Atlanta Falcons Announce No. 44 Will Be Retired for 2021 in Honor of Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron is an Atlanta icon, so it's only fitting the city's sports franchises would honor the Baseball Hall of Famer. 

The Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC announced they will retire Aaron's No. 44 for their 2021 seasons:

Aaron died Friday at the age of 86.

He played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1954-76, including 21 as a member of the Braves organization. The franchise was based in Milwaukee for the first 12 years of his career before moving to Atlanta before the 1966 season. 

Aaron provided arguably the most iconic moment in Atlanta sports history. He broke Babe Ruth's all-time home run record with his 715th career homer on April 8, 1974, at Atlanta Stadium in front of 53,775 fans. 

When Aaron finally retired after the 1976 season, he was MLB's all-time leader with 755 homers and 2,297 RBI. Barry Bonds passed him on the home run list in 2007, finishing his career with 762. 

The Braves retired Aaron's No. 44 on April 15, 1977. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.