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126-549: The venue previously hosted the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1968 to 1972 and again from 1997 to 1999. Tech's women's volleyball team occasionally uses the facility as well, primarily for NCAA tournament games and other matches that draw crowds that would overflow the O'Keefe Gymnasium . The 270-foot-diameter (82 m) Alexander Coliseum opened in 1956 at

252-458: A $ 15 million donation from the McCamish family. The facility's extensive renovation included reconstruction of the seating bowl, the addition of an upper level balcony and club seating, and the expansion of the concourse and plaza area. During the renovation, Georgia Tech's basketball teams played their 2011–2012 games at Philips Arena or Gas South Arena . The first game in the renovated arena

378-523: A 28–54 record. In 2003, Atlanta hosted the All-Star game, the last an Eastern Conference team would host for nine years. On March 31, 2004, the team was sold to a group of executives by the name of Atlanta Spirit LLC by Time Warner (who inherited the Hawks, Braves and Thrashers upon its merger with Turner Broadcasting in 1996). During the off-season, the Hawks sent Jason Terry , Alan Henderson , and

504-562: A Western Division-best 49–23 record, helping him capture his second MVP award. The Hawks remained one of the NBA's premier teams for the next decade. In 1960, under coach Ed Macauley , the team advanced to the Finals , but lost to the Celtics in another game seven thriller. The following year, with the acquisition of rookie Lenny Wilkens , the Hawks repeated their success, but met the Celtics in

630-531: A condition of their sale. Additionally, Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed stated that the city might offer incentives for a prospective owner to keep the Hawks in Atlanta for another 30 years. On April 22, 2015, Atlanta Spirit reached a tentative agreement to sell the franchise to a group led by billionaire Tony Ressler (with Grant Hill , Steven Price , Rick Schnall , Sara Blakely , Jesse Itzler and Ressler's wife Jami Gertz holding minority stakes) for $ 850 million;

756-451: A double-overtime thriller in game seven. In 1958, after tallying their first winning record, they again advanced to the Finals , where they avenged their defeat against the Celtics from the previous year, winning the series 4–2 and giving the Hawks their first and only NBA Championship. Bob Pettit scored 50 points in the final game of the series. The following season Bob Pettit led the Hawks to

882-602: A future 2nd-round pick to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Jeremy Tyler , who was waived 15 days later. The Hawks ended the 2012–13 season with a 44–38 record, making a playoff appearance for the sixth straight season. However, they were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in six games in the first round. By the end of the off-season, every player involved in the Johnson and Williams trades just

1008-478: A future first-round draft pick to the Dallas Mavericks for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk . After the change in ownership, the Hawks still struggled. In the 2004–05 season , the Hawks were the league's worst team with a mere 13 victories (five fewer than even the expansion Charlotte Bobcats and the struggling New Orleans Hornets ). It was also the year Josh Smith won the 2005 Slam Dunk Contest. In

1134-515: A home-and-home basis. Each of the 14 members in the conference in 2023 will play either Oklahoma or Texas in 2024 and '25, but not both. Whether the conference schedule stays at 8 games or expands to 9 after 2025, each team will be guaranteed of playing all other conference teams home and away in a four-year cycle. The requirement of scheduling at least one Power Four (the Pac-12 lost all but two of its members, Oregon State and Washington State , before

1260-612: A joint letter, Texas president Jay Hartzell and Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz Jr. wrote, "We believe that there would be mutual benefit to the Universities on the one hand, and the SEC on the other hand, for the Universities to become members of the SEC." On July 29, 2021, the presidents of the current 14 schools of the SEC voted unanimously to extend an offer of admission to Oklahoma and Texas. The boards of regents for both institutions on July 30, 2021, accepted conference membership, and

1386-603: A local Atlanta company that built many Atlanta landmarks. It was designed and built without any support pillars to obstruct the view of any fans during games. It served as a replacement for the Third Street Gymnasium (later known as the Heisman Gym) on the campus of Georgia Tech, an 1,800-seat arena opened just 18 years before. The arena's original capacity was 6,996 seats, though crowds larger than that sometimes assembled for big games. Between 1956 and 1996,

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1512-521: A losing record, they managed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999 . In the playoffs the Hawks started to show improvement, pushing the eventual NBA Champions, Boston Celtics , to a Game 7 before losing in Boston. The Hawks won all three games at Philips Arena, which hosted its first playoff games and earned its first sellout. The 2008–09 season saw the Hawks win 47 games, their first winning season since 1999. With almost an intact lineup from

1638-463: A merger of the 12-year-old NBL and the three-year-old Basketball Association of America (BAA). They reached the playoffs in the NBA's inaugural year under the leadership of coach Red Auerbach . The following season, they drafted three-time All-American Bob Cousy , but they were unable to reach a deal and traded him to the Chicago Stags (who would later surrender him in a dispersal draft to

1764-589: A new arena was being constructed, the team spent its first four seasons playing at Alexander Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Georgia Tech , winning their first Division title in the 1969–70 season with a 48–34 (.585) record in the Western Division. Cousins' firm soon developed the Omni Coliseum , a 16,500-seat, state-of-the-art downtown Atlanta arena, for the Hawks and the expansion Atlanta Flames ice hockey franchise, which opened in 1972 as

1890-469: A new arena. The Omni was designed with weathering steel that was intended to rust into a seal around the arena so it could last for decades. However, the designers and architects did not reckon on Atlanta's humid subtropical climate. As a result, it never stopped rusting, and looked somewhat dated despite being 25 years old. When Turner won an NHL franchise, the Atlanta Thrashers , one condition

2016-756: A payout to the SEC conference. ^ The Sugar Bowl is contractually obligated to select the SEC champion if that team is not participating in the College Football Playoff. In years where the champion is unavailable the Playoff Committee will assign another SEC team to participate in the Sugar. Alternatively, in years where the Sugar hosts a playoff game the SEC Champion will be sent to the Fiesta, Cotton, or Peach Bowl if not selected for

