Jeff Van Note, the six-time Pro Bowl center who spent his entire 18-year NFL career with the Falcons, has died at 80. The team announced his death Friday. A cause of death was not disclosed.
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Van Note arrived in Atlanta as an 11th-round draft pick out of Kentucky in 1969. He had played linebacker, but coach Norm Van Brocklin moved him to center. Van Note earned the starting job in 1970 and remained a fixture on the Falcons' offensive line through the 1986 season.
He played in 246 games, missing only four over his career. He earned six Pro Bowl selections and was twice named a second-team All-Pro by The Associated Press. The Falcons inducted him into their Ring of Honor in 2006.
"We mourn the loss of a true Falcons legend," owner Arthur Blank said in the team's statement. Blank remembered Van Note for his toughness, humility and commitment to his teammates, and extended condolences to his children, Beau, Ben and Blaine.
Van Note stayed connected to Atlanta football after he retired, working as a color commentator and contributing to local sports radio during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Eighteen seasons with one franchise made him one of the Falcons' most enduring players. His place in the team's history extended well beyond his final snap.
