Stokan leaves College Football HOF post
With Atlanta's proposed College Football Hall of Fame still about $15 million short on fund-raising, and just three months remaining before the scheduled ground-breaking, the project now faces a leadership shakeup.
Gary Stokan, who has spearheaded the effort for years, stepped down Monday as president and CEO of Atlanta Hall Management, the organization created to build and operate the football shrine here.
The move was attributed to Stokan's responsibilities as president of the Chick-fil-A Bowl -– a position he will retain -– and the proposed hall's need for full-time leadership.
Steve Robinson, chairman of the board of Atlanta Hall Management, predicted a new CEO will be hired within 30 days and said he remains convinced the attraction will be built.
Still, Stokan's departure adds to the uncertainties about the project, which has struggled to raise funds in a difficult economy.
The National Football Foundation, which owns the rights to the Hall of Fame, announced in September 2009 that it would license the rights to the Atlanta organization and move the attraction here from South Bend, Ind.
After originally aiming for an August ground-breaking this year and a 2013 spring opening, the targets were shifted to February next year and September 2013, respectively. A downtown site, currently a parking lot of the Georgia World Congress Center, was selected for the attraction late last year.
"This project is at a point where it needs full-time leadership focus for someone to oversee getting this thing built and ultimately oversee operations," Robinson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday. "I think [Stokan] came to the realization, along with us, that he can't do that and be an effective CEO of the Chick-fil-A Bowl."
Stokan said last month that $22 million had been committed by donors and sponsors and an additional $27.5 million had been lined up in bank financing, leaving another $20 million needed from donors and sponsorship sales before the Hall of Fame could break ground.
Robinson said that subsequent progress in fund-raising has narrowed the amount to $14 million to $15 million that must be raised before construction can begin on the Georgia World Congress Center property.
"We have an agreement with the Congress Center, but it stipulates that has to happen before we break ground," said Robinson, who is chief marketing officer of Chick-fil-A.
Asked whether that much money could be raised by February, Robinson said: "We think maybe it can. We're still hopeful it can. [We're] not giving up on it."
Robinson left open the possibility that the leadership change and funding gap could further delay the project but said that decision hasn't been made.
"If it is in the best interest of the project, I think we would have the support of the National Football Foundation and the World Congress Center," he said of a possible construction delay. "At this juncture, it is not delayed."
Asked if he has any doubts the attraction ultimately will be built, Robinson said: "I have no doubt. ... It will be good for Atlanta and certainly will be good for college football. We know as soon as we get the money raised, this thing can be very successful."
Stokan had been the driving force and public face of the project since first broaching the idea seven years ago.
"I've taken the Hall of Fame as far as I can take it, and we have been very successful in getting where we are," Stokan said Monday. "We are in the red zone, and with my bowl job, I just don't have the time to do justice to focusing on this last 20 yards to get it in the end zone.
"I think it will happen. I think this more focused approach will give it a better chance quicker."
Stokan said a CEO with expertise in fund-raising and construction will be better equipped to lead the project from this point.
"As an old coach, my perspective is you have to recruit to roles," Stokan said.
Stokan recently received a new long-term contract to continue running the Chick-fil-A Bowl, one of college football's more successful postseason games, and its ancillary events.
Steve Hatchell, the National Football Foundation's president and CEO, did not respond to an interview request on Monday.
In a prepared statement, Hatchell said: "Gary Stokan is a good friend and has been the conduit for the National Football Foundation's board of directors to undertake the move of the Hall of Fame to Atlanta. It took his vision and energy to make this happen, and as such, we are excited about the next chapter with the foundation having been set for the creation of a new College Football Hall of Fame."
The Georgia World Congress Center said it was informed in advance of Stokan's departure.
"We don't see any changes in our relationship with Hall management," GWCC spokesman Mark Geiger said. "We are confident the current leadership will continue to move the Hall of Fame project to completion as planned."
Atlanta Hall Management's board has a wish list of candidates for the position, Robinson said. In the interim, Robinson said he and the board's general counsel, John Stephenson, a partner in law firm Troutman Sanders, will devote time to navigating the transition and continuing fund-raising.
Staff writer Christopher Quinn contributed to this article.
About the Author
Tim Tucker, a long-time AJC sports reporter, often writes about the business side of the games. He also had stints as the AJC's Braves beat writer, UGA beat writer, sports notes columnist and executive sports editor. He was deputy managing editor of America's first all-sports newspaper, The National Sports Daily.
