Jeffrey Aloysius Van Note (born February 7, 1946) is an American former professional football player who was a

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

for the Atlanta Falcons of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He played college football for the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

. The Falcons selected him in the eleventh round of the

1969 NFL Draft The 1969 National Football League draft was part of the common draft, the third and final year in which the NFL and American Football League (AFL) held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place January 28–29, 1969. The draft be ...

College career

Van Note played at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

, where he was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

and

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

for the

Kentucky Wildcats football The Kentucky Wildcats football program represents the University of Kentucky in the sport of American football. The Wildcats compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern D ...

team from 1966 to 1968.

Professional career

Van Note was drafted as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

by the Atlanta Falcons in the 11th round—the 269th overall pick of the

. During the 1969 season, he played minor league football with the Alabama (Huntsville) Hawks of the Continental Football League. Van Note soon moved to

by Falcons head coach

Norm Van Brocklin Norman Mack Van Brocklin (March 15, 1926 – May 2, 1983), nicknamed "The Dutchman", was an American football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He spent his first nine seasons with the Los An ...

. Despite his modest draft status and lack of experience in the position, Van Note established himself as one of the finest centers in the NFL, making six Pro Bowls and helping the young Atlanta franchise to some of the greatest seasons in team history. His 18-year tenure with the Falcons is one of the 25 longest in NFL history and is the second longest while staying with the same team. He played in 246 games over this stretch, and his 225 games started as a Falcon is second in team history to Mike Kenn. Van Note missed a mere four games in his entire NFL career. The Falcons retired Van Note's jersey number 57 on December 15, 1986, at halftime of his final home game at

Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, often referred to as Fulton County Stadium and originally named Atlanta Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in the southeastern United States, located in Atlanta. The stadium was home of the Atlanta Braves of th ...

, and presented him a 57 Chevy prior to the game. He would also be voted by fans as the franchise's favorite player during the Falcons' 25th Anniversary season in 1991. Van Note would be inducted into the

Georgia Sports Hall of Fame The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is located in Macon, Georgia. It is the largest state sports hall of fame in the United States at . Exhibitions The Hall of Fame houses over of exhibit space broken down into sections including Hall of Fame Induc ...

in 1999.

Broadcasting career

After retiring from professional football, Van Note served as

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main ( play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and ...

on the Atlanta Falcons and Kentucky Wildcats football broadcasts throughout the 1990s. Throughout this period, he would also frequently be heard on Atlanta airwaves as a sports-talk radio host. Van Note also spent time alongside

Joe McConnell Joseph Fredrick McConnell (March 10, 1939 – April 8, 2018) was an American sports announcer. Early life and career McConnell was born in Rochester, Indiana and grew up in Goodland, Indiana. He was a 1962 graduate of Franklin College, and ...

as the color commentator for the

Tennessee Oilers Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to the ...

in 1997. Van Note gave up his commentator positions with both teams following the 2003 season, but was called back into regular duty when

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

football analyst Kim King was unable to call games and later died in the fall of 2004. Though no longer occupying the Falcons' play-by-play booth, he has continued to appear weekly on the Falcons' radio broadcasts, hosting a studio pre-game show and taking calls following the game. Van Note called the University of Kentucky/Middle Tennessee State game with Tom Leach on UK radio in September 2008, filling in for regular commentator Jeff Piecoro.

Honors

* 4 time All-NFC (

UPI United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...

) - 1975, 1980–1982 * 6 time Pro-Bowler - 1974–1975, 1979–1982 * 2 time 2nd Team All-Pro ( AP) - 1979, 1982 * Induction into the American Football Association's Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame - 1984 * Participant in the collegiate Blue-Gray All-Star game * Falcons Ring of Honor - 2006 * Harris Poll Voter - 2011

References

External links

Georgia Sports Hall of FameAmerican Football Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Note, Jeff 1946 births Living people American football centers Atlanta Falcons announcers Atlanta Falcons players Continental Football League players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football announcers Kentucky Wildcats football announcers Kentucky Wildcats football players National Conference Pro Bowl players National Football League announcers People from South Orange, New Jersey Players of American football from Essex County, New Jersey Tennessee Titans announcers Presidents of the National Football League Players Association Trade unionists from Kentucky