Opening Kickoff Welcome to December, where it’s Holiday Season and it’s Bowl Season! We are excited for our PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl matchups, teams that have never played each other before, in Oklahoma State/Notre Dame and West Virginia/ Minnesota. There are so many aspects that make Bowl Season special. One is having two teams compete when they otherwise have not. It was the same last year when Iowa State played Oregon and in 2019 when LSU and UCF squared off at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, and when Washington State faced Air Force in 2019 and TCU took on Cal in Downtown Phoenix.
FIESTA BOWL
We are grateful to welcome our fans back into the stadiums, to experience all the aspects that make college football so unique, and to once again share our renowned hospitality to the teams, alumni, fans and partners.
ORGAN I Z AT I O N N E WS L E T T ER
With a theme that honors the Fiesta Bowl’s 50th Anniversary, “Gold Standard: Commitment to CommUNITY,” our Grand Marshals are community champions. The Fiesta Bowl’s nine Founders and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Alice Cooper, who is known for his legendary stage presence and also for his community service through his Solid Rock Teen Centers.
Coming soon is the return of the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade, this time with Lerner and Rowe joining in as presenting partner. We say soon because it’s two weeks earlier than normal, with its own spotlight on Saturday, December 18, at 10 am.
Let’s Fiesta this Holiday Season and Bowl Season! Thank you for being a part of it all.
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NEWS & NOTES 2022 PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl The stage is set! The 2021-22 PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl will pit some familiar faces when No. 5 Notre Dame takes on No. 9 Oklahoma State on Saturday, January 1, 2022. Kickoff is set for 11 am MST at State Farm Stadium and will be telecast live on ESPN. Notre Dame returns to the Fiesta Bowl for the first time since 2015-16, when it fell to Ohio State, and its sixth appearance overall. Oklahoma State’s most recent Fiesta Bowl was in 2012, defeating Stanford, 41-38, during an overtime thriller. The two storied programs are meeting on the field for the first time ever. Coming off its 50th Anniversary Game, the Fiesta Bowl has provided some of the most memorable moments in college football, and this year will be no exception. Two of the nation’s best defenses will take the field. Which offense will capitalize the most? READ MORE
2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl The 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl will feature its new Big 12 vs. Big Ten matchup when Big 12’s West Virginia and Big Ten opponent Minnesota hit the field on Tuesday December 28, 2021. Kickoff is set for 8:15 pm MST in Downtown Phoenix and will be telecast live on ESPN. This will be the first-ever matchup between the Mountaineers and Gophers, while both have a place in Guaranteed Rate Bowl history. West Virginia is 1-1 and last appeared in a thrilling 43-42 victory over Arizona State in 2016. Minnesota played in the Valley of the Sun three times, in 2006, 2008 and 2009, and carries an 0-3 record. The transformation of an MLB ballpark to a football field creates a Bowl Season atmosphere like no other. Minnesota’s rushing offense is its most prolific in years, against a WVU defense that allows less than four yards per carry. READ MORE
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TICKETS, WHO NEEDS TICKETS? The PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl has been played in front of full crowds for some of the most memorable college football moments and this year will be no exception! Buy your tickets NOW and kick off New Year’s Day 2022 in style! The 51st Annual PlayStation Fiesta Bowl will feature No. 9 Oklahoma State battling No. 5 Notre Dame in their first-ever matchup on Saturday, January 1, 2022, with tickets available at FiestaBowl.org/Tickets. You don’t want to miss what will be the top college football Bowl game in the state of Arizona! The highly-anticipated Guaranteed Rate Bowl, featuring Bowl Season’s only matchup between members of the Big 12 and Big Ten Conferences, kicks off on Tuesday, December 28, at 8:15 p.m. MST. West Virginia will take on Minnesota for the first time in this long-anticipated game, which will be televised live on ESPN to a nationwide television and streaming audience. Tickets for the Guaranteed Rate Bowl are now available, with entry prices beginning at $35. Get in now before it’s too late!
