The Dome is home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and the annual host to the Southeastern Conference Football Championship Game, The Chick-fil-a Bowl (formerly known as The Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl and The Peach Bowl) post-season college football games, and since 2004 the FIRST World Championships. It was also home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks during the construction of Philips Arena from 1997 to 1999, as well as hosting basketball, team handball and gymnastics during the 1996 Summer Olympics. Since 1994, the Dome has Hosted two Super Bowls and has also been host to both the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Final Four Basketball National Championships and several SEC and ACC Basketball Championships.
Virginia Tech and Georgia prepare to kick off in the 2006 Chick-fil-A BowlIt also hosted Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994 and Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, as well as the prestigious NCAA Final Four Men’s Basketball National Championship in 2002 and 2007 along with regional semi-finals and finals in 2001 and 2006 and NCAA Women’s Final Four in 2003. The Dome has been host to many WCW Monday Nitro and WWE RAW live events, including the now-infamous “Fingerpoke of Doom” in 1999 as well as the memorable championship bout between Bill Goldberg and Hulk Hogan. Since 2004, the Georgia Dome has annually hosted the FIRST Robotics Championship Event. Also, Drum Corps International held its first event at the Georgia Dome in July 2006 when the Dome hosted DCI Atlanta – The Southeastern Championship.
As a result of damage done to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana by Hurricane Katrina, the Sugar Bowl game was played at the Georgia Dome on January 2, 2006 which was the first time “the South’s Biggest Bowl Game” was ever played outside the state of Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl finished a string of three football games in four days that started with the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl between LSU and Miami (Florida) and an NFL game between the Falcons and the Carolina Panthers two days later. While playing at the Georgia Dome the Atlanta Hawks broke the NBA single-game attendance record with 62,046 fans. The Georgia Dome also hosts the Georgia High School Association football state playoff semifinals . It also hosts music concerts which have featured acts such as Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.