Tom Cousins wasn't much of a sports fan, but his indelible impact on the Atlanta sports scene was recognized and celebrated Monday night.
At the Atlanta Sports Awards at Fox Theatre, the real estate developer was presented with a lifetime achievement award by the Atlanta Sports Council for his contributions to Atlanta sports.
Cousins brought the NBA and NHL to Atlanta in 1968 and 1972, respectively, and built the Omni, the predecessor to Philips Arena. He also is credited with revitalizing the East Lake neighborhood through mixed-income developments and his renovation of the East Lake Golf Club.
"I felt that Atlanta needed and deserved an arena or coliseum," Cousins said of the Omni. "They could have Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra in Macon, but you couldn’t have them in Atlanta."
In his acceptance speech, Cousins told stories about building the Omni and the purchase of the Hawks for $3 million to bring the team from St. Louis without having seen a professional basketball game and telling his wife, Ann.
"[Atlanta]needed a major stadium to become a major city," Cousins said. "It was from that standpoint that we got involved. I had no idea about sports."
Gary Stokan, head of the Atlanta Sports Council since 1998, had mixed feelings as he spoke at the fifth annual awards dinner. Stokan created the event, which has sold out each year, to honor members of the Atlanta sports community. He recently left the council, which is under the supervision of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, to focus on the Chick-fil-A Bowl, the Kickoff Classic game and the college football hall of fame, which previously were supervised by the sports council but are run by new non-profit organizations.
"Anytime you create something, that's the biggest compliment; that you can leave something that has been successful and will continue to be successful, and I know it will be," Stokan said.
Coach of the year: Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech football
College athlete of the year: Courtney Kupets, Georgia gymnastics
Furman Bisher Award for Sports Media Excellence: Brad Nessler, ESPN
High school athlete of the year: Derrick Favors, South Atlanta High basketball
High school scholar-athletes of the year: Rawson Haverty, Westminster Schools; Megan Light, North Springs High
Amateur athlete of the year: Amanda Weir, swimming
Lifetime achievement award: Tom Cousins
Professional athlete of the year: Stewart Cink, golf
Sports person of the year: Tim Hudson, Braves
Team of the year: Georgia Tech football
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
