Local NFL player greets public

Dahl signs autographs at auto mall

Harvey Dahl sat at a table in the Fallon Auto Mall showroom on Friday afternoon with pens ready to write with.

He wasn't there to sell cars. The Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman was there to sign autographs for fans and help promote his team and the National Football League (NFL) in the Fallon community. On the table were one of his Falcons home jerseys and a helmet, along with a stack of photograph cards showing a picture of him taken during the Falcons' game against the Raiders last season in Oakland.

Dahl, 29, enters his third season with the Falcons this fall. The Churchill County High School and University of Nevada, Reno graduate was traded by the San Francisco 49ers to Atlanta on Oct. 9, 2007. The Falcons immediately placed him on their active roster, and he earned a spot in the starting lineup last season.

A steady stream of fans came in seeking his autograph. Many were children, but there were also several adults who wanted his autograph. He signed the pictures for most of the fans. Some of the seekers, however, brought in other items they wanted him to sign. Current CCHS lineman Remy Fabel had Dahl sign a Greenwave football helmet. A middle-aged adult had him sign a 49ers jersey with Dahl's name on the back.

Dahl warmly greeted and shook hands with everyone who came in to see him. He signed the items with a smile on his face.

“It's going good,” Dahl said of the autograph signing. “It's good to see everybody. A lot of people I already knew. It's good go see everybody, you know? It's good to get some support going for the Atlanta Falcons here in Fallon.”



Autograph signing sessions and other public appearances are a regular part of an NFL player's offseason routine, according to Dahl. It's all part of the league's public relations efforts, to reach out to the community and help built a positive image of the league in the public's mind.

“We get out about every other week and go so something with the community, like going to a homeless shelter, or things with the military, things like that,” Dahl said. “We go to a lot of schools and do fitness things with the kids. There's a lot of ways to get involved with the community.”

Dahl said that the autograph session was set up though the Fallon's public relations department, which coordinates all of the players public appearances. He also said that as child, he never dreamed that one day he would be doing this.

“Not really, but it's a lot of fun,” Dahl said. “It's fun to be a part of the community. I meet a bunch of people, they're all good people and it's fun to do. Kids see he NFL and want to be part of it, so it's real cool to be involved.”