It takes a special player to be considered a legend by two different NFL Franchises, but more importantly, it takes a special person to be loved universally by the fans of those franchises and opponents alike.
Warrick Dunn is that special person and player.
Dunn’s birthday was Tuesday, and he was surprised by Falcons Owner Arthur Blank with the news that he would be the 10th former player to enter the Ring of Honor in Atlanta.
“You’re like a son to me,” Blank told Dunn with a hidden camera catching the action that saw genuine feelings between the two men.
Dunn spent the first five years and the last year of his career in Tampa and the other half of his 12 year career in Atlanta. While with the Falcons, Dunn rushed for nearly 1,000 yards per season (5,981) and added 1,635 as a receiver. Dunn scored 30 rushing touchdowns and six receiving in his six years with the Falcons. For his career, he broke the 10,000 yard rushing mark with 10,967. Dunn sits fourth on Atlanta’s all-time rushing list behind Gerald Riggs, Michael Turner, and William Andrews.
While Dunn’s work on the field was enough to get him into the Ring of Honor, it’s his work off the field that gets Warrick Dunn in the humanitarian Hall of Fame. Warrick Dunn has been building homes for single parents since he left Florida State. His Warrick Dunn Charities has furnished 186 homes since 1997. The NFL honored Dunn’s work with the Walter Payton Award in 2005.
Who is in the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor?
Dunn joins William Andrews, Steve Bartkowski, Tommy Nobis, Jessie Tuggle, Jeff Van Note, Mike Kenn, Deion Sanders, Gerald Riggs, and Roddy White as members in the Falcons Ring of Honor.