2142-400: A spinal cord injury suffered during a football practice before ever playing a game, while Dillard suffered a career-altering injury before getting a chance to play for Vanderbilt's varsity and transferred to Eastern Michigan . The remaining two both played in the 1967–68 school year. Northington made his overall debut against Indiana on September 23, 1967 and his SEC debut against Ole Miss

2268-627: A steal in a loss to the New Jersey Nets . After the game he was dealt to the Detroit Pistons in a three-way trade with the Boston Celtics . In turn, Detroit sent guard Bob Sura , center Željko Rebrača , and a first-round draft pick to the Hawks. The Boston Celtics also sent forward Chris Mills to Atlanta to complete the deal, but Mills never had a chance to play in a Hawks uniform. The Hawks ended their 2003–04 season with

2394-563: A step back in the 2010–11 season, finishing with 44 wins, even though Horford and Johnson were named to the All-Star team. In mid-season the Hawks traded Mike Bibby to the Washington Wizards for Kirk Hinrich , in hopes of bringing a defensive guard to replace the defensively liable Bibby. The Hawks finished the season losing their final six games. In the playoffs the Hawks beat the Magic in six games; however, they subsequently lost to

2520-406: A telegram to the state's Board of Regents requesting Georgia Tech not to engage in racially integrated events, Georgia Tech's president Blake R. Van Leer rejected the request and threatened to resign. The game went on as planned. The 1959 Mississippi State men's basketball team, led by all-American Bailey Howell , finished its season 24–1, winning the conference title. They did not participate in

2646-438: A uniform 6-game schedule from 1974 to 1987, and added a seventh conference game from 1988 to 1991. Through this period and through the earlier years each SEC school had five permanent opponents, developing some traditional rivalries between schools, and the other games rotated around the other members of the conference. After expansion to twelve programs in 1992, the SEC went to an 8-game conference schedule, with each team playing

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2772-536: A year earlier were either waived or not brought back. The 2013 free agency period also marked the end of the Josh Smith era for Atlanta as he signed a contract with the Detroit Pistons . Longtime Hawk Zaza Pachulia moved on as well and signed with the Milwaukee Bucks . With half the roster gone, 2012–13 proved to be a roster turnover year, paving a path to success for Mike Budenholzer. On May 28, 2013,

2898-718: Is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States . Its 16 members include the flagship public universities of 12 states, three additional public land-grant universities , and one private research university. The conference is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama . The SEC participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I in sports competitions. In football , it

3024-586: Is membership in the Association of American Universities . Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights and licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, concessions, and novelties. Total expenses includes coach and staff salaries, scholarships, buildings and grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance. The following table shows institutional reporting to

3150-630: Is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A. The SEC was established in 1932 by 13 members of the Southern Conference . Three charter members left by the late 1960s, but additions in 1990 and 2012 grew the conference to 14 member institutions. The conference expanded to 16 members with the addition of the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas in 2024. In 1992 ,

3276-629: The 1956 Sugar Bowl , when the Pitt Panthers , with African-American fullback Bobby Grier on the roster, met the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets . White southern segregationists created controversy by claiming that Grier should be barred from the game due to his race, and whether Georgia Tech should even play at all due to Georgia's Governor Marvin Griffin 's opposition to racial integration. After Griffin publicly sent

3402-454: The 1961 NBA Finals again and lost in five games. They would remain contenders for most of the 1960s, advancing deep into the playoffs and also capturing several division titles. Despite the success, Kerner became weary of the Hawks' longtime home, Kiel Auditorium . The 33-year-old arena seated only 10,000 and was starting to show its age. The Hawks occasionally played at the larger St. Louis Arena , mostly against popular opponents, but Kerner

3528-543: The 2012 NBA draft , the Hawks chose guard John Jenkins with the 23rd pick and power forward Mike Scott with the 43rd pick. On July 2, 2012, the Hawks traded leading scorer and All-Star Joe Johnson to the Brooklyn Nets for Jordan Farmar , Anthony Morrow , DeShawn Stevenson , Jordan Williams and Johan Petro , as well as a 2013 first-round pick. That same day, the Hawks traded small forward Marvin Williams to

3654-599: The 2024 United States presidential election . Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta . The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference . The team plays its home games at State Farm Arena . The team's origins can be traced to the establishment of

3780-566: The American Athletic Conference , a Group of Five conference), BYU (before it joined the Big 12 in 2023), and Notre Dame . In 2023, the SEC announced the divisional split would be scrapped when Oklahoma and Texas join in 2024. The conference schedule will remain at 8 games in the 2024 and 2025 seasons while the SEC determines its long-term football scheduling format. Teams will play the same opponents in both seasons on

3906-478: The Appalachian Mountains left to form their own conference. Ten of the thirteen founding members have remained in the conference since its inception: the University of Alabama , Auburn University , the University of Florida , the University of Georgia , the University of Kentucky , Louisiana State University ("LSU"), the University of Mississippi ("Ole Miss"), Mississippi State University ,

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4032-629: The Atlanta Hawks after they moved from St. Louis while The Omni was under construction, and again between 1997 and 1999, after the Omni was demolished and while Philips Arena was being built on its site. During the latter period, the Hawks played most of their home games at the Georgia Dome with the remainder at the Coliseum. The team again played at McCamish Pavilion during October 2017 for preseason games, when Philips Arena improvements forced

4158-611: The Boston Celtics when the Stags folded). The Blackhawks finished last in the Western Division and missed the playoffs. By then, it was obvious that the Tri-Cities area was too small to support an NBA team. After the season, the franchise relocated to Milwaukee , and became the Milwaukee Hawks . In 1954, the Hawks drafted Bob Pettit , a future NBA MVP. Despite this, the Hawks were one of the league's worst teams, and in 1955

