Nearby Bobby Dodd Stadium  Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Braves Atlanta Hawks Atlanta Dream Atlanta Thrashers

Atlanta, Georgia Professional Sports Teams

Guests of our midtown conference center hotel will always have easy access to any number of local professional sports teams.

Atlanta is home to the NFL Falcons, the MLB Braves, the NBA Hawks, the WNBA Dream, and the NHL Thrashers.

 

Atlanta Falcons.

The Atlanta Falcons got their start in the National Football League in 1966. Home games were played at the newly-built Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium until 1991. The 72,250-seat Georgia Dome became their new home in 1992. Thirty-two years after the first Super Bowl, Atlanta finished with a 14-2 record and made its first foray into the storied championship game. Super Bowl XXXIII in 1998 had the Falcons squaring off against the Denver Broncos. However, John Elway and company proved too tough an opponent, spoiling the Falcons' only Super Bowl appearance with a 34-19 win.  http://www.atlantafalcons.com/. [Top]

Atlanta Braves.

The Braves began as the Boston Red Stockings in 1871, becoming known as the Braves in 1912. Two years later, they won the World Series, earning the nickname the “Miracle Braves.” In 1953, the team moved to Milwaukee, where they remained for 12 seasons, winning the World Series against the New York Yankees in 1957.The Braves found a new home in Atlanta in 1966 and played their home games at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. In 1995, they took home a World Series title. And two years later, a new ballpark, which set the bar for new old-time stadiums, became their home field. Named for the team owner, Ted Turner, Turner Field has been packing them in ever since. The most famous Brave of all is Hank Aaron, the all-time Major League leader in runs batted in as well as the team's all-time runs and hits leader. For more information, visit http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=atl [Top]

Atlanta Hawks.

They got their start in 1946 as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (Moline and Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa), joining the newly-formed National Basketball Association in 1949. The team moved to Milwaukee in 1951 where they stayed for four seasons. It was on to St. Louis from there and the team was a dominant force thanks to the fine play of Bob Pettit, the first NBA player to score 20,000 points. New owners took over the franchise in 1968 and moved the team to Atlanta. In 1977, Ted Turner bought the Hawks but kept them in Atlanta. The team soared in 1982 courtesy of rookie Dominique Wilkins, known as the “human highlight film.” During the 92-93 season, Wilkins passed Bob Pettit as the team's all-time leading scorer. Another Wilkins, Coach Lenny Wilkins, took over the following season and led the Hawks to their first division title since 1987. The following year he became the coach with the most victories in NBA history. Today, the Hawks play their home games at Philips Arena. Bob Pettit (#9), Lou Hudson (#23), and Dominique Wilkins (#21) are the three Atlanta Hawks players to have their uniform number retired. For more information, visit http://www.nba.com/hawks/index_main.html. [Top]

Atlanta Dream.

The Atlanta Dream became a member of the WNBA for the 2008 season. They opened their maiden season on May 23rd against the Detroit Shock at Philips Arena. However, it was not an auspicious start. They lost that game and the next 16 for the longest losing streak to start a season in WNBA history. Their first win finally came on July 5th when they outscored the Chicago Sky 91-84. Four days later, they captured their first road victory against the Minnesota Lynx. The Atlanta Dream is the sixth expansion team to be independently owned and operated. Owner Ronald Terwilliger is chairman and CEO of Trammell Crow Residential, a residential real estate firms and the country's largest developer of multi-family housing. For more information, visit http://www.wnba.com/dream/ [Top]

Atlanta Thrashers.

In 1997, the National Hockey League awarded the city of Atlanta an expansion franchise for the 1999-2000 Season. The 28th NHL franchise, the Thrashers are named after the Brown Thrasher, which is Georgia's state bird. Team firsts include Curt Fraser being hired as the first head coach, the first training camp being opened at RDV Sportsplex in Orlando, Florida, and Dean Sylvester becoming the first Thrasher to record a hat trick (three goals in one game) against Vancouver on November 22, 1999. The Atlanta Thrashers hosted the 2008 NHL All-Star Game at their home rink, Philips Arena. For more information, visit http://thrashers.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=13738 [Top]