Atlanta Falcons Name Two Trench Legends to 2026 Ring of Honor

The Atlanta Falcons named their 15th and 16th members to their Ring of Honor on Friday afternoon.

The Atlanta Falcons took Bill Fralic with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, and three-time All-Pro. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

John Abraham and Bill Fralic are headed to the Atlanta Falcons’ Ring of Honor for their contributions to the franchise.

They will be the 15th and 16th members of Atlanta’s ring of honor, which started in 2004.

After making a three-team trade to acquire Abraham from the New York Jets, the NFL All-Pro defensive end went on to play seven seasons for the Falcons from 2006 to 2012. With the Falcons, Abraham, nicknamed “The Predator,” recorded 68.5 sacks, the most in team history. 

Explosive off the line every time

😈 @55getlive https://t.co/6OPN1C2Oma pic.twitter.com/obkSaGcHIh

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 4, 2026

He eclipsed double-digit sacks four times in Atlanta. 

Abraham forced 25 fumbles for the Falcons. Nineteen of those were of strip sacks, according to Tru Media via the Falcons press release. The number tied for the fourth-most in the NFL in that time. Abraham’s 115 quarterback hits for Atlanta are the second most in franchise annals behind Grady Jarrett’s 126 since 2000.

The 2008 season was a career year for the Falcons star, with a season-best 20 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks. He was a two-time All-Pro selection in 2008 and 2010 and made the Pro Bowl twice in 2010 and 2013.

Abraham was selected to Atlanta’s 2010 All-Decade team as a key piece in the franchise’s turn to the Matt Ryan era.

As for Fralic, Atlanta selected the right guard from the University of Pittsburgh with the second overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft, a pick they traded up to acquire. He spent eight of his nine NFL seasons with the Falcons, starting 115 out of 116 possible games.

In Atlanta, Fralic was a two-time All-Pro first-teamer, a one-time second-teamer, and earned four Pro Bowl selections. The Pro Football Hall of Fame selected Fralic to its 1980s All-Decade team.

"He's home now" 🥹

Bill Fralic will be the first member to be posthumously inducted into the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor

We surprised his widow, Susan, with his well-deserved place in Falcons history pic.twitter.com/gQ542bMHGD

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 4, 2026

His dominance at the line of scrimmage made Fralic widely credited for popularizing the term “pancake block,” which is when an offensive lineman completely flattens a defender. His ability to create running lanes helped former Falcons star tailback Gerald Riggs accrue the fourth-most rushing yards in three years, 1985-1988. 

Off the field, Fralic participated in WWF’s, now WWE, Wrestlemania 2 20-man battle alongside Andre the Giant. Fralic was also an advocate against steroids in the NFL and became a professional broadcaster and insurance salesman.

Fralic passed away in 2018 after a battle with cancer.

Abraham will be inducted into the Falcons Ring of Honor at Atlanta’s Sunday Night Football matchup against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 11.

Fralic enters posthumously for the Week 16 NFC South rivalry game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The date and start time are TBA due to the NFL flex schedule, as playoff contenders began to shape late into the season.

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