4284-889: The Buffalo Bisons in 1946 in Buffalo, New York , a member of the National Basketball League (NBL) owned by Ben Kerner and Leo Ferris . After 38 days in Buffalo, the team moved to Moline, Illinois , where they were renamed the Tri-Cities Blackhawks . In 1949, they joined the NBA as part of the merger between the NBL and the Basketball Association of America (BAA), and briefly had Red Auerbach as coach. In 1951, Kerner moved

4410-682: The Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in six games. In August 2011, it was announced that California-based businessman Alex Meruelo was buying a majority stake of the Hawks, but in November he backed out of his intentions. In December 2011, the Hawks signed Tracy McGrady , Jerry Stackhouse , Jason Collins , Vladimir Radmanovic , Jannero Pargo , and Willie Green . They also picked up rookies Donald Sloan and 27-year-old Ivan Johnson . Sloan

4536-690: The Denver Nuggets of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and never played for the Hawks. Cable network entrepreneur and Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner bought the team in 1977 and hired Hubie Brown to become head coach. The Hawks were the only NBA team in the Deep South, just as the Atlanta Braves were the only Major League Baseball team in the region for many years to come. Turner's ownership

4662-513: The Georgia Dome through 2016, and since 2017 at its replacement, Mercedes-Benz Stadium , with the current hosting contract running through 2027. The "home team" designation alternated between the division champions during the divisional era, going to the East champion in even-numbered years and the West champion in odd-numbered years. The West led 19-13 in overall wins in the championship game against

4788-479: The Georgia Dome until its closure and demolition after the 2016 season, and since 2017 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium . On September 25, 2011, the SEC Presidents and Chancellors, acting unanimously, announced that Texas A&M University would join the SEC effective July 1, 2012, to begin competition in nineteen of the twenty sports sponsored by the SEC during the 2012–13 academic year. On November 6, 2011,

4914-418: The Georgia Dome used for larger-capacity games, until Philips Arena opened before the 1999–2000 season. The Hawks had two 50+ win seasons in 1996–97 (56–26) and 1997–98 (50–32), with center Dikembe Mutombo winning defensive player of the year awards back to back. The Hawks defeated the Detroit Pistons in five games in the first round of the 1997 NBA playoffs, but lost in five games in the second round to

5040-512: The SEC men's basketball tournament was set to play at the Georgia Dome on Thursday through Sunday. The tornado struck while the third of four quarterfinal games was in overtime. While that game was completed, SEC officials decided not to risk playing the fourth. Later that night, the conference decided to move the tournament, including the championship game, to the smaller Coliseum (damage to

5166-663: The SEC Championship Game pitted the SEC West Division representative against the East Division representative in a game held after the regular season has been completed. Starting in 2024, when the SEC eliminates its football divisions, the game will feature the top two teams in the conference standings. The first two SEC Championship football games were held at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama . Since 1994, it has been played in Atlanta —first at

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5292-739: The United States Department of Education as shown on the DOE Equity in Athletics website for the 2021–22 academic year. The following table shows revenue specifically from NCAA / Conference Distributions, Media Rights, and Post-Season Football reported by the Knight Commission for the 2021–22 academic year. The Southeastern Conference sponsors championship competition in nine men's and thirteen women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Under SEC conference rules reflecting

5418-631: The University of Tennessee , and Vanderbilt University ("Vandy"). The SEC had no formal headquarters during its first eight years of existence, but in 1940, former Governor of Mississippi Martin "Mike" Conner was named the conference's first president, with the league establishing its first corporate headquarters on the 13th floor of the Standard Life Building in downtown Jackson, Mississippi . The SEC office remained there until 1948, when it moved to Birmingham, Alabama , where it remains. The three founding members that have since left

5544-571: The Utah Jazz for point guard Devin Harris . On July 10, 2012, the Hawks signed guard Lou Williams. On January 21, 2013, following Lou Williams' season-ending injury in a game against the Brooklyn Nets, the Hawks signed guard Jannero Pargo to a 10-day contract. On February 21, 2013, the Hawks traded Morrow to the Dallas Mavericks for Dahntay Jones . That same day, the Hawks traded

5670-521: The playoffs in any format, until finally breaking through in 2015. However, the Hawks are one of only four NBA teams that have qualified to play in the NBA playoffs in 10 consecutive seasons in the 21st century. They achieved this feat between 2008 and 2017. In the 2024 NBA draft , the Atlanta Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick, their first since 1975 . The origins of

5796-649: The 1967–68 school year. The first African American to compete in the SEC was Stephen Martin, who walked on to the Tulane baseball team in that school's final SEC season of 1966. In August of that same year, Kentucky enrolled Nate Northington and Greg Page on football scholarships, and Vanderbilt enrolled Godfrey Dillard and Perry Wallace on basketball scholarships. At the time, the NCAA did not allow freshmen to compete on varsity teams, which meant that these pioneers could not play until 1967. Page died from complications of

5922-632: The 1995–96 season with a 46–36 record, fourth in the Central Division. Midway through the season, they acquired Christian Laettner from the Minnesota Timberwolves ; Laettner would get an All-Star appearance in 1997. They upset the third-seeded Pacers in the first round in five games; however, lost in five games to the Orlando Magic in the semifinals. Around this time, it was decided that the Omni should be replaced by

6048-530: The 2011–2012 season. Following expansion, the SEC was the first conference to receive permission from the NCAA to sponsor an annual football championship game that did not count against NCAA limits on regular-season contests, featuring the winners of the conference's Eastern and Western divisions. The 1992 and 1993 championship games were held at Legion Field in Birmingham, and all championship games from 1994 onward have been held in Atlanta —first at

