--- title: How the Owner of the Superbowl-Bound Atlanta Falcons Made His Billions description: The Falcons made their their first NFL championship in nearly two decades, thanks in part to the largesse of their owner Arthur Blank. authors: - name: Rob Wile url: https://money.com/author/rob-wile/ at_money_since: 2017 articles: 191 covers: - Business - Career Advice - Economy and Politics - Education - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://x.com/rjwile former_staff: true published: '2017-01-23T15:24:49.000Z' modified: '2024-04-17T05:03:16.000Z' section: Business word_count: 219 canonical: https://money.com/how-the-owner-of-the-superbowl-bound-atlanta-falcons-made-his-billions/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![tlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank dances with players after the NFL football NFC championship game](https://img.money.com/2017/01/172301_em_atlantafalcons.jpg) The Atlanta Falcons are going to [the Super Bowl](https://money.com/super-bowl-2017-watch-online-live-stream-free/) after cruising over the Green Bay Packers 44-21 Sunday. Though it's their first NFL championship appearance in nearly two decades, the team has come close multiple times in recent years thanks in part to the largesse of their owner [Arthur Blank](http://www.atlantafalcons.com/team/staff/Arthur-Blank/bb09c550-d66a-4647-81dc-49ee5d7c687b), whose current net worth Forbes lists as $3.2 billion. Blank and fellow billionaire Bernie Marcus cofounded Home Depot in 1978, after they were fired from their jobs at a California home improvement store. Today, Home Depot is the world's largest home-improvement retailer and the fourth-largest retailer overall in North America, with more than 2,200 stores. It has a market cap of $165 billion. Blank, 74, [is said to own](http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB982773455237510915) 34 million shares, or a 1.5% stake. He retired from the company in 2001. In 2002, Blank bought the Falcons for $545 million. The team is now worth $2.13 billion. Blank also has stakes in the PGA's network of retail stores, an MLS soccer team, and the soon to be completed Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. "I'm a very competitive person — probably one of the most competitive you'll ever meet," [Blank told Forbes in October](http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2016/10/28/how-arthur-blank-thinks/#1456bf1c6ae6). But he has also described himself as a "servant-leader." 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