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Bird-watchers Atlanta fans say wait till next year -- in the Georgia Dome
Posted: Sunday January 31, 1999 11:21 PM
ATLANTA (AP) -- Falcons fans lined up outside area bars before they opened Sunday to stake out prime seats for the Super Bowl. It took them just a few minutes to clear out after the Falcons lost to the Denver Broncos 34-19. But regardless of the loss, most of the fans were proud of their team, which made the Super Bowl for the first time in its 33-year history. They were also mindful of next year -- when the NFL championship game will be in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. "I hurt for them," said Larkin Gates, one of about 1,500 people who crowded into the Three Dollar Cafe in Buckhead. "No matter what, I'm still a Falcons fan." "I'll be up there next year," said Gates, who had a Falcon tattooed on chest, with a Falcons throw worn like a cape and an Atlanta bandanna in his hair. "I'll be doing the Dirty Bird for them." There were few people doing the Dirty Bird -- a prancing dance performed by Falcons players after big plays -- following John Elway's methodical attack against the Atlanta defense that earned him MVP honors in Denver's second straight Super Bowl victory. "I still love my Dirty Birds," said Jimmy Moon, a cook at Reggie's British Pub at the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta. "They lost tonight, but they'll be back next year. I've been with them 33 years and I'm not giving up now." The Dirty Birds, as the team became known during their race to the NFC championship, captured admiration statewide. The Three Dollar Cafe in Atlanta opened at 11 a.m., said manager Samantha Lockridge. By midafternoon, it was standing room only. Gates, a longtime Falcons fan, shook hands with friend Grant Donlay when he realized the game was over. "You guys got it man," he said. "You guys got it." Donlay, one of the few Denver fans in the throng, wore a Broncos ball cap, but wisely remained quiet for most of the game. "They're both championship teams," he said after the Denver win. "The two best teams win." Patrick Heggy, wearing a helmet with a Bronco rising from the front, put the hat in a bag in the fourth quarter. "This way, I can walk out without an altercation," Heggy said. "The team with the most experience won. Denver lost four before they won one. You've got to lose some before you win one." At the Atlanta Police command center in Buckhead, where officers had prepared to deal with a rowdy outdoor celebration if the Falcons had won, little activity was reported after the game ended. "It's very quiet," said Maj. Bill Gordon. "Nobody is doing anything they're not supposed to do. We expect people will be going home now." Although the weather was balmy most of the week, an icy rain fell Sunday night. "I expect the weather had something to do with it [being quiet]," Gordon said.
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