6174-546: The 2014–15 season. However, the team could not advance past the semifinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs, losing to the eventual Eastern Conference (and in some years, NBA) champions Boston and Detroit . The Hawks drafted Stacey Augmon with their ninth overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft , who would make the All-Rookie First Team. However, Wilkins had a season-ending injury in the middle of

6300-469: The 2015 season, but the SEC presidents voted 10–4 in April 2014 to keep the current format for an additional six to eight seasons beyond 2015. Additionally, since 2016, SEC teams have been required to schedule at least one opponent each season from the other so-called "Power Five" conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, or Pac-12); games against select football independent schools also qualify, including Army (which no longer counts as of 2024 due to it joining

6426-512: The 2024 season; the Beavers have meetings with Ole Miss scheduled in 2027 and 2030, while the Cougars are slated to face Mississippi State in 2030 and '31) team or Notre Dame remains in place. The championship game will feature the top two teams in the conference standings, with tiebreakers as needed. Through end of the 2023 season including SEC Championship Game. Records reflect official NCAA results, including any forfeits or win vacating. Notes: From its establishment in 1992 through 2023,

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6552-430: The Atlanta Hawks can be traced back to the Buffalo Bisons franchise, which was founded in 1946. The Bisons were a member of the National Basketball League , and played their games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium . The club was organized by Leo Ferris and the Erie County American Legion and was coached by Nat Hickey . Their first game – a 50–39 victory over the Syracuse Nationals – was played on November 8, 1946. On

6678-437: The Central Division with a 28–54 record; they would not return to the playoffs for eight years. Point guard Jason Terry became the team's scoring leader during the 2000–01 season, leading them with 19.7 ppg. After the All-Star break, the Hawks traded Mutombo to the Philadelphia 76ers for Theo Ratliff , Toni Kukoč , and Nazr Mohammed . However, Ratliff was injured and did not play with the Hawks until next season. They ended

6804-496: The Coliseum had undergone three major renovations. In 1986, 2,150 seats were added in what was previously an upper walkway around the rim of the arena. In 1989–1990, 750 seats were added in the end zone areas. The last major renovation was during 1995–1996, prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics. The floor was lowered 4 feet (1.2 m) to increase seating, 12 luxury suites were added, and many of the benches were replaced with chairback seats. Sightlines were also improved for those sitting in

6930-403: The Dome's roof was confirmed shortly thereafter). Due to the reduced capacity, only players' families, school officials, credentialed media and 400 fans from each school were allowed to attend the remaining games. On October 19, 2010, Georgia Tech announced that Alexander Memorial Coliseum would undergo a $ 45 million renovation and would be renamed McCamish Pavilion after Hank McCamish in honor of

7056-456: The East during the divisional era. As of 2023, the only pre-2024 members without a Championship Game appearance are Kentucky, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. The post-season bowl game tie-ins for the SEC for the 2014–2019 seasons are: Payout is per team for the 2014 season; if different for opposing conference, payout for the SEC team is shown. Each conference member, irrespective of bowl participation, also receives an equal split of

7182-421: The Hawks announced that he would undergo surgery the next day and would miss the rest of the season. The Hawks finished 38–44, their first losing season since 2008. However, due to the weakness of the Eastern Conference, they finished as the 8th seed in the playoffs, and just like 2008, the Hawks would not go down easy, as they took the top-seeded Pacers to 7 games in before a 92–80 loss in game 7. On May 1, 2014,

7308-414: The Hawks finished four games under .500. However, the Western Division was extremely weak that year; no team in the division had a winning record. They won the division title and a bye to the division finals after defeating the Minneapolis Lakers and Fort Wayne Pistons in one-game tiebreakers. They then defeated the Lakers in the division finals to advance to the Finals , losing to the Boston Celtics in

7434-452: The Hawks fired head coach Hubie Brown en route to the team's 31–51 record. In 1982, the franchise acquired superstar Dominique Wilkins (a University of Georgia alumnus) and promoted Mike Fratello to head coach a year later. Due to sagging attendance, 12 home games during the 1984–85 season were played at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans , Louisiana . The New Orleans games were paid for by Barry Mendelson for $ 1.2 million with

7560-432: The Hawks going 6–6 in Louisiana. Wilkins won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1985 and 1990, engaging in an iconic rivalry with Michael Jordan . Spud Webb won the Slam Dunk Contest and Fratello won the Coach of the Year Award in 1986. From 1985 to 1989, the Hawks were among the league's elite, winning 50 games or more each season. They won a division title in 1986–87 going 57–25 which was a franchise record that would last until

7686-422: The Hawks hired San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer as the new head coach. The Hawks entered the 2013 NBA draft with four draft picks. They drafted point guards Dennis Schröder (17th pick) and Shane Larkin (18th pick). They also chose point guard Raulzinho Neto with the 47th pick and small forward James Ennis with the 50th pick. However, the Hawks traded Larkin to the Dallas Mavericks for

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7812-450: The Hawks moved, this time to St. Louis , Missouri , Milwaukee's rival in the beer industry, and became the St. Louis Hawks . In 1956, Bob Pettit captured the league's first official Most Valuable Player award , and the St. Louis Hawks drafted legendary Bill Russell in the first round (second overall pick). They immediately traded Russell to the Boston Celtics for Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley , both Hall of Fame members. In 1957,

7938-416: The Hawks only landed the number two pick in the 2005 NBA draft lottery (the first pick went to the Milwaukee Bucks ). With the second pick, the Hawks selected Marvin Williams of North Carolina . In the 2006 draft , the Hawks selected former Duke star Shelden Williams with the fifth overall pick. Hope and redemption appeared to be on the horizon for the Hawks beginning in 2007. With the third pick of

