Fiesta Bowl Organization Newsletter Vol. 30

FIESTA BOWL

ORGANIZATION

JIM HATFIELD INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

OPENING KICKOFF

Randal Norton BOARD CHAIR

Fall is in full swing. Temperatures are back into the 80s, college football excites every weekend and we have been active with Fiesta Bowl community impact. In this newsletter, you will read about how the Fiesta Bowl has served hundreds of thousands across the state.

Our Charitable Giving Committee had a challenging exercise in evaluating more than 300 worthy nonprofit organizations who applied for grant funding. The ongoing work performed by Arizona charities to serve their beneficiaries in youth, sports and education is truly inspiring.

The annual Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers application period closed recently and thousands of teachers submitted their $2,500 classroom wish. Granting wishes to 400 teachers is one of the most rewarding activities we do all year. Draft Day, presented by SRP, is now upon us and we deliver $1 million in grants to worthy teachers across the state.

Earlier in the summer, we welcomed Vrbo to the Fiesta Bowl family as our new title partner of the Fiesta Bowl game and the Fiesta Bowl Parade. Many of you have stayed at Vrbo properties and we are thrilled to have them on our team as Arizona is one of Vrbo’s top destinations.

We are in the final month of college football season and the buzz is building. This year we will host the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve with two of the top four teams in the country. This is a party you won’t want to miss. Additionally, we will host Bowl Season’s only Big Ten/Big 12 contest at the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on December 27 in downtown Phoenix. Enjoy the games, thank you for your support and we will see you soon.

NEWS AND NOTES

2022 KICKOFF LUNCHEON

In August, the Fiesta Bowl held its annual Arizona Bank & Trust Fiesta Bowl Kickoff Luncheon presented by Caesar’s Sportsbook to celebrate a new season of college football. This year, College Football Hall of Famer Raghib “Rocket” Ismail and groundbreaking sportscaster Alex Flanagan delivered the keynote addresses before a crowd of 1,000 people. Ismail became a national champion in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl as a freshman at Notre Dame. He was a Walter Camp Player of the Year, Heisman Trophy runner-up and an All-American wide receiver and kick/punt returner. Flanagan, a Sonoita, Arizona native, was NFL Network’s first female studio host and covered major events like the Super Bowl and Olympic Games multiple times each. She was crowned the Fiesta Bowl Queen in 1992-93 while at the University of Arizona, which her headline of the Fiesta Bowl’s Kickoff Luncheon brought full circle.

2022-23 GRANT RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED

The Fiesta Bowl Kickoff Luncheon celebrated the start of college football season—but it also revealed Fiesta Bowl Charities’ 2022-23 grant recipients . Forty Arizona nonprofits benefit from this year’s grant cycle, totaling $3 million in charitable giving to organizations whose goals support the Fiesta Bowl’s mission to further youth, sports and education in Arizona. The Fiesta Bowl gives more in charitable giving than any other college bowl organization—bringing its motto of “More Than Just a Game” to life. Over the last seven years, nearly $23 million in charitable giving has been donated to the community.

NEW LOUNGE FOR TITLE I TEACHERS

On September 9, staff and teachers at Central Phoenix’s Alhambra High School received a fully renovated lounge from Fiesta Bowl Charities. Alhambra is a Title I school with 95% minority enrollment, serving more than 2,000 students from grades 9-12—many of them higher-need. It also comprises a significant refugee population, with 52 countries and 44 languages represented among its student body. The renovated lounge supports these educators in their service to Alhambra’s students in the midst of a statewide teacher shortage, furthering the Fiesta Bowl’s commitment to youth and education in Arizona.

WELCOME TO YOUR Vrbo

Known for providing many of college football’s most memorable moments, the Fiesta Bowl has come together with Vrbo on a title partnership for the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe.

As a member of the College Football Playoff New Year’s Six, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl will serve as a CFP Semifinal this season, kicking off on Saturday, December 31, with two of the nation’s four highest-ranking teams battling for a spot in the CFP National Championship. That will be preceded two weeks earlier with the annual two-mile march through Central Phoenix on Saturday, December 17.

