Sports in Georgia (U.S. state)

Sports in Georgia include professional teams in all major sports, Olympic Games contenders and medalists, collegiate teams in major and small-school conferences and associations, and active amateur teams and individual sports. The State of Georgia has a team in all four major professional leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL).

Professional sports

Baseball

The Atlanta Braves are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team that moved to Atlanta in 1966 from Milwaukee where they were known as the Milwaukee Braves. [ [http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/atl/history/timeline3.jsp Braves Time line] , Accessed December 31, 2007 ] The Braves have played their home games at Turner Field in Atlanta since 1997; prior to that they played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. They won the World Series in 1914 (as the Boston Braves), 1957 (as the Milwaukee Braves), and 1995 (as the Atlanta Braves). Braves players in the Baseball Hall of Fame include Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Orlando Cepeda, Eddie Matthews, Phil Niekro, Gaylord Perry, Bruce Sutter and Hoyt Wilhelm.

The AAA minor league baseball Gwinnett Braves of the International League will begin play north of Lawrenceville in Gwinnett County Ballpark in 2009.

The Rome Braves, previously known as the Macon Braves are a Class-A minor league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. In 2003, the team moved from Macon, Georgia to Rome, Georgia. Their home games are played at State Mutual Stadium, which opened April 11, 2003. The stadium seats 5,105 and features a lawn seating area known as "Applebee's Home Run Hill."

Current Atlanta Braves include Kyle Davies(traded to the Kansas City Royals for reliever Octavio Dotel), Jeff Francoeur, Brian McCann, and Blaine Boyer, who were all Rome Braves in 2003. The team recently announced the 2006 manager will be Randy Ingle, as former manager Rocket Wheeler moves to the other Class-A farm team for the Atlanta Braves, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

Basketball

The Atlanta Hawks are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team founded in 1949 and play their home games at Philips Arena in Atlanta. The Hawks have won one Championship, four Conference titles and fourteen Division titles. Notable current and former Hawks include Walt Bellamy, Cliff Hagan, Connie Hawkins, Bob Houbregs, Moses Malone, Pete Maravich, Ed Macauley, Bob Pettit, Lenny Wilkins and Dominique Wilkins. [ [http://www.nba.com/hawks/history/00400483.html Hawks History] , Accessed December 31, 2007 ]

The American Basketball Association and the World Basketball Association are also represented in Georgia. In the case of the former, Georgia has three teams: the Atlanta Vision [ [http://www.usbasket.com/team.asp?Cntry=USA&Team=6279 Atlanta Vision] , Accessed December 31, 2007 ] ,the Rome Legions [ [http://www.oursportscentral.com/sports/?t_id=2017 Roman Legions] , Accessed December 31, 2007 ] , and the Georgia Gwizzlies [ [http://www.usbasket.com/team.asp?Cntry=USA&Team=6903] , Accessed December 31, 2007 ] . The latter association teams are the Georgia Warriors, the Marietta Storm and the Rome Gladiators. [ [http://houstonsportsteams.com/spalm/wba.html WBA Team History] , Accessed December 31, 2007 ]

Atlanta has been granted an expanion team by the Women's National Basketball Association. The team is named the Atlanta Dream. They play their home games at Philips Arena. The colors are white, sky blue, red. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/news/story?id=3066469 Report: WNBA awards Atlanta franchise for '08 season] , Accessed December 31, 2007 ]

Football

The Atlanta Falcons are a National Football League (NFL) team founded as an expansion team in 1966. [ [http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/atlanta/falcons.html Historical Moments] , Accessed December 31, 2007 ] They have played their home games at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta since 1992; prior to playing at the Georgia Dome they played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium from 1966-1991. The Falcons have won three Division Championships in 1980, 1998 and 2004 and one Conference Championship in 1998. Notable current and former players include Eric Dickerson, Tommy McDonald, William Andrews, Jeff Van Note, Jessie Tuggle, Mike Kenn, Marion Campbell, Dan Reeves, Greg Brezina, Ray Buchanan, Buddy Curry, T.J. Duckett, Bill Fralic, Wallace Francis and the Bill Goldberg.

Georgia is also home to several arena football teams. The Georgia Force, founded in 2002, is an Arena Football League (AFL) team based out of Duluth, Georgia. [ [http://www.georgiaforce.com/ Georgia Force Football] , Accessed January , 2008 ] Two teams were founded in 2006. They are the Atlanta Thoroughbreds, a National Indoor Football League(NIFL) team and the Augusta Colts, an American Indoor Football League team (except for the 2007 season when they were part of the World Indoor Football League(WIFL). The last Georgia team to be founded was the Columbus Lions in 2007. The Lions were founded as a WIFL team, but have since joined the American Indoor Football Association(AIFA). [ [http://columbuslions.net/ The Official Website of the Columbus Lions] , Accessed January 1, 2008 ]

The Atlanta Xplosion are a Women's Professional Football League team. They have recently won the league's 2006 Championship. [ [http://www.pba.org/programming/programs/thisisatlanta/xplosion/ Atlanta Xplosion] , Accessed January 1, 2008 ]

Hockey

Hockey's history in Georgia goes back to the 1970s with the Atlanta Flames, who played in the state until 1980 when they were relocated to Calgary, Alberta. It was not until October 2, 1999 that hockey formally returned with the Atlanta Thrashers' first game against New Jersey. [ [http://thrashers.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=14045 History] , Accessed December 31, 2007 ] They play their home games at the Philips Arena in Atlanta. The Thrashers have yet to appear in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The ECHL currently has two teams located in Georgia. The Augusta Lynx was the first to be founded in 1998 and play at the James Brown Arena. The second team was the Gwinnett Gladiators, founded in 2000; the Gladiators play at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.

