OPENING KICKOFF Every day when I walk off the elevator and into the Fiesta Bowl offices, I’m welcomed by a series of framed pictures. They’re not football action photos. There are six portraits – all in a row – of our Fiesta Bowl Volunteers of the Year. Some are in yellow jackets, all are smiling. It’s a great reminder of what I like to call the Fiesta Bowl’s “secret sauce,” in that our more than 3,000 volunteers are who allow us to do so much in the community all 12 months of the year.
FIESTA BOWL ORGANIZATION NEWSLETTER
When I look back at how the Fiesta Bowl Organization staged three major events within a 24-hour period last December, I know that we pulled it off because of the sheer number and the high quality of volunteers that the Fiesta Bowl enjoys. The Fiesta Bowl is special because of our volunteers. Thank you to all our Fiesta Bowl volunteers, whether it’s a first-year newcomer or a dedicated long-term volunteer with more than 20 years of service. Seeing the award winners’ photos swap out this time of year makes me smile to think of all the accomplishments we collectively achieve with the support and commitment from our full Fiesta Bowl family.
Mike Nealy Executive Director
NEWS & NOTES Chat with CFP Kicking back off again, the Fiesta Bowl Football Focus Podcast features College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock. Bill joins us to talk about his previous role with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, the inner-workings of the CFP Selection Committee, bowl game experiences for student-athletes and his favorite PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl moments. Previous conversations included Arizona Bank & Trust Kickoff Luncheon speaker Urban Meyer, 2006 and 2019 Cheez-It® Bowl coach Mike Leach and Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. 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!
Now, Taking the Field There are many unique (and cool) aspects to the Cheez-It® Bowl. The obvious is that the MLB ballpark is transformed into a football field. After the game – which this year featured an Air Force 31-21 win over Washington State – the more than 70,000 square feet of grass that made up the Cheez-It® Bowl game field is donated to a community in need of a new field. This year’s field will be dedicated to Phoenix School District’s Cartwright Elementary School, where some future Cheez-It® Bowl players may step field on this new surface. Last year, the game field was placed in Bullhead City, with previous donations in Laveen and Avondale. BULLHEAD CITY VIDEO RECAP
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VOLUNTEER WINNERS
Award winners GEORGE LEONARD ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Brian Gubernick The Fiesta Bowl Organization is grateful to have the largest volunteer base in the college bowl system, with approximately 3,000 volunteers helping serve our year-round events and community outreach. On March 1, we celebrated the season with a Volunteer Appreciation Party at Main Event Tempe and announced our 2019-20 Volunteer Award Winners. It was hard, since so many do an amazing job throughout the year, and those recognized stood out amongst an allstar group. FULL RECAP HERE F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
RANDI KNAPPENBERGER AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR
Brittany Wilson
FIESTA BOWL COMMITTEE MEMBER OF THE YEAR
Jim Kebert
FIESTA BOWL CHAIR OF THE YEAR
Joe Hourigan
GLENN HAWKINS VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
Susan Tunks
FRANK SNELL LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Mike Muraco
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NEWS & NOTES trailblazing family A grand celebration commemorated Black History Month in February and the Fiesta Bowl has a place in that. When Dr. Morrison Warren was elected the Fiesta Bowl Board President for the 1981-82 season, he became the first African-American to lead a major bowl game. Under his direction, the Fiesta Bowl moved onto the hallowed January 1 game date for the first time, an elevation of the Bowl’s status only 10 years into its existence. The Warren Family-Fiesta Bowl connection continued when his son, Kevin, joined the Board of Directors in 2004. A Life Director, Kevin recently became the first African-American to become Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, a key partner of the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl and Cheez-It® Bowl. Read more about Dr. Warren’s trailblazing tenure. READ MORE HERE
power pioneer March is National Women’s History Month and, like Dr. Warren, the Fiesta Bowl was ahead of its time when Sherry Henry was the first-ever female to serve as president of a bowl game when she chaired the board of directors. A longtime tourism executive, Henry helped navigate the Bowl’s move from NBC to CBS and gain the Fiesta Bowl a position in the Bowl Alliance rotation for the national championship. This accelerated the Fiesta Bowl’s prominence and becoming a regular host to memorable college football moments. Read more about Sherry Henry’s historical highlight online. READ MORE HERE
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2019-20 COMMUNITY IMPACT $10 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
$3 MILLION
IN CHARITABLE GIVING IN THE 2019-20 GRANT CYCLE
283,480 MEALS SERVED
D E D I CAT E D T O S ERVIN G T H E C O M M U N I T Y, F U E L E D B Y T HE S P IR IT OF COMP E T IT IO N F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
2019-20 Yellow Jacket Committee Member of the Year
Jim Kebert First Year as Volunteer: 1997, Became Yellow Jacket in 1999 Favorite Fiesta Bowl Game: First, I’d go with my first Fiesta Bowl game, in 1987 and the game that put the Fiesta Bowl on the map. With the Penn State Nittany Lions upsetting No. 1 Miami 14-10. A real close second would be 2003 BCS Championship game, a double overtime victory for Ohio State over Miami 31-24. Most Memorable Moment: Being selected as Committee Member of the Year is right up there. I say that because there are so many deserving Committee Members. A close second would be selected as Chair of the Year back in 2006, when as the Arrival Committee Chair we had to coordinate individual rides for every player of both Fiesta Bowl teams. It was a big task, but with a lot of help, we got it accomplished. Why I Serve the Fiesta Bowl: My parents set a great example for me and showed me the importance of giving back to the community. Secondly is the fact that it’s fun. I enjoy the staff, Yellow Jackets, volunteers and the teams we host. Favorite Job: I’ve enjoyed so many from chairing the Youth Football clinic for multiple years, to a number of years on the Pre-Game Party committees, but I really enjoy the Game Operations Committee. You get to see some much and from different prospective that others don’t get a chance to see. Interesting fact: In 2014, I happened to be hosting some guests for a VIP visit during the game and because I had my yellow jacket on and was in the right place, Randy Norton grabbed me and had me walk onto the field as a replacement for Mark Fast as he was honored as the Frank Snell Lifetime Achievement Award winner. Mark had gotten held up by security, so they needed a fill in. People who know Mark and I were confused. The rest of the crowd had no idea.
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NEWSWORTHY WSU punter, kicker mingle with Master of Cheez Pat McAfeE THE SPOKESMAN REVIEW
Fiesta Bowl Update WAKR RADIO
Happily Ever After League offers local mothers support SCOTTSDALE INDEPENDENT
Arizona Sports Newsmakers: Mike Nealy ARIZONA SPORTS 987
Building the total athlete at the Scottsdale Aquatic Club SCOTTSDALE INDEPENDENT
Fiesta Bowl teams take over Scottsdale EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE
What makes our giving efforts with the Fiesta Bowl extra special is the vehicle they come in – a strong partnership with an incredible organization that’s equally as rooted in the community as we are. We’re grateful for the opportunities that the Fiesta Bowl sponsorship has given to us. - Phoenix Business Journal
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