Falcons’ Founder Dies at 72

Rankin Smith, praised when he brought NFL football to Atlanta three decades ago but derided when the Falcons failed to become a winner, died Sunday. He was 72.

Smith, owner and chairman of the board of the Falcons, died of heart failure at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, where he had been admitted Friday night, the team announced.

Smith’s family, including team president and son Taylor Smith, were at the hospital when he died.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Smith family,” Falcon Coach Dan Reeves said. “It’s a tremendous loss for them and a loss for this organization.”

Said NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue: “Rankin Smith was a true gentleman, a quiet leader and a sports pioneer who will be remembered as a loyal member of the NFL family and a tremendous contributor to his community. Rankin will be deeply missed by his many friends in the Atlanta sports and business communities.”

In 1965, Smith, a prominent insurance executive, bid $8.5 million to gain an NFL team. At the time, it was the highest price ever paid for a sports franchise.

“Doesn’t every adult male in America want to own his own football team?” he said at the time.

Smith was born Oct. 29, 1924, in a hospital that stood on the site where Atlanta Stadium would be built in 1965.

Survivors include his wife, Charlotte Lilliard; sons Taylor and Rankin Smith Jr.; and daughters Carroll Smith Walraven, Dorothy Smith Knox and Karen Smith Owen.

A private family burial will be held today in Atlanta. A public memorial is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Peachtree Road United Methodist Church.