8064-533: The Hawks to play there a third time. During the 1996 Summer Olympics , the arena hosted the Olympic boxing tournament . For most of its life, the Coliseum has hosted many rounds of the Georgia High School Association men's and women's state tournament games. The first integrated high school state tournament in Georgia history was played there before record overflow crowds in 1967. The arena received its nickname, "The Thrillerdome," from former Tech color radio announcer and former ESPN broadcaster Brad Nessler , for

8190-537: The Hawks unveiled a new secondary logo, which is a modernized version of the 1972–95 "Pac-Man" logo. On July 15, 2014, they acquired defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha from the Oklahoma City Thunder . On September 7, 2014, Bruce Levenson announced he would sell his share of the team, after self-reporting an inappropriate email he sent in 2012. Some in the African American sports community have defended Levenson, namely Jason Whitlock and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , commenting that Levenson's email had no racist intent, but

8316-403: The Hawks up for sale. One of the bidders was a New Orleans group led by future talk show host Morton Downey Jr. , but the deal collapsed and Kerner temporarily took his team off the market. Unable to resolve the arena situation, Kerner sold the Hawks to Atlanta real estate developer Tom Cousins and former Georgia governor Carl Sanders , who moved the team to Atlanta in 1968. While

8442-406: The Hawks won 57 games, tying a team record. They also won a fourth division title in Atlanta, and third in the Central Division. Coach Wilkens was named Coach of the Year for his work with the team. However, the team fell short again in the playoffs, losing to the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers in the Eastern semis in six games. The season was also marred by the trading of Dominique Wilkins, who remains

8568-412: The Hawks' most popular players during the 1990s, and Smith had recently been awarded the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his charitable endeavors, as well as being selected in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game . By contrast, Rider had a history of behavioral problems both on and off the court. Rider's troubled conduct continued after his arrival in Atlanta. Rider missed the first day of training camp and

8694-460: The Hawks. On July 8, 2016, Horford signed a four-year, $ 113 million contract with the Boston Celtics . On July 12, 2016, Dwight Howard agreed to return home to Atlanta on a three-year, $ 70 million contract with the Hawks. The Hawks finished the season with a 43–39 record, good enough for the fifth seed. They lost in the first round to the Washington Wizards in six games. Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference ( SEC )

8820-415: The NBA draft, they selected Al Horford . Horford nearly averaged a double-double during his rookie season, and was the only unanimous selection to the All-Rookie First Team as well as being runner-up for Rookie of the Year honors. The season started with a victory against the Dallas Mavericks 101–94, sending hope to Hawks fans. The last time they won a season opener was in 1998, also the last time they made

8946-449: The NBA's Southeast Division ; one week later, with a win over Miami as well as a Cleveland loss to Brooklyn, the Hawks clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs . The team finished a franchise-best 60–22. In the Eastern Conference first round, the Hawks defeated the Brooklyn Nets in six games. The Hawks then advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals to face the Washington Wizards, also defeating them in six games. It

9072-409: The NCAA tournament as school and state officials would not permit the team to play against Black players from northern schools. Four years later, in 1963, Loyola , with four black starters, played Mississippi State in the " Game of Change ". It was not until 1966 that African Americans first participated in an SEC athletic contest, and the first black scholarship athletes did not play in the SEC until

9198-663: The SEC Executive Committee and liaison to SECU. In an interview with Dr. Zeppos about the formation of the SECU he noted, "that the member institutions of the Southeastern Conference are committed to a shared mission of fostering research, scholarship, and achievement. The SEC Symposium represents a platform to connect, collaborate and promote a productive dialogue that will span disciplinary and institutional boundaries and allow us to work together for

9324-526: The SEC commissioner announced that the University of Missouri would also join the SEC on July 1, 2012. For football, Texas A&M was scheduled to compete in the Western Division, and Missouri in the Eastern Division. Texas A&M and Missouri both left the Big 12 Conference . On July 27, 2021, Oklahoma and Texas formally notified the SEC they were seeking "an invitation for membership". In

9450-648: The SEC was the first NCAA Division I conference to have a championship game for football and was one of the founding member conferences of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The conference sponsors team championships in nine men's sports and 13 women's sports. The conference distributed $ 721.8 million to its 14 schools in 2022. The SEC consists of 16 member institutions located in the U.S. states of Alabama , Arkansas , Florida , Georgia , Kentucky , Louisiana , Mississippi , Missouri , Oklahoma , South Carolina , Tennessee , and Texas . The SEC

9576-404: The Southeastern Conference which are played by SEC schools: Source: SECSports.com. [REDACTED] For the current season, see 2024 Southeastern Conference football season . SEC teams did not play a uniform number of conference games until 1974. Prior to that, the number of conference games teams played ranged from four to eight, but most played a 6- or 7- game schedule. The league adopted

9702-595: The WNBA schedule. Georgia State University held its Spring 2017 commencement ceremonies at McCamish Pavilion, due to the Georgia Dome's closure and scheduled demolition as well as other venues within Metro Atlanta being either unavailable, undersized, or too distant. On January 14, 2019, McCamish Pavilion served as the venue for the swearing in of Georgia's 83rd Governor, Brian Kemp , as well as other recently elected state officials. In recent years, McCamish has been

9828-558: The amount and type of study abroad opportunities available for students; and providing opportunities for collaboration among SEC university personnel. The Big Ten Conference , since 1958, has had a similar program, now called the Big Ten Academic Alliance . The SEC Symposium component of SECU was crafted by Vanderbilt University Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos , who at the time was the Vice President of

9954-465: The betterment of society." The SEC Academic Network was created in 2009 in partnership with ESPN . The SEC Academic Network was an online library of institutionally produced videos featuring academic initiatives and stories from all Southeastern Conference institutions. The SEC Academic Network was officially merged into the SECU operation. The following table shows National University rank by U.S. News & World Report as of 2023. Also indicated

