OPENING KICKOFF June signifies the middle of the calendar year… and what a year 2020 has already been for us all. The first quarter was filled with excitement and promise but we hit a major challenge in the second quarter, due to an overwhelming opponent. Sometimes, the hits come in succession. At halftime here, we have the opportunity to put together our second-half plan on how to come out ahead in the end. While the challenges we face may seem overwhelming, now is the time to address them and adjust our gameplan to create opportunities. Perhaps the best place to start is to reflect and ask ourselves ‘Who are we tomorrow?’ When we define what we want to be, what our end of the game looks like, we can move ahead and put
FIESTA BOWL ORGANIZATION NEWSLETTER
together the wins to get us there. For the Fiesta Bowl Organization, our tomorrow is one where our staff, Board of Directors, Yellow Jacket Committee, Ambassadors, volunteers and partners continue to make a deep impact in our Arizona community and in the world of college football. We will be back together soon – in our offices, meeting with our stakeholders like you, hosting events, contributing to our state’s nonprofits and educators – to carry through on our commitment to enhance the lives of Arizonans and drive economic impact. Thank you for your support of the Fiesta Bowl, and for being our teammates when we are celebrating another win or battling adversity and persevering to make those successes come to life.
Mike Nealy Executive Director
NEWS & NOTES Community Champion 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 Cactus 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 this year alone. A full Community Impact Report showcases the organization’s activities in the 2019-20 season on and off the field. Click here to see the recap. READ MORE HERE
2 Peas in the Pod(cast) New conversations are on the docket for the Fiesta Bowl Football Focus Podcast. We recently posted the Fiesta Bowl’s second Executive Director, Bruce Skinner, who shared stories about the early days of the Fiesta Bowl, including how the famed 1987 National Championship came to be, how title sponsorship of the Bowl was a first-of-its-kind and how team selections were done before the College Football Playoff. Now up is a group chat to re-live the 2003 Fiesta Bowl game, with Miami’s Willis McGahee and Jonathan Vilma, along with Ohio State’s Mike Doss and Kenny Peterson, guest hosted by ESPN’s Allison Williams. Go to iTunes, Google Play or Spotify on your phone and search for FIESTA BOWL FOOTBALL FOCUS or click below to subscribe and listen to the conversations with some of college football’s finest. SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
PG 2
F I E S TA B O W L O R G A N I Z AT I O N A L N E W S L E T T E R | V O L U M E 8
NEWSWORTHY Even with a busy commercial banking job, Patrick Barkley finds time to head the Fiesta Bowl PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL
Assistance League of Phoenix fills the void left by vicious cycle of poverty VALLEY INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS
Downtown Phoenix bowl game reverts to Cactus Bowl name AZCENTRAL
One-of-a-kind sports experience raffle to help those hurt by pandemic CHAMBER BUSINESS NEWS
College Football predictions for 2020 bowl games SPORTING NEWS
Volunteer Spotlight: Ray Rondeau FIESTABOWL.ORG
FIESTA BOWL ORGANIZATION HIGHLIGHT REEL WATCH HERE
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
PG 3
NEWS & NOTES And the Winner Is… The Fiesta Bowl Organization has partnered with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) to present awards for exemplary service and future opportunities in the collegiate space. To support the next generation of leaders in the college athletics industry, a John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship is awarded annually to a student associated with an Arizona-based four-year institution. Arizona State University’s Sophia Elenga, who plans to pursue a master’s in sport law and business this fall, is the winner after majoring in sport journalism and maintaining a 3.14 GPA. In 2014, she helped France win the U20 European Women’s Basketball title. Elenga played basketball at ASU, where she was a three-time Sun Devil Scholar-Athlete. READ MORE HERE
Make Sure You’re There We’re in the middle of Season Ticket Member renewals right now, preparing for the 2020-21 PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl and Cactus Bowl. If you’re a Season Ticket Member, we ask that you renew before the June 30 deadline to enjoy your new year-round benefits, fixed pricing for future seasons and retain your seat location. Rest assured, should the games not be able to be played, your payments will be fully refunded or applied to the next played games. If you’re not a current Season Ticket Member and want to receive priority before the rest of the general public, please contact us at tickets@fiestabowl.org or 480.350.0911. We expect to begin game tickets sales in early August. BUY NOW
PG 4
F I E S TA B O W L O R G A N I Z AT I O N A L N E W S L E T T E R | V O L U M E 8
2019-20 COMMUNITY IMPACT $11 MILLION IN CHARITABLE GIVING OVER THE PAST 4 YEARS
NEARLY 1 MILLION
12,000+ PEOPLE IMPACTED BY 6 NEW PLAYGROUNDS/ PLAY SPACES
PEOPLE SERVED
600,000+ YOUTH SERVED
$4 MILLION
IN CHARITABLE GIVING IN THE 2019-20 GRANT CYCLE
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
283,480 MEALS SERVED
PG 5
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT Yellow Jacket Committee Member, Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade Committee Chair Joe Hourigan First Year as Volunteer: 2010 First Year as Yellow Jacket: 2012 Favorite Fiesta Bowl Game: 2007, Boise State vs. Oklahoma. I have always been a sucker for the underdog (hence, my love of the Jets and Mets in a family of Giants and Yankees) Most Memorable Moment: Assisting on the field by holding a large American flag for the 2016 Fiesta Bowl between Notre Dame and Ohio State. Why I Serve the Fiesta Bowl: The Fiesta Bowl Organization is like a family and it does tremendous work in the community. Being involved is a fun way to meet great people and to do good for our community. Favorite Job: Chairman of the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade, presented by Cheez-ItŽ where I was able to ride in a float with my wife and goddaughter. It was an experience I will never forget, to share my love of the Fiesta Bowl and the Parade with my family. Interesting fact: My very first visit to Arizona was for the 2006 Fiesta Bowl as a fan for Notre Dame vs. Ohio State. The very first thing I did was attend that year’s Fiesta Bowl Parade. It has been an incredible life journey for me to later be standing on the field for a rematch of the teams I first came to see and to then serve as Chairman of the Fiesta Bowl Parade in a place I now call home. PG 6
F I E S TA B O W L O R G A N I Z AT I O N A L N E W S L E T T E R | V O L U M E 8
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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 2 5 | AN ASH @ FIESTABOWL .ORG
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PG 7