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FOR USE AS DESIRED
QBs
RANDALL CUNNINGHAM & STEVE BARTKOWSKI A trio of Atlanta Falcons and a Philadelphia Eagle will serve as honorary captains for the coin flip of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia. Representing the visiting Falcons are linebacker and “Mr. Falcon” TOMMY NOBIS, an 11-year fixture in the middle of Atlanta’s defense (1966-76); quarterback STEVE BARTKOWSI, a 12-year veteran (1975-85) who set every club passing record in his 123-game Falcons career; and “The Hammer,” JESSIE TUGGLE, who in 14 years (1987-00) as a middle linebacker registered 100-plus tackles 13 times. Nobis earned the NFL’s Rookie of the Year honor in 1966 and was named to the NFL’s 1960s All-Decade team. Bartkowski led the Falcons to their first-ever playoff berth in 1978 and a division title in 1980. His 97.6 quarterback rating in 1983 led the NFL. Tuggle is the Falcons’ all-time tackle leader, registering 2,065 tackles on his way to earning five trips to the Pro Bowl. Representing the Eagles will be former quarterback RANDALL CUNNINGHAM, who in 10 years with the club was one of the most talented and versatile performers in franchise history. Cunningham appeared in three Pro Bowls as an Eagle, earned the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 1992 and was a runner-up in league MVP voting on two occasions. Cunningham topped the 3,000-yard barrier four times for Philadelphia. He and RON JAWORSKI are the only quarterbacks in team history to pass for more than 20,000 yards. At the end of the 1995 season, Cunningham was the NFL’s all-time leading rusher at the quarterback position, amassing 4,482 yards. Perhaps the highlight of Cunningham’s career with the Eagles came in 1990 when he threw for 3,446 yards and 30 touchdowns, and ran for 942 yards, thus becoming the only quarterback in history to throw for more than 3,000 yards and run for over 900. # # # |