10080-414: The change so attractive match-ups between non-traditional opponents would happen twice every five years instead of twice every eight years. With the subsequent expansion to 14 members in 2012, non-permanent cross-division opponents face each other in the regular season twice in a span of twelve years. Under the format used from 2012 to 2023, each school played a total of eight conference games, consisting of

10206-452: The conference are Sewanee , who left after the 1940 season to drop all athletic scholarships and become a D-III Independent; Georgia Tech , who left after the 1963 season and became a D-I Independent; and Tulane , who left after the 1965 season and became a D-I Independent. In 1935, the SEC became the first conference to legalize athletic scholarships . White southerners committed to maintaining segregation created controversy preceding

10332-579: The defending champs Chicago Bulls . Game 4, an 89–80 loss, would be the last game at The Omni. In 1997–98, forward Alan Henderson won Most Improved Player award. However, the Hawks would lose in four games in the first round of the playoffs to the Charlotte Hornets . The Hawks would end up with a 31-win campaign in the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season. In the first round they defeated the Pistons in five games again, but they could not advance past

10458-600: The draft rights of Mike Muscala and Lucas Nogueira (originally drafted by the Boston Celtics ), as well as guard Jared Cunningham . They also traded Ennis's draft rights to the Miami Heat and Neto's to the Utah Jazz for a future second-round pick. The Hawks brought back Kyle Korver with a four-year, $ 24 million deal and signed power forward Paul Millsap to a two-year, $ 19 million deal. On December 26, 2013, Horford tore his right pectoral muscle, and on December 30,

10584-588: The first NBA team to 50 wins in 2014–15, scoring a season high in routing the Sacramento Kings 130–105. The Hawks also set a franchise record by going 20-of-36 for three-pointers, breaking the mark of 19 set against the Dallas Mavericks on December 17, 1996. On March 20, 2015, the Hawks clinched their first division title in over two decades and became the first team not based in Florida to win

10710-550: The first few rows of the side of the court opposite the benches. Connected to the south end of the Coliseum are the Luck Building, and the Coliseum Annex. The facility was renamed Alexander Memorial Coliseum at McDonald's Center for 10 seasons from 1996 to 2005 in conjunction with a $ 5.5 million donation to help pay for the mid-1990s renovation, which increased seating capacity to 9,191. The Coliseum played host to

10836-532: The first phase of a massive sports, office, hotel, and retail complex, most of which is now the CNN Center . Also in 1972, the Hawks debuted a new logo and new colors, trading the green and blue color scheme that the team had used for two years, in favor of white, gold, and red, the same colors the Flames used. The hawk head silhouette inside a circle remained as the team's logo, albeit simplified. The years after

10962-491: The first time since 1998 that the Hawks sent two players to the All-Star Game. The playoffs, however, were a reprise from the previous year. They won a hard-fought seven-game series against the Milwaukee Bucks , but they were swept by the Orlando Magic in the second round, with every game a one-sided contest. After the season, the Hawks dismissed head coach Mike Woodson and was replaced by Larry Drew . The Hawks took

11088-472: The five other teams in their division and three opponents from the other division. The winners of the two divisions would then meet in the SEC Championship Game . From 1992 through 2002, each team had two permanent inter-divisional opponents, allowing many traditional rivalries from the pre-expansion era (such as Florida vs. Auburn, Kentucky vs. LSU, and Vanderbilt vs. Alabama) to continue. However, complaints from some league athletic directors about imbalance in

11214-620: The following week on September 30 (the day after Page's death ), while Wallace made his varsity debut later that year. In 1990, the SEC expanded from ten to twelve member universities with the addition of the Arkansas Razorbacks and the South Carolina Gamecocks . The two new members began SEC competition with the 1991–1992 basketball season. At the same time, the SEC organized competition for some sports into two divisions. The Western Division comprised six of

11340-531: The franchise to Thomas Cousins and former Georgia Governor Carl Sanders . The Hawks currently own the second-longest drought (behind the Sacramento Kings ) of not winning an NBA championship at 64 seasons. The franchise's lone NBA championship, as well as all four NBA Finals appearances, occurred when the team was based in St. Louis. Meanwhile, they went 48 years without advancing past the second round of

11466-612: The franchise's all-time leading scorer, to the Los Angeles Clippers for Danny Manning , who quickly left via free agency to the Phoenix Suns after the season ended. On March 6, 2015, Dominique Wilkins received a statue in front of Philips Arena. At the beginning of the 1994–95 season, the Hawks traded forward Kevin Willis to the Miami Heat for Steve Smith and Grant Long . During the season, coach Wilkens broke

11592-410: The game was based on the fact that officials at the game could not find where the water was coming through and because officials had no way to stop it. The game was delayed for about a half-hour, and then ultimately postponed until March 3, 2008. On March 14, 2008 , a tornado ripped through downtown Atlanta , causing damage to the CNN Center , Philips Arena , and Georgia Dome . During the weekend,

11718-457: The home of many upset wins for the Tech men's basketball team. Since the 2012 renovation, 12 ranked teams have lost at McCamish, five of those being in the top ten. On June 27, 2024, the arena acted as the "spin room" for the first Presidential Debate in 2024. On October 28, 2024, it served as the venue for a Republican political rally led by former president Donald Trump in the final days of

11844-549: The intersection of 10th Street and Fowler on the northeast end of the Georgia Tech campus. The building was named for William A. Alexander , Georgia Tech's football coach from 1920 to 1944 and the third athletic director (after John W. Heisman ); his tenure as coach included the 1928 Rose Bowl team (the 1928 season, the Rose Bowl itself was played on January 1, 1929). The huge dome was constructed by Calvert Iron Works, Co.,

11970-449: The large number of male scholarship participants in football and attempting to address gender equity concerns (see also Title IX ), each member institution is required to provide two more women's varsity sports than men's. A similar rule was recently adopted by the NCAA for all of Division   I. Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Southeastern Conference which are played by SEC schools: Women's varsity sports not sponsored by

