Letterwinner Link-Up The Exclusive Official Newsletter of Sun Devil Letterwinners
November | 2023
From the Desk of Kevin Miniefield Sun Devil Letterwinners I trust this message finds you well! This time of year, brings back so many positive memories of my time here as a student-athlete. Having an opportunity to visit with a lot of my former teammates who traveled back to support our current program is amazing. Reminiscing with my football alum made me reflect on some of the things I’ve learned as a result of my student-athlete experience. The lessons I learned as a Sun Devil student-athlete are priceless. Here are a few things being a studentathlete taught me that I use every day: 1. Self-discipline – Your self-discipline has to be stronger than your feelings because your feelings will betray your goals. It taught me to evaluate what I want now versus what I want most. Delaying gratification can be worthwhile because the reward later is oftentimes so much greater. As an athlete, I learned that talent is sometimes overrated and discipline can be extremely underrated. 2. Adversity – How you process adversity will determine your success. Pressure and adversity will cause some individuals to break, and others to break records. Competing taught me that it’s not if, but when I experience adversity, I have the power to decide how I respond. 3. Accountability – “The big eye in the sky doesn’t lie.” That’s what we called the overhead cameras that filmed practices and games. It captures both your good and bad plays. There was nothing worse than the anxiety of being in film with coaches knowing a poor play of yours was about to be dissected and corrected in front of your peers. This forced accountability. 4. How to lead – The most important thing is being authentic and being true to your identity. The true measure of leadership is influence. A leader is great not because of his or her power but because of their ability to empower others. I learned when I helped my teammates grow personally, I earned their loyalty. 5. How to follow – With the lack of respect for others we consistently see in our news, the ability to follow great leadership is extremely important. Before you can lead, you must first humble yourself and learn how to follow. I had to learn when to stand up for something or someone and when to let the coaches do their job. 6. Communication – Being a part of a team taught me the importance of communication. Communication builds trust, Trust leads to commitment, Commitment fosters teamwork and Teamwork delivers results. My five years at ASU allowed me to develop lifelong lessons and friendships which helped mold me into the person I am today. As Letterwinners, we all have our own experiences which contribute to the affinity we have to our Alma Mater. I hope your student-athlete experience was as rewarding as mine and I hope we can continue to provide a memorable and first-class experience for current student-athletes and the Sun Devils of tomorrow. Go Devils!
Kevin Miniefield Director, Sun Devil Letterwinners
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Featured Stories Sun Devil Hall of Fame Welcomes 2023 Class On October 6, we welcomed a new class of Sun Devil greats to the Halls of Fame and Distinction. See the full list of inductees below and be sure to check out a quick video recapping what was a beautiful ceremony at the Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU: Hall of Fame Class: - Jordan Clarke (Men’s Track & Field) - Jason Kipnis (Baseball) - Regina (Stahl) Mannix (Volleyball) - Shaun McDonald (Football) - Addison McGrath (Water Polo) - 2007 Women’s Track & Field Team Hall of Distinction Class: - Greg Kraft (Track & Field) You can watch a brief video recap of the reception here.
Volleyball Celebrates 50th Anniversary Arizona State recognized the 50th Anniversary of Sun Devil Volleyball. The Sun Devils are having one of the best seasons in recent history under first-year head coach JJ Van Niel. A very moving video about the history of Sun Devil Volleyball was shown at the reception, you can watch it here and check out a photo gallery from the celebration here! 3
Letterwinners in the News Terrell Suggs Inducted into Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor Sun Devil Hall of Fame class of 2022 and Baltimore Ravens great Terrell Suggs was recently inducted into the Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor. Below is an exerpt from the Raven’s release announcing his induction: Suggs was a seven-time Pro Bowler, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003. He spent 16 seasons (2003-18) with the Ravens as a game-changing outside linebacker who led with actions and words. He is a future Hall of Fame candidate. With 139.0 career sacks, Suggs ranks 11th on the all-time list. Every player ahead of him is in the Hall of Fame. Suggs finished his career with 895 tackles, 202 tackles for loss, 37 forced fumbles, and 11 interceptions.”
