Billy Payne joins Georgia Force Advisory Board
January 29, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Georgia Force News Release
ATLANTA, GA. â Former president of the Olympic organizing committee and University of Georgia defensive end Billy Payne was announced as the newest member to be selected to the Georgia Force Advisory Board today by Virgil Williams, Force Owner and Chief Executive Officer, along with current UGA Athletic Director and Force Advisory Board Chairman Vince Dooley. Payne joins Herschel Walker on the Force Advisory Board as the selection process continues.
"I am proud to be welcoming Billy to the Force Advisory Board," said Dooley. "There is no one that I respect more as an athlete, an administrator, as a community leader and a friend more than Billy Payne."
The Georgia Force Advisory Board was established to counsel management on matters, which effect the business operations of the team off field, and the coaching staff on football operations related to on field activities. The Board will advise management on community and public affairs, press relations, marketing programs, recruiting, team rules and other team policies.
"I am pleased to be joining the Georgia Force Advisory Board chaired by my longtime friend and coach Vince Dooley," said Payne. "Arena Football is new and exciting, and I look forward to making this wholesome, family-oriented entertainment venture a part of the growing metro Atlanta community."
Born in Athens, Ga., Payne has been a resident of Atlanta for more than 40 years. As a student-athlete at the University of Georgia, Payne was selected to the all-Southeastern Conference freshman and sophomore teams, and was an all-conference defensive end on the 1968 SEC championship football team. Payne's campus honors foretold his later achievements. He served as vice-president of the student government as a sophomore, and was named an academic all-American. He received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and a National Football Hall of Fame Postgraduate Fellowship.
After graduating from Georgia in 1969 with honors and a degree in political science, Payne continued his studies at Georgia's Joseph Henry Lumpkin School of Law, where he earned his law degree in 1973. Later, Payne was involved in all phases of a successful private law practice, specializing in real estate law in Atlanta until 1988.
Payne then joined the Atlanta Organizing Committee and as president, he directed the activities of that committee in preparing Atlanta's bid to host the 1996 Olympic games. In 1991, he became co-chairman of the Atlanta Centennial Olympic Properties (ACOP), and also became president of ACOG, making him the first person in modern Olympic history to lead an Olympic bid effort and, even after the bid, continue uninterrupted as president of the Olympic organizing committee.
Payne is a Partner, Gleacher Partners LLC, an investment banking and asset management company. His Board memberships include Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Jefferson-Pilot Corporation, Cousins Properties Incorporated and ILD Telecommunications, Inc. and the Atlanta Falcons. Payne is also a member of the board of governors of The Georgia World Congress Center Authority.
The Georgia Force will open their third season of play in the AFL when they kickoff the 2004 season on Sunday, February 8th at 3:00 p.m. against the New York Dragons in the Arena at Gwinnett Center. This season, the Force will look to build on their record eight wins and second round playoff appearance in 2003. A network-TV sport, the AFL will celebrate its 2nd season on NBC in 2004. Season tickets and flex packs are on sale and can be purchased with a credit card by calling (770) 813-7610 or visit www.georgiaforce.com. Force individual game tickets are available by calling TicketMaster at (404) 249-6400 or visit www.ticketmaster.com or by purchase at the Gwinnett Civic Center Box Office.
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