12096-431: The many close games it witnessed during the 1983–84 season. In 2003, the playing surface was renamed "Cremins Court" in honor of Bobby Cremins , Georgia Tech's head coach from 1979 to 2000. On February 21, 2008, the men's basketball game between Georgia Tech and the University of Virginia was cancelled due to a leak in the roof that was caused by hard rainfall that had accumulated over the day. The decision to cancel

12222-501: The move showcased a talented Hawks team, including Pete Maravich and Lou Hudson . However, after this period of success, the team experienced some years of rebuilding. Despite appearing to be moving in the right direction when they ended up with the first and third picks overall in the 1975 NBA draft , the players drafted with those two picks, David Thompson of North Carolina State and Marvin Webster of Morgan State, both signed with

12348-433: The other six teams in its division, one school from the other division on a rotating basis, and one school from the other division that it plays each year. The permanent cross-division matchups were: Alabama–Tennessee ; Arkansas–Missouri ; Auburn–Georgia ; LSU–Florida ; Mississippi State–Kentucky; Ole Miss–Vanderbilt ; Texas A&M–South Carolina. The then-current scheduling arrangement was originally set to expire after

12474-492: The playoffs. For the 2007–08 season, the Atlanta Hawks updated the logos and uniforms that saw navy blue become the primary color, with red relegated to trim color status. This marked the first time in team history that they had used navy blue as one of their colors. A mid-season trade for point guard Mike Bibby boosted the Hawks' playoff hopes. At the time of the trade the Hawks were 22–28; afterwards, they won 15 of their last 32 games to finish 37–45. Although they finished with

12600-676: The previous year, the Hawks manage to take a step forward in their development. Again they were pushed to a Game 7 in the first round but capitalized on home-court advantage earning their first playoff series win since 1999 against the Miami Heat . The Hawks were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers 4–0 in the Conference Semifinals. The 2009–10 season saw the Hawks improve further, winning 53 games, their first 50-win season since 1997–98. Al Horford earned his first All-Star selection, and along with Joe Johnson, this marked

12726-406: The record (previously held by coach Red Auerbach ) for most victories by an NBA head coach with victory number 939. They ended up fifth in the Central Division with a 42–40 record, they would be swept by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs. During the off-season, shot-blocking All-Star center Dikembe Mutombo signed a 5-year, $ 55 million deal with the Hawks. The Hawks finished

12852-461: The sale was approved by the NBA Board of Governors on June 24, 2015. On January 31, 2015, the Hawks became the first NBA team to go 17–0 in a calendar month by beating Portland. The 2015 All-Star Game consisted of four Hawks All-Stars including Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver, and Al Horford. On March 9, 2015, Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll each scored 20 points to help the Hawks become

12978-401: The schedule (for instance, Auburn's two permanent opponents from the East were Florida and Georgia – two of the SEC's stronger football programs at the time – while Mississippi State played Kentucky and South Carolina every year) led to the SEC reducing the number of permanent inter-division opponents to one starting in the 2003 season. The TV networks televising SEC games were also pressuring for

13104-471: The schools were tentatively scheduled to join the league in 2025. On February 9, 2023, the Big 12, Texas, and Oklahoma announced they had reached a buyout agreement that allowed the schools to join the SEC in 2024. The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners athletic teams thus began league play during the 2024–25 academic year. Full members  Full members (non-football)  Other Conference  Other Conference  The office of Commissioner

13230-494: The season with a 25–57 record. In 2001, the Hawks drafted Spanish star Pau Gasol third, but his rights were ceded to the Memphis Grizzlies in a trade involving Shareef Abdur-Rahim . Abdur-Rahim became the team's scoring leader, and made his only All-Star appearance in 2002. The team ended up 33–49 for the 2001–02 season. The Hawks sent Kukoc to the Milwaukee Bucks for All-Star Glenn Robinson in 2002, Robinson lead

13356-406: The season, and without him, the Hawks were unable to make it to the playoffs. In 1992, the Hawks acquired guard Mookie Blaylock from the New Jersey Nets ; he would spend seven years of his career as a Hawk, leading them in career steals and three-point field goals while earning an All-Star appearance in 1994. After seasons of mediocrity, Lenny Wilkens was hired as head coach in 1993. In 1993–94 ,

13482-411: The second round of the playoffs, as they were swept by the eighth-seeded New York Knicks . In the 1999–2000 season , their first season at Philips Arena, the Hawks traded Steve Smith to Portland for Isaiah Rider and Jim Jackson , and sent Mookie Blaylock and a first-round draft pick to the Golden State Warriors for Bimbo Coles and a first-round draft pick. Smith and Blaylock had been two of

13608-624: The seven member schools in the Central Time Zone , while the Eastern Division comprised the five member schools in the Eastern Time Zone plus Vanderbilt, which is in the Central Time Zone but was placed in the Eastern Division to preserve its rivalry with Tennessee. Initially, the divisional format was used in football, baseball, and men's basketball. The divisional format was dropped for men's basketball following

13734-415: The summer of 2005, the Hawks completed a sign and trade deal with the Phoenix Suns to acquire Joe Johnson in return for Boris Diaw and two future 1st round picks. They also signed Zaza Pachulia from the Milwaukee Bucks . These changes occurred after an apparent power struggle between the owners for nearly three weeks before the moves were made. Despite their league-worst record the previous season,

13860-551: The team to Milwaukee , where they changed their name to the Milwaukee Hawks . Kerner and the team moved again in 1955 to St. Louis , where they won their first (and thus far only) NBA Championship in 1958 and qualified to play in the NBA Finals in 1957, 1960 and 1961. The Hawks played the Boston Celtics in all four of their trips to the NBA Finals. The St. Louis Hawks moved to Atlanta on May 3, 1968, when Kerner sold