You can check out his induction speech here.
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Social Impact Lawrence Guy Impacts Local Families The Lawrence Guy Family Foundation hosts various annual philanthropic programs to support the Foundation’s mission. One of these events is the annual Baby Shower. The Baby Shower is an event honoring local moms. This year, each mom in attendance left with all of the products they could need to bring their new baby into the world. Large brands collectively donated over $50,000 in products for this event. Guy, who currently plays defensive line for the New England Patriots, hosted this year’s event at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday, October 2023. Watch this video recapping the event which saw underserved moms receive products such as baby clothes, diapers, strollers, car seats, cribs and other essential items.
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Honoring First Responders Sun Devil Athletics Recognizes Letterwinners Serving as First Responders Sun Devil Athletics and the Sun Devil Club wants to recognize the following Letterwinners who place themselves on the front lines to make our community safe. THANK YOU! If you are a first responder, please let us know by filling out this form.
Thank You for Your Service! 6
In Remembrance We want to recognize those Letterwinners who have recently passed away. For our full memorial page, please visit SunDevilClub.com/letterwinners/remembering-sun-devils. Sal Bando - Sun Devil Baseball 1944-2023
Ken Hansen - Sun Devil Baseball 1949-2023
Richard Davis - Sun Devil Football 1965-2023
Robert “Bo” McCann Jr - Sun Devil Basketball 1946-2023
Rick Brewster - Sun Devil Baseball 1951-2023
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In Remembrance We want to recognize those Letterwinners who have recently passed away. For our full memorial page, please visit SunDevilClub.com/letterwinners/remembering-sun-devils. Syd Smith - Sun Devil Baseball 1938-2023
Jamaar Jarrett - Sun Devil Football 1990-2023
Ed Long - Sun Devil Basketball 1927-2023
Alex Hodge - Sun Devil Football 1980-2023
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Stay Connected If you haven’t already, please create an account on Athlete Network, it’s free to use for all Sun Devil Letterwinners and is a great resource for you to stay connected with your fellow alumni! To get signed up, scan the QR code below: Also, please consider joining the Sun Devil Letterwinners if you haven’t already. We have completely revamped the Letterwinner experience with the giving levels and benefits outlined below. As former student-athletes, no one will ever understand the impact of philanthropy better than us. We ask that you get involved at a level that makes sense for you and pay it forward for generations of Sun Devils to come. Thank you for your continued support and for everything you’ve done to help lead us #O2V! Recent Grad
Recent grads get complimentary Maroon & Gold membership inclusive of 25 priority points as well as opportunities to connect with fellow Letterwinners.
Maroon & Gold
Maroon & Gold members receive standard Sun Devil Club member benefits in addition to access to the Hobbs Family Stadium Club (HFSC) for home football games.
(Complimentary)
($100/year)
Premium
Premium members get an exclusive annual gift, two (2) complimentary Junior Sun Devil Club memberships and invitations to signature events throughout the year.
Pitchfork
Pitchfork members gain access to lunch or dinner with a Sun Devil student-athlete, access to the MBB Hospitality Suite, Coors Light Tailgate and Stole Ceremony.
O2V
O2V Letterwinners enjoy a luncheon opportunity with an administrator or coach and the chance to reserve a tabletop (2 seats) in the HFSC on football gamedays.
($250/year)
($500/year)
($1,000/year)
Legacy Endowment ($5,000/year)
Legacy Endowment investors get a scholarship designation, a custom impact statement from the assigned athlete, invitation to the endowment dinner and recognition.
For questions about the Sun Devil Letterwinners or your involvement with the Sun Devil Club, please reach out to Kevin Miniefield at 480-727-6644 or via email at Kevin.Miniefield@asu.edu.
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Sun Devil Letterwinners Athletes Supporting Athletes