OPENING KICKOFF It has been about a year since COVID-19 changed our lives. When I look back at March 2020’s Opening Kickoff, the message was thanking our 3,000 volunteers and celebrating the new annual award winners. Unfortunately, with the inability to host many in-person events, we couldn’t call on our amazing volunteers to serve in the same capacity they have always delivered. Like everyone, we have been forced to re-think every aspect of our organization. Given the incredible need when COVID-19 hit, our Board of Directors approved a $1 million emergency relief donation to 18 nonprofits who, in turn, provided meals and youth programming.
FIESTA BOWL ORGANIZATION NEWSLETTER
The center of our thinking, and our actions, has always been to deliver on our mission to enhance the lives of Arizonans through youth, sports and education. Actions speak louder than words and we’re proud of how we served our community: bringing Arizona’s major sports properties together for the AZSportsTogether initiative, creating the Her Hidden Highness 50/50 raffle to raise funds for Arizonans, giving away 50,000 masks to teachers, partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona to form an Empowering Diversity Scholarship for 16 students to receive $5,000 each and so much more. We are More Than Just a Game®. Fiesta Bowl Charities is known for its annual charitable giving and serving. While the last year has been challenging for us all, nonprofits needed assistance more than ever. That is why it was very important that the Fiesta Bowl still deliver these necessary funds. We are part of this community and we will continue to give back. We are Fiesta!
VOLUME 17
Mike Nealy Executive Director
NEWS & NOTES
It’s Gaming Time! The Fiesta Bowl is taking the competition from the gridiron to the virtual battleground with the inaugural Fiesta Bowl Esports Showdown. Open to Arizona residents and students, two tournaments will offer thousands of dollars in scholarships and prizes, in addition to exclusive Fiesta Bowl experiences. Today’s most popular games will take the Fiesta Bowl virtual stage. Arizona high school students will compete in Rocket League for scholarships and prizes, while Arizona residents 18 years and older will face off in Call of Duty: Warzone with cash and experiences on the line. Registration is now open by visiting fiestabowl.org/esports. The first qualifying competition for Rocket League will take place on Saturday, March 20, with the opening session of Call of Duty: Warzone to be held on Saturday, April 10. The Final Showdown for both games is Saturday, April 24. The high school Rocket League division consists of four qualifier tournaments beginning on March 20, with two winning teams from each qualifier moving on to the Final Showdown. REGISTER NOW
PG 2
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KILLING IT WITH KINDNESS Putting safety first in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fiesta Bowl Organization and Desert Financial Credit Union will share kindness statewide with a traveling tour called Kindness Arizona. The new project is a re-imagination of this past season’s Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade to bring community impact across the state. Kindness Arizona takes the community focus of the two organizations and brings funds, equipment, supplies and cheer directly to communities around the state. The 25-stop, five-day tour from March 22-26, will roll through the Phoenix Metro, Flagstaff, Prescott and Tucson. Kindness Arizona efforts will include funds to schools and community groups, revitalizing facilities, donating hygiene kits and performing random acts of kindness in every location to surprise people in need. Desert Financial and the Fiesta Bowl chose local organizations that aid the lives of Arizonans in the areas of youth, education and supporting front-line workers. Given the current restrictions, the annual Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade will return in late December 2021. Arizona’s most attended single-day event will march down its customary two-mile route through Central Phoenix and pay homage to the Fiesta Bowl’s 50th Anniversary.
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
PG 3
NEWS & NOTES KABOOM Baby! Fiesta Bowl Charities has partnered with SRP and KABOOM! to give the children at Tomahawk Elementary School in the Cartwright School District a much-needed new playground. This build is the ninth location for a Fiesta Bowl Charities playground legacy project. After months of playground closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fiesta Bowl Charities and SRP worked closely with KABOOM! to install a new, kid-designed playground at Tomahawk Elementary School for children to play together in a safe environment. In a ‘regular’ playground build, more than 200 members from the community and Fiesta Bowl volunteers build a playground on the site in one day. With COVID-19 protocols, children from the community participated in a virtual Design Day where they thought of ideas to create their own dream playground. The Tomahawk Elementary design was inspired by their drawings and ideas, teaming with Fiesta Bowl Charities, SRP and KABOOM! to make it a reality.
PG 4
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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.
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 • 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 5
NEWS & NOTES Better to Give Than Receive Fiesta Bowl Charities helped Arizona communities, nonprofits and teachers during an unprecedented pandemic, to provide necessary resources that helped millions of Arizonans in the 2020-21 season. Within a total of $5.5 million in charitable giving, unique for this season was $1 million in emergency relief for COVID-19 and a $2 million donation to begin the Margaret T. Hance Park Revitalization Project. More than 40 nonprofit organizations across the state of Arizona benefitted from Fiesta Bowl Charities grant funding, in addition to the fifth annual Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program that delivered $2,500 grants to 200 K-12 teachers around Arizona. Through the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl and various community events throughout the year, Fiesta Bowl Charities has granted $16 million in charitable giving the last five years alone.