13986-474: The team was William "Pop" Gates , who, along with William "Dolly" King , was one of the first two African-American players in the NBL. The team, which needed to draw 3,600 fans per game to break even, struggled to draw 1,000 fans per game to the Auditorium. The franchise lasted only 38 days (13 games) in Buffalo when, on December 25, 1946, Leo Ferris , the team's general manager and co-owner, announced that

14112-463: The team with 20.8 ppg. But the Hawks still failed to make the playoffs for the 2002–03 season, finishing with a 35–47 record. In February 2004, the Hawks had the distinction of having NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace play one game for the team. Wallace was traded from Portland to the Hawks along with Wesley Person for Abdur-Rahim, Ratliff, and Dan Dickau . In his lone game for the Hawks, Wallace scored 20 points, had 6 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists and

14238-541: The team would be moving to Moline, Illinois , which at that time was part of an area then known as the " Tri-Cities ": Moline, Illinois , Rock Island, Illinois , and Davenport, Iowa . Upon relocation to Moline, the team was renamed the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and played their home games at Wharton Field House , a 6,000-seat arena in Moline. The team featured guard / forward and coach Deanglo King, and

14364-521: The two division winners met in the SEC Championship Game . The SEC eliminated its baseball and football divisions once Oklahoma and Texas joined in 2024. Three schools have left the SEC, all charter members: The SEC was established December 8 and 9, 1932, in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the Farragut Hotel, when the thirteen members of the large Southern Conference located west and south of

14490-583: Was created in 1940. In 2005, the member institutions of the Southeastern Conference formed the SEC Academic Consortium (SECAC), a collaborative endeavor designed to promote research, scholarship, and achievement amongst the universities. In 2011, the SEC Academic Consortium was relocated to the SEC headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama , from its original home on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas , and

14616-537: Was formerly divided into East and West Divisions, although the divisional alignment was not strictly geographic, with Missouri in the East Division while being farther west than several West Division schools, and Auburn in the West Division despite being located farther east than East Division schools Missouri and Vanderbilt. These divisional groupings were applied only in football, baseball, and women's soccer, for both scheduling and standings purposes. In football,

14742-403: Was instrumental in keeping both teams in the region. Coach Brown won coach of the year in 1978. In the 1979–80 season, the Hawks finished with a 50–32 record and won the Central Division. It was their first division title in the Central Division and second in the city of Atlanta. The next season, the Hawks got off to a 4–0 start, then lost 13 of the next 14 games and with 3 games left in the season,

14868-440: Was late for two games. After reports that he smoked marijuana in an Orlando hotel room during a January road trip, the league demanded that he attend drug counseling, and fined him a total of $ 200,000 until he agreed to go. When he showed up late for a March game, the Hawks released him. The Smith/Rider trade sent the Hawks into a downward spiral. After only missing the playoffs four times since 1977, they fell to seventh place in

14994-484: Was motivated by valid business concerns. On January 2, 2015, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the remaining minority owners of Atlanta Hawks, LLC would join Levenson, effectively putting the entire franchise for sale. The sale of the team as well as the operating rights to Philips Arena was handled by Goldman Sachs and Inner Circle Sports LLC. The NBA has stated that the Hawks would remain in Atlanta as

15120-517: Was not willing to move the team there full-time because it had not been well-maintained since the 1940s. Even though it was being heavily renovated to accommodate the arrival of the National Hockey League 's (NHL) St. Louis Blues in 1967, Kerner was still not willing to move to the St. Louis Arena. He wanted a new arena to increase revenue. However, Kerner was rebuffed by the city on several occasions. In early 1967, Kerner briefly put

15246-677: Was on November 9, 2012, when the Yellow Jacket men's basketball team defeated Tulane in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,600 people. The playing surface retained the title "Cremins Court" from its predecessor. On August 22, 2016, the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced that they would play the entirety of their 2017 and 2018 home schedules as well as any 2016 home playoff games at McCamish Pavilion due to renovations at Philips Arena conflicting with

15372-520: Was owned by Leo Ferris and Ben Kerner . Pop Gates remained on the Blackhawks roster, and finished second on the team in scoring behind future 1949 NBL MVP Don Otten . A Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member, Gates helped to integrate the league and later became the first African-American coach in a major sports league, coaching Dayton in 1948. In 1949, the Blackhawks became one of the National Basketball Association 's 17 original teams after

15498-480: Was renamed SECU. The SECU rebranded its mission to better serve as a means through which the collaborative academic endeavors and achievements of Southeastern Conference universities would be promoted and advanced. The SECU's goals included highlighting the endeavors and achievements of SEC faculty , students, and its universities; advancing the academic reputation of SEC universities; identifying and preparing future leaders for high-level service in academia ; increasing

15624-399: Was that a new arena had to be in place before the new team took the ice for the first time, as The Omni was unusable even for temporary use. Eventually, it was decided that The Omni would be demolished and a new arena for the Hawks and the expansion NHL Thrashers would be built on the same area. Following the 1997 playoffs, the Hawks moved back to Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum, with

15750-481: Was the first time they had advanced past the second round since 1967, their second-last year in St. Louis. The Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history, when they lost in four games to the Cleveland Cavaliers . On June 22, 2016, the Hawks traded Jeff Teague to Indiana in a three-team deal, that would give Utah's 12th pick in the 2016 NBA draft to

15876-528: Was waived a month later. The Hawks finished the 2011–12 season with the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference with 40 wins, clinching the playoffs for the fifth straight season. However, the Hawks would be eliminated in the first round by the Boston Celtics in six games, ending the Hawks' three-year streak of advancing to the second round. On June 25, 2012, the Hawks hired San Antonio Spurs Vice President of Basketball Operations Danny Ferry as President of Basketball Operations and General Manager. During

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