1997.

Art Shell, offensive line; born November 26, 1946, Charleston, S.C., lives in Atlanta. Offensive-defensive tackle Maryland State 1965-67. Pro offensive tackle Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders 1968-82. Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame 1989. Pro coach: Los Angeles Raiders 1983-94 (head coach 1989-94), Kansas City Chiefs 1995-96, joined Falcons in 1997.

Warren "Rennie" Simmons, wide receivers; born February 25, 1942, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., lives in Atlanta. Center San Diego State 1961-65. No pro playing experience. College coach: Cal State-Fullerton 1974-78, Cerritos (Calif.) J.C. 1978-80, Vanderbilt 1995. Pro coach: Washington Redskins 1981-93, Los Angeles Rams 1994, Houston Oilers 1996, joined Falcons in 1997.

Brian Xanders, defensive quality control; born April 10, 1971, East Stroudsburg, Pa., lives in Atlanta. Linebacker Florida State 1989-92. No pro playing experience. Pro coach: Joined Falcons in 1997.