The Atlanta Falcons will induct two all-time greats into their Ring of Honor.
The team announced Friday that defensive end/linebacker John Abraham and guard Bill Fralic would become the 15th and 16th members of the Falcons Ring of Honor.
The news was revealed to Abraham in a podcast studio at the Falcons’ facility. Abraham and his daughter Ayumi were brought in ostensibly to talk about flag football, but the team began playing a video of former teammates and friends talking about him.
Former Falcons quarterback and current president of football Matt Ryan then announced Abraham’s induction into the Ring of Honor.
After the video, several former teammates came out to greet him. A visibly emotional Abraham said that the honor was especially important to him as a way to leave a legacy for his daughters.
“I’m glad y’all gave me the opportunity to instill their name on something that will always be here, because we come and we go,” he said.
“But having your name up there, 20, 30 years from now, every time she comes to a Falcon game, she can see her dad’s name. She can see her name. She can talk to her boyfriend and whatever man she ever dates and say, ‘my daddy was a bad MFer. He’s right up there.’ You’re gonna see your dad’s name in there. So it means a lot.”
Abraham was drafted by the New York Jets out of South Carolina with the 13th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. He spent six years with the Jets; he had double-digit sacks in three of those seasons and had his best season in 2001 with a career-high 67 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, six forced fumbles, and three recoveries.
Abraham was traded to the Falcons in the 2006 offseason. His first season was cut short by a groin injury and a broken thumb. But after that, he became one of the league’s most disruptive pass rushers, nicknamed “The Predator.”
He had 10 sacks in 2007, 16.5 in 2008, 13 in 2010, and 10 in 2012. He finished his career with the Falcons’ franchise record for sacks with 68.5; his 115 quarterback hits are second all-time behind defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.
He was a three-time First-Team All-Pro and a five-time Pro Bowler, and a member of the Falcons’ All-Decade Team for the 2010s.
Abraham was cut by the Falcons in the 2013 offseason; he signed with the Arizona Cardinals as a free agent. He had another productive season with 11.5 sacks in 2013. But during the Cardinals’ season opener against the San Diego Chargers, Abraham collided with Chargers tackle D.J. Fluker and suffered a brain hemorrhage. He was already suffering from significant memory loss at the time. Abraham took a leave of absence from the team, which marked the end of his career.
Fralic’s widow, Susan, received the news on a tour of the Falcons facility with two of Fralic’s former teammates, offensive tackle Mike Kenn and quarterback Dave Archer. Kenn described him as a great teammate, but an even better friend; Susan remembered him for his grit and selflessness, but also for the sense of safety she felt around him.
“I never was aware of any harm in the world when he was here,” she said. Archer said he felt the same way, having played behind Fralic for several years.
Archer then walked Kenn and Fralic through the current Ring of Honor, pointing out former running backs William Andrews and Gerald Riggs, center Jeff Van Note, and Kenn. They then moved to a covered plaque, where Kenn and Archer unveiled Fralic’s name.
“I’m so honored,” Susan Fralic said, hugging them both.
“He was a warrior,” said Archer. “He was a guy—like you said, you talked about protecting your home—being behind him, with guys like him and Mike Kenn, you felt [at] home. He’s home now.”
Fralic was drafted second overall by the Falcons out of Pittsburgh in the 1985 Draft. In his college days, Fralic was known for the “pancake block,” where an offensive lineman blocks so dominantly that he lays his defender flat out on the ground.
He played eight of his nine seasons with the Falcons and started 115 of 116 games. He was a three-time All-Pro, a four-time Pro Bowler, and a member of the NFL All-Decade Team for the 1980s. After football, he enjoyed a brief stint in professional wrestling and testified before Congress against the use of steroids in the NFL.
Fralic died in 2018 after a battle with cancer.
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