Jeff Van Note

Jeffrey Aloysius Van Note was born on February 7, 1946, in South Orange, New Jersey, to Peter and Marie Van Note, members of a Catholic family. They lived in Hackensack until he was about two, then moved to Louisville, Kentucky, when his father took work with the Veterans Administration. Marie Van Note died of cancer in 1956. The family later moved to Bardstown, Kentucky, when Jeff was about ten. At St. Joseph Preparatory High School he played running back and linebacker and earned the final available scholarship offer from the University of Kentucky in 1965.

Van Note enrolled at the University of Kentucky in 1965 under head coach Charlie Bradshaw. He played for the Wildcats from 1966 to 1968 as a running back and defensive end after arriving as a fullback recruit. In 1966 he earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors as a defensive end. As a senior in 1968 he was named the team's Most Valuable Player. He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at Kentucky in 1970 while beginning his NFL career.

Atlanta drafted Van Note in the 11th round (262nd overall) of the 1969 NFL Draft as a linebacker. He also spent time that season with the Alabama Hawks of the Continental Football League. Coach Norm Van Brocklin converted him to center. He became the starter in 1970 and remained a Falcons fixture through 1986. Career totals include 246 games played and 225 starts, both second in franchise history, an 18-season tenure (a team record), and a 155-game consecutive playing streak (also a team record). He missed only four NFL games. Pro Bowl selections came in 1974, 1975, and 1979 through 1982. He was AP second-team All-Pro in 1979 and 1982, earned multiple All-NFC honors, and started in Atlanta's first playoff run in 1978. In 1986, at age 40, he lost the starting job to Wayne Radloff but still appeared in all 16 games. His final home game on December 14, 1986, featured a team tribute and a gift 1957 Chevrolet.

Van Note married Dee Van Note; contemporaneous profiles described a long marriage and a home in Roswell, Georgia, during and after his playing years. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur M. Blank, announcing his death in 2026, named three children: Beau, Ben, and Blaine. Public reporting has not detailed further family biography beyond his parents Peter and Marie and the early loss of his mother.

Van Note's public life after an early labor misstep became closely tied to player solidarity. He crossed the picket line during the 1974 NFL players strike, then reversed course after teammate and player representative Ken Reaves was traded. He served as NFLPA first vice president and as president from 1983 to 1984, working with Gene Upshaw on free agency and a fairer revenue share. With Mike Kenn he helped make the Falcons a strong union club. After retirement he continued educating players about NFLPA beneficiary work and served on the NFL Retirement Board.

Van Note is widely regarded as the greatest center in Falcons history and a symbol of one-team loyalty in a franchise that often struggled for wins. Fans voted him the favorite Falcon during the 25th anniversary season in 1991. Writers and teammates praised his consistency, bloody-nosed durability, and quiet leadership on Sunday after Sunday. His path from 11th-round linebacker to six-time Pro Bowl center remains a staple of Falcons lore. Later generations of Atlanta players and broadcasters cited the standard he set for showing up.

Six-time Pro Bowl (1974, 1975, 1979-1982). Two-time AP second-team All-Pro (1979, 1982). Multiple All-NFC honors (including UPI and Pro Football Weekly selections in the mid-1970s and early 1980s). Second-team All-SEC (1966). Kentucky team MVP (1968). American Football Association Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame (1984). Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame (1992). Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (1999). Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame (2003). Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor (2006). Franchise records for most seasons played and most consecutive games played.

After retiring in 1986, Van Note worked as a color commentator on Atlanta Falcons and University of Kentucky football broadcasts through the 1990s and early 2000s, hosted Atlanta sports-talk radio, called Tennessee Oilers games with Joe McConnell in 1997, and filled in on Georgia Tech broadcasts after Kim King's illness and death in 2004. He remained a weekly Falcons radio presence with pregame and postgame segments long after leaving the main booth.

The Atlanta Falcons announced on October 2, 2026, that Jeff Van Note had died at age 80. The team did not disclose a cause of death. Owner and chairman Arthur M. Blank called him a true Falcons legend whose toughness, resilience, humility, and commitment shaped the franchise identity, and he offered deepest sympathies to Van Note's children Beau, Ben, and Blaine.

Van Note's principal publicly documented controversy was labor-related early in his career. During the 1974 NFL players strike he crossed the picket line, later saying he had taken little interest in the NFLPA at the time. After Atlanta traded player representative Ken Reaves that same year, Van Note said he recognized the need to fight for fellow players. He became NFLPA first vice president and served as union president from 1983 to 1984, working with Gene Upshaw. No other major personal scandals are widely documented in major obituaries.