Final Four a fan of Atlanta’s

Not even a freak downtown tornado could keep Atlanta from being an attractive host city for sporting events.

Eight months after a twister blasted out skyscraper windows and shook the rafters of the Georgia Dome during an SEC basketball tournament game, the NCAA announced Wednesday that Atlanta is its choice to host the Men’s Final Four basketball championship in 2013.

And it’s not just any year: 2013 will mark the 75th anniversary of the Final Four as well as the 100th anniversary of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, the group that sells the city as a destination. It also will be the third time Atlanta has hosted the “Big Dance” in 11 years; the previous occasions were in 2002 and 2007.

“We’re obviously very honored particularly that they granted us that one,” said William Pate, the ACVB’s incoming president. “It will be an opportunity to really showcase the city.”

The tournament is coveted because it brings in millions in consumer spending and attracts national attention, hospitality leaders say. It’s also a bit of good sporting news for Atlanta, which has run into some challenges lately as a sports town.

NCAA officials said Atlanta stood out for several reasons, including “significantly new and improved hotels” as well as new attractions expected to be here by 2013: dolphins at the Georgia Aquarium, the Center for Civil and Human Rights and the National Health Museum.

But it was the combination of the renovated Georgia Dome, its staff and how well the city responded to the tornado that tore through downtown in March in the middle of the SEC tournament that left them most impressed, Mike Slive, Division I men’s basketball committee chair, said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

“I think what you saw there was reflected in the experience of the Georgia Dome staff,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a better example of grace under pressure.”

Slive said he also considers the staff to be “one of the finest in the country.”

Weather problems have sometimes been a strike against Atlanta when it has competed for big sporting events. For example, an ice storm during the 2000 Super Bowl weekend keeps getting brought up whenever local officials seek to bring the game back to the city.

Atlanta was one of 10 cities and regions competing for a Final Four in one of several available years: 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016. The others were Houston, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, St. Louis, New Orleans, San Antonio, Phoenix and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington. (Atlanta did not pursue 2014 because of a large convention that coincides with the tournament dates.)

Thousands descended upon Atlanta when the city hosted the 2007 tournament, in which Florida defeated Ohio State 84-75 in the championship game. They filled hotel rooms, dined at restaurants and made cash registers hum with activity.

“Clearly, Atlanta was a very successful host of the 2007 Final Four, and obviously those were matters that the committee took into consideration,” Slive said.

As for whether playing host three times means that Atlanta is sure to win a fourth bid in the future, Slive said nothing is for sure.

“Nobody ‘gets a turn,’ ” he said. “This is a competitive situation. It’s based on existing criteria, and that’s it.”

The city has a history of hosting big sporting events, from the Super Bowl to the 1996 Summer Olympics. However, tough economic times have hit the city’s thriving sports industry.

The Atlanta Silverbacks, the men’s professional soccer team, announced Wednesday that it will take the 2009 season off, citing the state of the economy as one of its reasons.

Last week, Tour de Georgia officials said they were unable to secure corporate sponsors for the seven-day cycling race and would suspend it for one year. The news followed an announcement earlier in the week that the men’s seniors professional golf tour would not hold a previously planned event at Sugarloaf Country Club in Duluth because it could not secure a title sponsor. The seniors event was intended to replace a PGA Tour event at Sugarloaf that was killed because it, too, could not find a title sponsor.

Earlier this year, the LPGA, the professional women’s golf tour, was unable to secure a title sponsor for a local tournament in 2009.

The city has also made two failed attempts to host the Super Bowl. It had made bids for 2009 and 2010.

Though Pate said he was confident that Atlanta would snag one of the Final Four dates, there were a few moments of nervousness.

“I was doing that ‘Pretty please, pretty please!’ ” he said, laughing.

The next steps are to send Atlanta representatives to the 2009 game in Detroit, then put together a local committee and appoint an executive director about 18 months before the Atlanta tournament.

NCAA MEN’S FINAL FOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Q: Who are the other host cities?

A: New Orleans (2012); Dallas-Arlington-Fort Worth (2014); Indianapolis (2015); and Houston (2016).

Q: How can I get tickets?

A: Tickets are likely to go on sale in March 2012, said Ben Weesies, NCAA assistant director of men’s basketball. The men’s basketball committee will determine the price, he said.

Q: What is the projected economic impact?

A: Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau officials predict a windfall of $61 million and 80,000 fans.