Falcons Uniform History: #27 and the stellar Tom Pridemore

The Falcons have no shortage of terrific defensive backs in their history, from Scott Case to Deion Sanders to current cornerback Desmond Trufant. Tom Pridemore was one of the best of them.

The Falcons had a terrific tandem during the days when Case and Pridemore played safety for the team, with Pridemore spending eight seasons in Atlanta and racking up 21 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries. Like Case, Pridemore was known as a big hitter, and that may have contributed to his career ending at the relatively young age of 29.

The second-best Falcon to wear #27 was almost certainly Tom Hayes, a cornerback who spent five years patrolling the right side of the field for Atlanta in the 70's. He managed 17 picks in those those five seasons, but he left Atlanta after his age 29 season and wound up playing just one more year for San Diego.

The other noteworthy Falcons on the list at #27 are cornerback Vinnie Clark, who played a year-and-a-half for Atlanta, and Cory Hall, who quietly started 23 games for the Falcons during the Michael Vick era. This one quite obviously belongs to Pridemore, though.