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NEWS & NOTES Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner and Rowe Don’t miss the highly-anticipated return of the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner and Rowe, which will march down Central Avenue on Saturday, Dec. 18! Giant balloons, colorful community floats, local performers and much more will take over Downtown Phoenix for this spectacular parade, led by Grand Marshals Alice Cooper and the Fiesta Bowl Founders. The Parade is free to all but, fans looking to elevate their experience can purchase premium and reserved seating for $30. If you can’t attend the big event, watch it live on Arizona’s Family 3TV, online and through the AZFamily app. GET PREMIUM SEATING
Operation Santa On Dec. 1, Fiesta Bowl Charities provided a holiday shopping spree to 40 Valley children who have a parent deployed in active military service, in partnership with USAA and Dick’s Sporting Goods. All participating youth were given a $300 Dick’s Sporting Goods gift card and were paired with a USAA volunteer to assist with shopping for holiday gifts. The 40 children were selected as part of the Fighter Country Partnership, a local organization that focuses on supporting programs and services at Luke Air Force Base that aid, support and honor Airmen and their families. WATCH NOW
Lounge Like an Emperor Experience the excitement of the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl in a new, high energy, engaging and social atmosphere, with the Caesars Sportsbook Fan Lounge. This space is a fan favorite, with only a limited capacity of 800 tickets available. This social-style concept provides hours-long entertainment with food, drink and mingling while fans cheer on the college football action on the field. The fan lounge offers an incredible vantage point and a close birdseye view of the field, with high tables & chairs plus access to general seating that will make you feel like you’re on top of the action! GET YOUR SEATS NOW PG 4
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NEWSWORTHY
Charity Spotlight: Fighter Country Foundation FIESTABOWL.ORG
Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Wishes for Teachers
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KGUN9 TUCSON
ARIZONA’S FAMILY
Behind the Bowl: The Sallurdays
FOX10 PHOENIX
Tucson music teacher receives $2,500 grant for classroom
Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Wishes for Teachers surprises Phoenix teacher
FIESTABOWL.ORG
Meet this year’s Half Pint Judges for the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade
ARIZONA’S FAMILY
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Raj Kapur Committee Member First Year as Volunteer: 2009 First Year as Yellow Jacket Committee Member: 2016 Favorite Fiesta Bowl Game: 2019 CFP Playoff Clemson vs. Ohio State. I had the chance to celebrate a Clemson Fiesta Bowl win for the second time, as I was also a liaison for their 2016 win over Ohio State. Favorite Fiesta Bowl Moment: One of my favorite moments was being in the Clemson locker room as a team liaison at the 2019 CFP game to hear Coach Swinney’s pregame and halftime speech with the team. Clemson went into the halftime down 16-14. To say his halftime speech was inspiring is an understatement! Coach Swinney is a master at providing his teams with motivation. His team was ready to run through a brick wall to enter the second half and walked away with the win, 29-23.
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Why I Serve the Fiesta Bowl: Giving back to the community is something that was instilled in me at a young age and I have always been passionate about sports (both playing and coaching my kids). I have the pleasure of working with many nonprofits in my professional and personal life. It has been very rewarding to see these nonprofits receive grants from the Fiesta Bowl over the years. The Fiesta Bowl allows me to give back to the community in a very unique and special way. Favorite Job: Team Liaison. I’ve been lucky enough to serve as a team liaison for 3 Guarantee Rate Bowls and 3 Fiesta Bowls. Interesting fact: I am a first generation American. My parents immigrated to the United States in the 1970’s from India and Colombia. Their first date was at a Yankees game, and they were passionate fans of all New York area teams. They passed their love of sports to my brothers and me at a very young age. F I E S TA B O W L O R G A N I Z AT I O N N E W S L E T T E R | V O L U M E 2 6
better to give than receive At the heart of the Fiesta Bowl Organization is a simple mission: to enhance organizations that contribute to the success of their communities through youth, sports and education. Through its two annual bowl games in the Valley, the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, as well as community events throughout the year, Fiesta Bowl Charities has selected 51 Arizona nonprofits through its 2021-22 Grant Cycle. Over 575,000 Arizonans will be impacted by the Fiesta Bowl Charities Grant Recipients!
2021-22 Projected Numbers 406,941 youth impacted 258,610 benefiting from sports programming 346,945 benefiting from educational programming 6,180 books distributed 20,000 pounds of fresh produce provided
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F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
PG 7
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