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Atlanta man named NFL's Fan of the Year
Henry Ison has been cheering on the Atlanta Falcons since 1968 and knows everything about the team. This week he was surprised at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the news he's been named the NFL's Fan of the Year.
ATLANTA - An Atlanta man and huge Falcons fan has beat out thousands of other submissions to be honored with the title of NFL's ultimate fan of the year.
Henry Ison says he just can describe the honor. He's also the first-ever Falcons Fan of the Year to win the award.
Ison is already in California, where he received his special honor Thursday night, but he found out he had won earlier this week during a special celebration at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It was the second time the Falcons had to devise a plot to surprise Ison.
His daughter Ebony helped the team back in November with the news that he had been named Falcons Fan of the Year.
This week, they lured him back to the stadium for a send-off celebration to compete for NFL Fan of the Year at Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles.
That's when Falcons owner Arthur Blank surprised Ison with the announcement that he had already won.
"Without fans like yourself Henry and your family and people like you this is just 22 guys playing sandlot football, so you are the essence, you are the heart, you are the reason the NFL has succeeded," Blank said.
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Atlanta man named Falcons Fan of the Year
For five decades, Henry Ison has been an Atlanta Falcons season ticket holder. Now he's been named this year's Falcon Fan of the Year. He joins Good Day to talk about the special moment and why he's a Falcons superfan.
Ison said he didn't have a clue, and when FOX 5 spoke to him that day he said it really hadn't sunk in yet.
"I can't even explain to you how I feel, you know, right now I'm emotional," he said. "This is a big deal, I've been around this team for a long time. I've seen all the good teams, all the bad teams - just been here through it all. It's been a journey, you know. I've met a lot of people, made a lot of friends along the way. I've got some good friendships."
More congratulations poured in from the team president and Falcons legends.
"I don't think I've sat with anybody who had more passion for our football team for the history of our team, knowing all the players both current and past and really past," Falcons President Rich McKay said.
Ison has been going to Falcons games since 1968 and has been a season ticket member since 1971. The veteran, community activist, and entrepreneur stuck with the team from Fulton County Stadium to the Dome to the Benz - that's when he swapped his Ford for a Mercedes.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ison donated shipping containers to be modified into make-shift hospitals to treat patients.
"He's the ultimate fan not only for his loyalty to the Atlanta Falcons but everything he has done throughout his life in terms of the community. He's really lived his life around giving back, putting people first, and including everyone," said Harry Hynekamp, the vice president of fan experience.
Now football is giving back to Ison, and he is grateful. He has this message for future generations.
"Don't just be a football fan, be an all-around good person. Help somebody less fortunate than you and try to do the right things," he said.
Ison, called "The Coach" by his family, says he's passing on the Falcons football tradition to his daughters.
He hasn't said if he'll be rooting for the Rams or the Bengals at the big game Sunday.
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