The Columbus Cottonmouths is currently the only team in Georgia that is part of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The team was founded in 1996. [ [http://www.cottonmouths.com/ Columbus Cottonmouths Official Website] , Accessed January 1, 2008 ]

occer

The Atlanta Silverbacks are an USL First Division team founded in 1999. The Atlanta Silverbacks U23's are part of the USL Premier Development League associated with the Atlanta Silverbacks and the Atlanta Silverbacks Women are the Silverback's W-League team. the Silverbacks play at the RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Stadium. [ [http://www.atlantasilverbacks.com/ Atlanta Silverbacks Official Site] , Accessed January 1, 2008 ]

Augusta FireBall United, also known as Augusta FireBall, were an American soccer team that was founded in 2005. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2006, when the team left the league and the franchise was terminated. They played their home games at at Patriots Park in Augusta, Georgia.

Golf

The Masters Tournament, played in Augusta, Georgia at Augusta National Golf Club in April is one of four major golf tournaments played in the United States. The tournament was created in 1931 by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, a financier from New York. The course was designed by golf course architect Alister MacKenzie. [ [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-740 Masters Tournament] , Accessed January 2, 2008 ] Notable golfers from Georgia include Atlantan Bobby Jones, noted as the greatest amateur golfer ever, [ [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-468 Bobby Jones] , Accessed January 2, 2008 ] Davis Love III of Sea Island [ [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2789 Davis Love III] , Accessed January 2, 2008 ] and Tommy Aaron of Gainesville, Georgia. [ [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2020 Tommy Aaron] , Accessed January 2, 2008]

Table of professional teams

Motorsports

Georgia is home to approximately twenty-two race tracks divided into racing speedways and drag strips. Some of the twenty-two tracks in Georgia are the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Atlanta Dragway, Dixie Speedway and Roebling Road Raceway. [ [http://www.mphmotorsports.com/state%20ga.htm Race Tracks in Georgia] , Accessed January 1, 2008 ] One of the most famous racers to come from Georgia is Bill Elliott [ [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2055 Bill Elliott] , Accessed January 1, 2008 ] .

NASCAR

Many observers consider Dawsonville one of the birthplaces of NASCAR because so many individuals involved in the sport were from that city. Notable racers from Dawsonville include, Bill Elliott, Roy Hall and Lloyd Seay. [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2054&hl=y NASCAR] , Accessed January 2, 2008 ] . Since 1951 Georgia tracks have hosted two to eight races in NASCAR's elite division. Dawsonville is home to the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.

College

The state of Georgia has twenty-eight schools competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and ten schools in the NAIA.

Division I

The Univerisity of Georgia's Georgia Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs have won 31 total national collegiate championships over the years. [ [http://www.ticketnest.com/sports-tickets/Georgia-Bulldogs/index.php Georgia Bulldogs TicketNest] , Accessed January 1, 2008 ] . They have also won 127 Southeastern Conference Championships. There are seven other Division I institutions besides the University of Georgia. They are:

*Georgia Southern University
*Georgia State University
*Georgia Institute of Technology
*Kennesaw State University
*Mercer University
*Savannah State University

Division II

Valdosta State University's Blazers compete in NCAA Division II as members of the Gulf South Conference. [ [http://www.vstateblazers.com/ Valdosta Blazers Official Website] , Accessed January 4, 2008 ] The Blazers have won four total national collegiate championships, two in football in 2004 and 2007, one in baseball in 1979 and one in tennis in 2006. There are thirteen other Division II institutions besides the University of Valdosta. They are:

*Albany State University
*Armstrong Atlantic State University
*Augusta State University
*Clark Atlanta University
*Clayton State University
*Columbus State University
*Fort Valley State University
*Georgia College and State University
*Georgia Southwestern State University
*Morehouse College
*North Georgia College and State University
*Paine College
*University of West Georgia

Division III

LaGrange College is in the NCAA Division III with 14 sports, and competes as a member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. The school's most successful athletic program is its men's golf team, which is perennially among the nation's best.

Georgia has seven other institutions in Division III. They are:

*Agnes Scott College
*Emory University
*LaGrange College
*Oglethorpe University
*Piedmont College
*Spelman College
*Wesleyan College

1996 Summer Olympics

Atlanta was the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 1996 Summer Paralympics. The Olympics were held from July 19 until August 4, 1996. [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2042 Olympic Games in 1996] , Accessed January 5, 2008 ] It was during this time, on July 27, 1996, that a bombing took place in Centennial Park killing two and injuring 111 people. [ [http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM24K3 Centennial Olympic Park Bombing - Atlanta, Georgia] , Accessed January 5, 2008 ] The Paralympics were held from August 15 to August 29, 2006.

Olympians from Georgia

Several people from Georgia, or from Georgia schools, have received gold medals at the Olympics over the years. Some of those gold medalists are:

*Brent B. Abernathy
*Alice Marie Coachman
*Teresa Edwards
*Debbie Ferguson
*Vern Fleming
*Katrina McClain
*Courtney Shealy
*Sheila Taormina
*Forrest Towns [ [http://www.georgiadogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8800&KEY=&ATCLID=324025 Georgia Olympians] , Accessed January 5, 2008 ] [ [http://gagames.kennesaw.edu/olympians_from_ga.htm Olympians from GA] , Accessed January 5, 2008 ]

References