PG 6
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Q
CURRENT JACKPOT $12,926 PLAY. WIN. SUPPORT. Rolling along is the Fiesta Bowl’s Her Hidden Highness presented by Arizona Lottery progressive 50/50 raffle. The jackpot is nearly $13,000 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 $21 million across the state of Arizona in the last 10 years, including $5.5 million in 2020-21 year alone. F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
PG 7
NEWS & NOTES Guaranteed Rate Bowl Looks Forward to Kickoff With spring college football practice on the horizon, it’s not too early to look ahead to Bowl Season. Following an unfortunate cancellation due to team attrition, the Guaranteed Rate Bowl is primed to hit downtown Phoenix in late December 2021. This is the only postseason matchup between members of the Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences. Several Guaranteed Rate Bowl alumni played in the Super Bowl, with Tampa’s Blaine Gabbert (Missouri, 2010) and William Gholston (Michigan State, 2012) picking up a title in Tampa. Kansas City’s Anthony Hitchens (Iowa, 2011), Le’Veon Bell (Michigan State, 2012), Frank Clark (Michigan, 2013) and Bryon Pringle (Kansas State, 2017) also played postseason games in the Valley of the Sun. Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States, is the game’s exclusive financial partner, including mortgages, home loans and home buying categories. Follow the Guaranteed Rate Bowl through social media on Twitter (@RateBowl), Instagram & Facebook (@GuaranteedRateBowl) and connect with Guaranteed Rate at Rate.com.
Spruce up your car The Fiesta Bowl Organization and the Arizona Department of Transportation have created a custom Arizona license plate with Fiesta Bowl branding. Featuring the recognizable sunburst logo and Fiesta Bowl wordmark, the plates can be ordered at azmvdnow.az.gov. There are non-personalized and personalized (six-character limit) versions available, in addition to a disability Fiesta Bowl plate. For every sale of the specialty plate, $17 of the proceeds support Fiesta Bowl Charities and programs across the state of Arizona that support youth, sports and education. BUY NOW PG 8
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FIESTA BOWL TOP 50 When you have a storied history like the Fiesta Bowl, you celebrate. Part of that celebration is the recognition of the memorable moments that have contributed to the Bowl’s legacy. The Fiesta Bowl announced a series of Top 50 Lists and All-Decade Teams. Take a look back at the key performances that vaulted the Fiesta Bowl into college football’s elite circles, and into the “The Greatest Bowl Games in College Football History.”
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
PG 9
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Pauline Argeros Why I Serve the Fiesta Bowl: I became an Ambassador with the Fiesta Bowl because I believe in the organization’s mission and charitable causes. Volunteering for the Fiesta Bowl allows me to give back to the community and showcase our great state. An added bonus to serving with the Fiesta Bowl is all of the wonderful people I have met and friends I have made along the way.
First Year as Volunteer: 2017 First Year as Ambassador: 2017 Favorite Fiesta Bowl Game: 2007 Oklahoma vs Boise State. What an exciting fourth quarter of that game. And then the OT win using a trick play! Such a fun game to watch, I will always remember it. Most Memorable Moment: Volunteering for the Fiesta Bowl / KABOOM! playground build at the Arizona Recreation Center for the Handicapped. It was tragic that their facility burnt down. Fortunately, in partnership with KABOOM!, the Fiesta Bowl was able to provide a brand new playground for children who really needed it. It was amazing to see how many volunteers were on hand and how quick the playground went up.
PG 10
Favorite Job: Chair of Children’s Day for the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. It is fun to extend the Fiesta Bowl hospitality to the children traveling with each team. To see the kiddos have such a great time at this event makes it such a worthwhile day. Interesting fact: I have lived in seven different states and been married for over 30 years. I love our dry heat and enjoy traveling, cooking, puzzles and playing games with my family.
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NEWSWORTHY
Fiesta Bowl postmortem: Why the event went on despite pandemic
New Event Taking Place of Fiesta Bowl Parade
PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL
ARIZONA’S FAMILY 3TV
Fiesta Bowl tour to bring kindness across Arizona in lieu of parade
Newsmakers Week: Mike Nealy ARIZONASPORTS 987
Tony Rice, Major Harris make College Football history in 1989 Fiesta Bowl FANSIDED
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
KTAR
Desert Financial, Fiesta Bowl create Kindness Arizona
AZ BIG MEDIA
PG 11
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
FOLLOW US
FI E STA BO W L .O R G
PG 12
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