Photos: 19 memories of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium

Sports

Photos: 19 memories of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium

Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was home to the Braves for three decades. In that time it had numerous sports moments before its demolition in 1997.

Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was home to the Braves for three decades. In that time it had numerous sports moments before its demolition in 1997. Here are a few you may recall, or wish to forget:

Built to lure the Braves from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1964, Atlanta Stadium (later renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium) was originally proposed as a domed structure.

Completed April 9, 1965, for $18 million, the Milwaukee Braves and Detroit Tigers played an exhibition game in the stadium. The Braves, however, would not call it home until the 1966 season. In 1995, the International League's Atlanta Crackers, whose previous home had been Ponce de Leon Park, played their final season in Atlanta Stadium.

Deion Sanders and the Falcons called Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium home from 1966 to 1991. Unlike other multi-purpose stadiums built that had lower grandstands that moved to form a gridiron, Atlanta-Fulton County had seats that pulled out from the outfield, forming an oval seating arrangement that made the 50 yard line seats the farthest from the field.

"The King of Futbol," Pele, scored three goals as the Santos Football Club of Brazil routed the city’s professional team, the Atlanta Chiefs, 6-2, in an exhibition match. The crowd of nearly 27,000 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on Aug. 28, 1968, was the largest crowd ever at a soccer game in Atlanta.

On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career home run record by hitting No. 715 over the fence in left-center field at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The Braves commemorated the event with a marble monument at the stadium.

On the final game of 1972 season, Falcons running back Dave Hampton reaches 1,000 yards for the first time in franchise history. The team stops to celebrate the achievement at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, presenting Hampton with a trophy. On the next play, Hampton loses 6 yards. He doesn't get another carry and finishes the year with 995 yards.

Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson played the final game of his NFL career at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Simpson, then a member of the San Francisco 49ers, is escorted from the field by Atlanta police officers following a 31-21 loss to the Falcons in December 1979.

Before the days of bobblehead giveaways and Star Wars theme nights, the Braves were pioneers of the wacky promotions to get fans to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Among the ventures were wet T-shirt contests, ostrich races featuring Braves radio announcers, weddings, cash grab scrambles and 25-cent beer nights.

Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was the site of a round of the AMA Supercross Championship from 1977 to 1986 and from 1989 to 1992.

From 1971 to 1992, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was the site of the Peach Bowl. West Virginia coach Bobby Bowden, Miami quarterback Jim Kelly (above), Purdue's Jim Everett and Baylor's Mike Singletary all reached national acclaim playing in the Atlanta game.

The Falcons suffered what might be their worse playoff defeat -- also known as the "Duel in Dixie" -- in 1981 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The Cowboys scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter of the NFC Divisional playoffs to come from behind and defeat the Falcons, 30–27.

Chief Noc-A-Homa was a big part of Braves baseball until 1985 at old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Before each game, the Chief in Native American costume, would do a dance on the pitcher’s mound and then head out to left field where he would watch the game from a teepee in the bleachers. When a Braves player homered, the Chief would set off smoke signals and do a celebration dance. He was retired before the 1986 season.

Thousands stayed behind in their seats on Oct. 2, 1991, as the Braves watched on the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium video board as a Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the San Francisco Giants, handing the Braves the National League West Championship. The team that hadn't had a winning season since 1983 and finished last in the division the previous year made a miraculous turn in fortune. This would be the start of a decades-long dominance in the National League.

Sid Bream cemented his place in Braves lore and baseball history when he slid home ahead of Barry Bonds’ throw to score the game-winning run in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, sending the Braves to their second consecutive World Series.

On July 20, 1993, a fire engulfed the press box at Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium during batting practice. The fire, witnessed by the likes of David Justice (left) and Deion Sanders, happened on the same day Fred McGriff joined the Braves.

The Braves' crowning achievement in Atlanta came Oct. 28, 1995, at Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium when the Braves won the World Series by defeating the Cleveland Indians, 1–0, on a one-hit, 8-inning performance by pitcher Tom Glavine.

Braves Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro managed the Colorado Silver Bullets, a barnstorming all-female professional baseball team, who played a number of games at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in the mid-1990s.

Billboards advertising Marlboro cigarettes hung around Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium until the 1996 postseason when they had to be covered up so they would not appear during broadcasts, violating a law banning the advertising of cigarettes on television.

The baseball competition for the 1996 Summer Olympics was held at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium.

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Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was home to the Braves for three decades. In that time it had numerous sports moments before its demolition in 1997. Here are a few you may recall, or wish to forget:

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