OPENING KICKOFF As we enter December and reflect on 2020, there’s no doubt we will remember the challenges thrown our way. With challenges come opportunities and, as an organization, the Fiesta Bowl has tried to look for those opportunities. In spite of the challenges, we have reason to be thankful. Our major events are still to come, and we will be ready for what the rest of 2020 brings. This year, I have found myself reflecting and focusing more on how grateful we are to have what we have. We are blessed to be able to give back to our community and enhance the lives of Arizonans.
FIESTA BOWL ORGANIZATION NEWSLETTER
We recently granted 200 wishes to Arizona K-12 teachers in the fifth annual Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program, giving a total of $500,000 that impacted thousands of students. This month we are dedicating a new 70,000-square foot field, outfitting a resource room for children who are separated from their parents, opening a mega playground at Downtown Phoenix’s Hance Park and providing holiday gifts for families of deployed military. That’s all on top of staging our PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl college football postseason games. These games allow us to put a national spotlight on Arizona and showcase all that our amazing state has to offer. Many times, people who travel to attend Bowl Season are coming to Arizona for the first time, and many return for vacation visits. Some end up making Arizona their new home. Thank you for your support and your part in helping the Fiesta Bowl make such an impact in our community.
VOLUME 14
Mike Nealy Executive Director
NEWS & NOTES Supporting Arizona’s Nonprofits Through Golf New this year to assist Arizona nonprofits in their fundraising efforts, the Fiesta Bowl Community Golf Classic is a one-of-a-kind tournament that uses our events experience to create an event where charities keep the proceeds. Talk about a win-win: nonprofits raise much-needed dollars, while leaving operational logistics to the Fiesta Bowl. It’s that easy. Golfers can register to play and donate half of the entry fee to a nonprofit organization of choice. Charities are also invited to sell foursomes and keep the money for their needs. The Fiesta Bowl will shoulder the operational side and associated up-front expenses, which allows charities to reap the benefits to serve their stakeholders. Held on December 8 at the picturesque Short Course at Mountain Shadows, there are two individual rounds, where foursomes will compete in a scramble format for big-time prizes like cars and cash. LEARN MORE
Play for Years at Hance Park As part of the Fiesta Bowl’s celebration of its 50th Anniversary, the organization has partnered with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, BHHS Legacy Foundation and Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority (AZ-STA) in the first stage of the Margaret T. Hance Park revitalization project, led by The Hance Park Partner Coalition — consisting of the Phoenix Community Alliance (PCA), Hance Park Conservancy, and City of Phoenix. The Fiesta Bowl PLAY at Hance Park is a 200,000-square foot mega playground that serves multiple generations and will officially open on December 15 in a small ceremony at the site in Downtown Phoenix. This beautiful structure is 10 times the size of a standard playground build. PLAY TODAY!
PG 2
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GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY To celebrate its storied history that began with a vision from nine community leaders in 1971, the Fiesta Bowl has unveiled a special logo and other initiatives to commemorate its 50th Anniversary season.
The logo includes the Bowl’s trademark sunburst and script, along with a large 50 and five “laces” on a football, to signify the five decades the Fiesta Bowl has been in existence. It will be widely seen as the 50-yard marker on the field during the 50th playing of the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl on January 2, 2021.
Here is a snapshot of some activities the Fiesta Bowl will do to commemorate its 50th Anniversary: • Top 50 Lists, including Players/Coaches, Plays/Moments, Facts, All-Decade Teams • Dedication of Fiesta Bowl Play at Hance Park as part of Hance Park revitalization project • Specific merchandise with Fiesta Bowl 50th Anniversary branding • Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade on Saturday, April 10, 2021, with 50th Anniversary theme • 50-year Season Ticket Member appreciation event at Ziegler Fiesta Bowl Museum • Fiesta Bowl Football Focus Podcast episodes, including guests Urban Meyer, Jared Zabransky, Mack Brown, 2003 Fiesta Bowl players from Ohio State & Miami and more • Volunteer Appreciation Party at Sun Devil Stadium for volunteers from all 50 years • Fiesta Bowl-branded license plate for sale through AZDOT • Editorial pieces from local media outlets to highlight the Fiesta Bowl’s historic moments
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
PG 3
NEWS & NOTES The Teams Are Coming Normally, the regular season would be finished in the first full weekend in December and Bowl Season team announcements would be the same weekend. This season, the schedule has been adjusted to select and announce teams for the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate® Bowl on Sunday, December 20. The selection show begins on ESPN at 10 am MST, with the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl matchup at 12:30 pm MST and Guaranteed Rate® Bowl at approximately 2 pm MST. LEARN MORE
Kickoff set for guaranteed rate® bowl With a new title sponsor and a new conference matchup starting in 2020, the date and time of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl has been determined. Representatives from the Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences will face off on Saturday, December 26, at 8:15 pm MST in downtown Phoenix. Two of college football’s most successful conferences, the Big Ten and Big 12 faced off in the Bowl eight times from 2006-13. The Guaranteed Rate Bowl’s three most-attended games featured Big Ten/Big 12 pairings, including the 2011 contest when Iowa and Oklahoma played before a Bowl-record 54,247 fans. Follow the Guaranteed Rate Bowl through social media on Twitter (@RateBowl), Instagram (@GuaranteedRateBowl) and Facebook (@GuaranteedRateBowl), and connect with Guaranteed Rate at Rate.com. LEARN MORE
PG 4
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YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED November was highlighted by the delivery of golden apples for 200 teachers for the fifth annual Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program. In a Virtual Draft Day format, 200 K-12 public and charter school teachers learned their wishes were granted, each receiving a $2,500 classroom grant. The total of $500,000 in grant awards boosts the five-year total to $3.7 Million in direct donations to Arizona’s classrooms. Visit WishesForTeachers.org to view the wishes, which included technology, classroom equipment, field trips, creating libraries and more. Desert Financial Credit Union was founded by 15 Arizona educators with $78.75 in 1939 and has been an active supporter in the Wishes for Teachers program for several years. Click here to watch the recap video.
