A Peach of a Leader

If there were a Hall of Fame for promoting a city into prominence in the sports world, Gary Stokan would be a charter member. The president and CEO of Peach Bowl, Inc. – who will retire at the end of the 2025 football season – has been instrumental in Atlanta being known as the sports capital of the world.

Retiring: Peach Bowl, Inc. president and CEO, Gary Stokan. Photo credit: chick-fil-apeachbowl.com

He did it by attracting millions of sports fans and making Peach Bowl Inc. the most charitable bowl organization in the country. During his tenure, Stokan was elected to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame and Atlanta Hospitality Hall of Fame.

As president of the Atlanta Sports Council from 1998 to 2009, he made Atlanta synonymous with elite sports competition and venues. Along the way, he and his wife, Tia, became ambassadors for the city across the U. S. at playoff and bowl games, sports gatherings and conventions.

Stokan has always believed whatever he has accomplished, the eternal mission is to do more. Highlights of his tenure include $1.53 billion in economic impact and $96.7 million in direct tax revenue at Peach Bowl, Inc. And during his time with the Atlanta Sports Council, he oversaw $2 billion in economic impact and $75 million in government tax revenue. Those are, perhaps, the apogee of his career, but it would take volumes to enumerate an unabridged accumulation of what he has accomplished.

His passion for sports began as a child in Pittsburgh. While he played multiple sports, it was his prowess in basketball that earned him a scholarship at North Carolina State.

After college, he negotiated shoe contracts for Adidas and Converse, signing College Football Hall of Famer Herschel Walker and some of the biggest names in basketball – Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone and Duke University Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

His rapport with Michael Jordan was such that he had an endorsement commitment from him, but the Adidas brass passed on a golden opportunity – balking at the high cost of bringing in Jordan as a partner. Nike, facing bankruptcy, was eager to gamble on Jordan’s future. Its Air Jordan brand brought in $126 million his rookie year with the Chicago Bulls.

Stokan’s professional story has many such vignettes reflecting his easy-going style and extraordinary leadership. That’s why it came as no surprise when the Atlanta Business Chronicle named the Peach Bowl as one of the Best Places to Work in 2021.

Stokan’s affinity for Atlanta has led to a mutual admiration society. He says he turned down countless job opportunities to go elsewhere, including the opportunity to become the CEO of the Rose Bowl.

Under his leadership, Atlanta became the home of the College Football Hall of Fame Museum. And in 2008, he and his team created the pre-season Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, now known as the Aflac Kickoff Game, with Alabama and Clemson, which sold out. This game has become a signature event showcasing the start of the college football season on national television.

Any event considered big when it comes to Atlanta leaves bigger because of Stokan’s touch. For example:

• The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has sold out 25 times in 28 years.
• The Peach Bowl set a record in 2025 as the most watched bowl game ever that kicked off before 3 p.m. Eastern time.
• Atlanta became the sports capital of the world, hosting multiple NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Four games, two Major League All-Star games and three Super Bowls, not to mention the FIFA World Cup coming next summer.

Stokan’s contributions have a far-reaching impact beyond sports. He oversaw the launch of the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund in 2019, which began with a $20 million donation and has created 18 drug trials in hospitals across the country. In August, the fund donated $2.5 million to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

The fund was initiated after Anna Charles, the 6-year-old daughter of Benji Hollis, vice-president of sales at Peach Bowl Inc., and his wife Leanna, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and died in September 2018. At the subsequent Peach Bowl between Michigan and Florida, Stokan says he and his staff arranged for Neil Diamond’s hit, “Sweet Caroline,” to be played before kickoff, changing the words from “sweet Caroline” to “sweet Anna Charles.” The Peach Bowl LegACy Fund capitalizes the letters AC in her honor.

One reason Stokan is retiring is to spend more time with his grandchildren. If Eston, Stokan, Penn or Wilson has a dream, their grandpa can likely make it happen.

Loran Smith is a veteran sportswriter and longtime UGA sidelines reporter.