ATLANTA — An architect of the Atlanta Falcons across the last two decades is joining illustrious company, honored by the Atlanta Sports Council as this year's Atlanta Sports Awards Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Rich McKay, the Chief Executive Officer of Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment (AMBSE) and Chief Executive Officer of the Atlanta Falcons, will receive the award, presented by Coca-Cola, during the 2023 Atlanta Sports Awards on Dec. 16. 11Alive will broadcast the 2023 Atlanta Sports Awards at 7 p.m. that night.
McKay joined the Falcons in 2004, rising to be the top executive in owner Arthur Blank's organization, and helping the team reach heights that have included seven playoff appearances, three NFC Championship games and playing in Super Bowl LI in 2017.
He has long been viewed within the industry as one of the NFL's leading power brokers, and was promoted in January 2023 to overseeing the entire enterprise that includes the Falcons, Atlanta United and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“Atlanta has meant so much to me and my family over the last two decades, I am honored to be recognized by the Atlanta Sports Council with The Lifetime Achievement Award,” McKay said. “I am grateful for everyone I have had the pleasure of working alongside all these years and I am proud of all we have been able to accomplish for this city, not only bringing the biggest events to Atlanta, but working together to give back to our communities.”
Atlanta Sports Council President Dan Corso called him a "world-class executive" whose "impact on football and Atlanta has been notable and profound."
“From Mercedes-Benz Stadium to the success of the Falcons, his legacy is engraved on our city’s history. We have had the pleasure of working with Rich on our effort to secure major sporting events for the region and are certain his lifetime of accomplishments in Atlanta and throughout the NFL make McKay an obvious choice for the Lifetime Achievement Award," Corso said.
McKay is the son of legendary football coach John McKay, building on the family legacy in football across more than 30 years in the sport. He was general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1994-2003, the year they won the Super Bowl, before joining the Falcons as GM.
He has also been influential across a range of league matters, from helping craft the collective bargaining agreement that spanned 2011-2020, to serving on the NFL Competition Committee as both co-chairman and chairman for the last 26 years. He is also credited as the only executive to have twice successfully navigated new stadium negotiations (Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay in 1998 and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in 2017).
McKay's contributions to the Atlanta community have included stints with the boards of nonprofits Central Atlanta Progress and Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and this year he was honored by the nonprofit CHRIS 180, one of the leading groups in the Southeast engaged in mental health and support services, with the CHRIStal Vision Award for his support of the organization.
More on the 2023 Atlanta Sports Awards
Watch it live
The 18th annual Atlanta Sports Awards will air on 11Alive on Saturday, December 16 at 7 p.m.
Additional show dates
If you miss the original broadcast of the awards, don't worry - they'll re-air several times in December.
You can catch the 2023 Atlanta Sports Awards at these dates and times:
- Sunday, December 17: 8 p.m. - WATL
- Sunday, December 24: 11 a.m. - 11Alive
- Sunday, December 24: 9 p.m. - WATL
- Sunday, December 31: 11 a.m. - 11Alive
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