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
PG 5
NEWS & NOTES Play. Win. Support. Q
Rolling along is the Fiesta Bowl’s Her Hidden Highness presented by Arizona Lottery progressive 50/50 raffle. The jackpot is over $9,000 and continues to grow each week, as the Queen of Hearts is still hidden. In addition to the jackpot, there are weekly payouts of 15 percent of the weekly sales. There are various tickets levels to increase chances to win by visiting www. FiestaBowlRaffle.com to play, ante up to win and support Fiesta Bowl Charities. The first of its kind by an Arizona sports property, similar raffles across the county have seen multi-million dollar payouts. Half of the entry pool benefits Fiesta Bowl Charities, which supports Arizona nonprofit organizations in the areas of 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 given more than $16.5 million across the state of Arizona in the last nine years, including $4 million in 2019-20 year alone. LEARN MORE
Bowl season is coming ‘Bowl Season’ has been announced as the new name of College Football’s postseason, with the associated branding highlighting a new identity. The new Bowl Season tagline, “A Celebration of College Football,” embraces the grand tradition of the bowl system and its enduring value to student-athletes. Highlighting the broader university community, including spirit squads, marching bands, student athletic staff and fans, Bowl Season will work with all existing bowls to promote the benefits of the entire bowl system. The Bowl Season logo consists of a centrally-placed, collegiate-style football inside an overhead view of a stadium or bowl, from which the term “bowl game” was derived. The logo also reflects the top of championship rings, which are often awarded to teams that play in bowl games. The stadium contains 10 sections, each representing a conference member of the Football Bowl Subdivision: American Athletic Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12, Big 10, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, Pac-12, Southeastern Conference and Sun Belt Conference. LEARN MORE
PG 6
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KEY DECEMBER DATES December 3
Fiesta Bowl Field Dedication (Cartwright Elementary School) *
December 8
Fiesta Bowl Community Golf Classic (Short Course at Mountain Shadows) *
December 9
Fiesta Bowl Resource Room Dedication (Sunshine Acres) *
December 15
Fiesta Bowl Play at Hance Park Dedication *
December 17
Operation Santa (DICK’S Sporting Goods) *
December 20
Bowl Season Team Announcements *
December 26
Guaranteed Rate® Bowl (Downtown Phoenix)
january 2, 2021
PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl (Glendale)
* not open to the public
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
PG 7
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Nick Smith Executive Vice President, National PEO First Year as Volunteer: 2012 First Year as Yellow Jacket Committee Member: 2012 Favorite Fiesta Bowl Game: As a Notre Dame alum, it was incredible to have Notre Dame play here at the Fiesta Bowl in 2016 against Ohio State. Unfortunately, we lost, but I loved that we hosted them here and I was able to see some familiar people. Most Memorable Moment: My favorite event is the Youth Football Clinic. Football has been and continues to be a big part of my life. Having the opportunity to participate and share the game that I love with young people inspires me! I know the event is supposed to be for the kids, but the joy and satisfaction I get personally from the event is priceless. It feeds my soul.
PG 8
Why I Serve the Fiesta Bowl: I love serving on the Fiesta Bowl and being a Yellow Jacket. The people you meet and the teamoriented environment is very important to me. I get to stay close to the game that I love and serve in the community I live in… it’s the best of both worlds. A lot of people want to serve and don’t know what to do. Simply put, the Fiesta Bowl checks both boxes for me, and I will continue to serve for a long time. Favorite Job: Media Operations and Team Liaison. I like to be in the heart of the action, so you get to see the inside of the operations and work with the people who are making it all happen! Interesting fact: I have a few. I love card games and also to play checkers. Foodwise, I am allergic to mayonnaise. And I am scared of heights.
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NEWSWORTHY
Fiesta Bowl 50th anniversary: 2000s bring new stadium, Ohio State and Boise State thrills ARIZONA REPUBLIC
Mesa teachers get Fiesta Bowl cash for their wishes EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE
Fiesta Bowl Announces 50th Anniversary Logo, Celebration FIESTABOWL.ORG
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
Classroom wishes granted: Three Flagstaff teachers receive $2,500 ARIZONA DAILY SUN
Phoenix art teacher granted money for new stools in classroom ARIZONA’S FAMILY 3TV
Teacher Feature: Maria Beckman FIESTABOWL.ORG
PG 9
CONTACT US
S C OTT LE IGHTMAN
S E N IO R DIRECTOR OF COMMUN ICATION S 4 8 0 - 5 1 7 - 6 2 9 1 | SL EIGH TMAN @ FIESTABOWL .ORG
ALE X NAS H
CO M M UN ICATION S COORD IN ATOR 4 8 0 - 3 5 0 - 0 9 25 | AN ASH @ FIESTABOWL .ORG
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FI E STA BO W L .O R G
PG 10
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