Rich McKay is the Chief Executive Officer of Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment.
As CEO of AMB Sports and Entertainment, McKay has oversight of all AMBSE shared services including operations; finance; sales and service; human resources; strategy and innovation; communications; diversity, equity, and inclusion; legal, retail and game day and fan experience.
Rich McKay has been a fixture in the National Football League for more than 30 years. One of the League’s most influential executives, McKay recently finished his 19th season with the Atlanta Falcons including an NFC Championship title and a trip to Super Bowl LI.
Owner and Chairman Arthur M. Blank hired McKay in 2004 to serve as the Atlanta Falcons’ general manager. He was promoted to president and chief executive officer in 2011. Together with Blank and Falcons general manager, Thomas Dimitroff, McKay played a key role in the coaching search that resulted in the hiring of Dan Quinn as Atlanta’s new head coach in early 2015. That same year, national columnist and creator of Monday Morning Quarterback (MMQB), Peter King, named McKay number 10 out of the 100 most influential people in the NFL.
McKay played a pivotal role in the negotiation, development and progress of building Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a process that began in earnest in 2008. Working closely with Blank, the city of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, McKay helped to secure approval and financing for Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He is the only executive to have led two successful stadium negotiations (Atlanta and Tampa Bay).
In April of 2014, McKay was named President of AMB Sports & Entertainment (AMBSE) where he serves as the liaison for AMBSE to the city of Atlanta, the State of Georgia and other civic and industry organizations. He has been instrumental in bringing the 2018 SEC National Championship game, the 2019 Super Bowl, and the 2020 NCAA Men’s Final Four. Additionally, McKay has oversight for all operations, sales and service for Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
McKay has served as a member of the NFL’s Competition Committee for the past 25 years. He was named co-chairman of the committee in 1998, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell named him chairman of the committee which is comprised of NFL head coaches and League executives who study the game and recommend rule changes and modifications to ensure player safety while promoting competitiveness. In addition to his commitment to advancing the game, McKay was highly involved in the collective bargaining agreement negotiations, which led to the current multi-year agreement signed in 2011 between the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
McKay is the Board Chair for Central Atlanta Progress, a private, not-for-profit corporation that plans and promotes Atlanta’s Central Area and strives to create a robust economic climate for downtown Atlanta.
McKay is also on the Board of Directors for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the organization responsible for positioning Atlanta as a global competitor focused on advancing economic growth, enhancing business opportunities and improving the quality of life for residents. In 2023, McKay was honored at the CHRISTal Ball by the local non-profit CHRIS 180 with the CHRIStal Vision Award for his support and dedication to helping children, youth, adults, and families overcome trauma to become productive citizens.
McKay earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1981 from Princeton University, graduated from Stetson’s College of Law in 1984, clerked for two years for Tampa’s U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges, and was inducted into the Stetson Law’s Hall of Fame in November 2014. McKay worked at the Tampa law firm of Hill, Ward, and Henderson, P.A., from 1986-1992 where he served as General Counsel for the Buccaneers.
