William Porter "Billy" Payne
William Porter "Billy" Payne was the president and chief executive officer of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG). In 1987, he introduced the idea of Atlanta hosting the 1996 Olympic games. He gained support from Andrew Young and other Atlanta leaders to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC). On September 18th, 1990, Atlanta was chosen as the host city for the 1996 Olympic Games. (For information on the details of how Atlanta was chosen as the host city, click the tab Choosing Atlanta.)