Rich McKay

Rich McKay serves as Chief Executive Officer of AMB Sports and Entertainment (AMBSE), where he leads the organization’s shared services and enterprise operations, including finance, sales and service; human resources; strategy and innovation; communications; diversity, equity, and inclusion; legal; retail; and game day and fan experience. In this role, he also oversees the launch and development of Atlanta’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) franchise, scheduled to debut in 2028.

McKay will serve as the incoming Board Chair of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce in 2026, helping guide the region’s business community and long-term economic growth strategy.

A fixture in the National Football League for more than three decades, McKay is widely regarded as one of the league’s most influential executives. He recently completed his 21st season with the Atlanta Falcons, during which the team earned an NFC Championship and advanced to Super Bowl LI.

Arthur M. Blank hired McKay in 2004 as the Falcons’ General Manager. He was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer of the team in 2011. That same year, national columnist Peter King named McKay among the 10 most influential people in the NFL.

McKay played a pivotal role in the negotiation, development, and delivery of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, beginning in 2008. Working closely with Blank, the City of Atlanta, the State of Georgia, and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, he helped secure approval and financing for the venue. He is the only NFL executive to lead successful stadium development negotiations in two different NFL markets—Atlanta and Tampa Bay (Raymond James Stadium).

He has been instrumental in bringing many of the world’s premier sporting events to Atlanta, including the College Football Playoff National Championship, Super Bowl LIII, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl LXII in 2028, and the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2031.

McKay has served on the NFL’s Competition Committee for more than 30 years and continues as co-chair, a role he has held since 1998. Appointed chairman by Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and retained by Commissioner Roger Goodell, he works with NFL owners, head coaches, and league executives to study the game and recommend rule changes that advance player safety, competitive balance, and overall quality of play. He has also played a significant role in collective bargaining negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Players Association and is a long-time member of both the NFL Management Council Working Group and the NFL’s Health and Safety Committee.

The McKay family is one of the most accomplished in football, with deep roots in both the collegiate and professional game. Rich’s late father, the legendary John McKay, led the University of Southern California Trojans to four national championships in 16 seasons. His older brother, J.K. McKay, was a starting wide receiver for USC and a member of two national championship teams (1972 and 1974), also appearing in three Rose Bowls. Rich’s son, John McKay, serves as Assistant General Manager of the Los Angeles Rams and is also a Super Bowl Champion.

Collectively, the McKays have won six national championships; participated in 12 Rose Bowls; appeared in six NFL conference championship games as players, coaches, or executives; earned two National Collegiate Coach of the Year Awards; won one XFL Championship as a general manager; and secured one Super Bowl victory as a general manager.

Beyond his professional sports leadership, McKay remains deeply engaged in civic and philanthropic service. He serves on the AMB Sports and Entertainment Board of Trustees and is an Associate Director of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. He sits on the TMRW Sports board, is governor of Atlanta Drive GC in the TGL, and serves as alternate governor for both Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League.

In civic leadership, McKay is the incoming Board Chair of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, a past Chair of Central Atlanta Progress, and an emeritus board member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He was awarded the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Atlanta Sports Council and was named one of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Most Admired CEOs” in 2022.

McKay earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Princeton University in 1981 and a Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law in 1984, where he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2014. He served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges in Tampa and later practiced law at Hill, Ward, and Henderson, P.A., where he served as General Counsel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

McKay and his wife, Terrin, have two sons: Hunter, a Samford University graduate employed in the Sports Information Office at Kennesaw State University, and John. McKay is the proud grandfather of two grandchildren.