Both organizations have a rich history for their innovation and for bringing people together to make memories that last a lifetime. Known as a “Bowl of Firsts,” the Fiesta Bowl was the first to secure a title sponsor back in 1986 and Vrbo created the first online platform for travelers to book private whole homes, beach houses, cabins and condos for their family vacations

NEWS AND NOTES

PALO VERDE FIESTA BOWL WISHES FOR TEACHERS

More than 3,000 applications for the 2022 Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program were submitted this year. The initiative will provide 400 teachers with $2,500 awards, totaling $1 million in donations going directly to Arizona’s educators and students. Now seven years into the program, Wishes for Teachers has granted $5.7 million to 1,600 teachers across Arizona, impacting more than half a million students. Draft Day, in which teachers are selected and notified of their granted wishes, takes place on November 1-3.

SHAZAM!

Legendary Suns announcer Al McCoy was revealed as the Grand Marshal for the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe. The Grand Marshal honors an individual or group whose actions align with the Fiesta Bowl’s commitment to driving economic growth, championing charitable causes and executing innovating experiences. McCoy will lead the 50th edition of the Parade along its two-mile route through Central Phoenix on Saturday, December 17.

McCoy, a native Iowan, was named the “Voice of the Suns” in 1972 and is now entering his 51st season with the Phoenix Suns. He is the longest-tenured broadcaster in NBA history – a shining example of the Parade’s theme of “Legends Made Here.”

A combination of more than 3,000 men, women, children and animals participate in the annual Parade, which features brilliantly colored floats, giant balloons, antique cars, equestrian units, charitable groups, local celebrities, marching bands and more. The Fiesta Bowl will notify selected parade participants before November.

FIESTA BOWL ALUM IN THE PROS

The 2022 NFL season is underway—here are some Fiesta Bowl alumni to keep an eye on.

Saquon Barkley

In his fifth season as a New York Giants running back, this 2017 Fiesta Bowl and Penn State alum has been cruising. He leads the league in rushing through eight weeks, racking up 779 yards on the ground and five touchdowns. Barkley, who currently leads the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year odds, is a main factor in the Giants’ surprising 6-2 start. He’ll be back in action after a week nine bye on Sunday, November 13 at home against the Texans.

Joe Burrow

The reigning AFC Champion Bengals look to return to the playoffs this season in Burrow’s third year at the helm. Burrow, a 2019 Fiesta Bowl alum with LSU, trails only Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes in passing yards per game this season among starters, with 299.6. He had a career day against the Falcons, becoming just the fourth player in NFL history (Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Kyler Murray) to have multiple games with 400+ passing yards, 3+ passing TDs and 1+ rushing TD. Burrow and the Bengals will look to bounce back from a tough Monday Night Football loss to the Browns when they host the Panthers.

Justin Fields

This 2019 Fiesta Bowl quarterback (Ohio State) is in his second season with the Chicago Bears and has made steady improvements as the year has progressed. Fields is second only to Lamar Jackson in total rushing yards (424) and in rushing yards per game (53). Two weeks ago he led the Bears to an impressive 33-14 win over the Patriots, and though Chicago lost to the Cowboys, Fields led his offense to score 29 points against the NFL’s second-ranked defense—the most points Dallas has allowed all year. Fields’ completion percentage, rushing production and passer rating have increased steadily over the last few weeks, and progress like that is something to keep an eye on.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

First Year as Volunteer: 1993

First Year as Yellow Jacket Committee Member: 1999

Favorite Fiesta Bowl Game:

The 2007 game between Boise State and Oklahoma was a classic and is tops for me.

Favorite Fiesta Bowl Moment:

There are too many to mention, but most of the moments are while hosting various head coaches as a Team Liaison. The one I remember the most was talking Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz into going to In-N-Out Burger before the game because I told him that I have never lost as a team liaison if the coach went to In-N-Out. Actually, I was 0-3. Iowa won by a field goal, thankfully!

Why I Serve the Fiesta Bowl:

Mike Muraco Chief Marketing Officer Legacy Sports USA/ On-Air Sports

I love college football and giving back to my community. I have been fortunate to raise over $1 million over the last 20 years and have a goal of $2 million before I retire! I hope I am making a small difference in a larger cause.

Favorite Job: Love them all, but Team Liaison was my favorite.

Interesting fact:

As a Team Liaison, I pulled a hamstring running out to get the tee after a kickoff during the West Virginia vs. Arizona State Cactus Bowl in 2016. Randy Norton will not release the video to me!

NEWSWORTHY