OPENING KICKOFF We hope your October was as fun and successful as ours at the Fiesta Bowl! The month started with our announcement of the Grand Marshals for the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade, presented by Cheez-It and our Women in Sports theme, quickly led into a Youth Football Clinic for hundreds of underserved children, moved into a largely sold-out Wells Fargo Par 3 Challenge, presented by Chapman Automotive and finished with $1 Million going to Arizona’s teachers in our Wishes for Teachers, powered by DriveTime program.
FIESTA BOWL ORGANIZATION NEWSLETTER
With the calendar into November, we saw the first weekly rankings from the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. While still early, it gives us a peek at how the 13-member group might determine the Semifinalists on December 8. Two of those top four teams will face off at the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl, so we’re keeping a close eye on how it plays out. There will be debate over which one-loss team rates higher, who had the best win, what conference is stronger and much more. That’s what makes the college football regular season the best in all of sports, with so many key games still to be played. For the Cheez-It® Bowl, a large group of teams in the Big 12 and Pac-12 Conference standings means it will go down to the wire to determine who will take the field in downtown Phoenix. Both local universities are in the thick of the teams who could represent the Pac-12. Enjoy the games and we thank you for your support.
Mike Nealy - Executive Director
NEWS & NOTES Website Re-Launch One of the key outlets that promotes Fiesta Bowl’s activities, Feistabowl.org, has undergone an overhaul and the new site launched this week. An enhanced, mobile-responsive design allows viewers to navigate to their destination in one click, better highlights the top stories and features multi-media content. We invite you to visit and bookmark the site, which was built with industry leader SIDEARM Sports, who manages the websites of 56 of the 65 Power 5 schools.
Podcast Update Last month, we shared that the Fiesta Bowl entered the world of Podcasting, launched with Arizona Bank & Trust Kickoff Luncheon speaker Urban Meyer as the initial guest. We hope you enjoyed that conversation, which was followed by a chat with 2006 Cheez-It Bowl winning coach Mike Leach, currently the head coach at Washington State. Next up is Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, followed by ESPN’s College Football Executives, Athletic Directors, legendary K-State Head Coach Bill Snyder, 2007 Fiesta Bowl MVP and Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky and many more. Go to iTunes, Google Play or Spotify on your phone and search for FIESTA BOWL FOOTBALL FOCUS or click here to subscribe and listen to the conversations with some of college football’s finest. LISTEN & SUBSCR IBE
Ace in the Hole One of the best parts of the Wells Fargo Fiesta Bowl Par 3 Challenge, presented by Chapman Automotive is that participants can win a prize on every hole. The 13th hole was lucky for Kurt Donnell, as he won $25,000 for his hole-in-one. All golfers at the Short Course at Mountain Shadows received a gift package that included a TravisMathew shopping experience, customized BirdieBox bundle and much more. Proceeds support Fiesta Bowl Charities. Mark your calendar for October 29-30, 2020 to gather your foursome for next year’s event! PG 2
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WHAT THEY’RE SAYING Fiesta Bowl Helps Makeover Playground at Palm Lane Elementary School
Fiesta Bowl Charities Adjoins Pursuit of Arizona Positive Coaching Alliance
Miracle League of Arizona Transforms Lives Through Joy of Baseball Inclusion
A Million-Dollar Draft Day. Fiesta Bowl Provides 200 Arizona Teachers with Special Gifts
Youth Football Clinic Live Remote
Fiesta Bowl Par-3 Challenge Shootout
“Kindergarten teacher Leesa Smith has been teaching at Cragin Elementary School for more than 20 years and she was one teacher selected. “$5,000, I am going to be so excited!” said Smith. “Yes! I won the lottery.”
KVOA Tuscon (NBC) - Local Teacher Selected for Wishes for Teachers Program CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
PG 3
NEWS & NOTES Your Wish Has Been Granted Last week, over the course of a three-hour Wishes for Teachers, Powered by DriveTime Draft Day event and livestream at SNEAKY BIG, we distributed $1 Million, granting classroom wishes for 200 teachers with a $5,000 grant. Over the four years of the program, Fiesta Bowl Charities has donated $3.2 Million to nearly 650 teachers across the state. Community influencers came together to call, FaceTime and record video selections and inform the teachers of their award. Granted wishes included technology upgrades, create a Civil War trunk with items from the war, build terrariums and other miniature biomes, purchase robots, provide nonperishable food for students who need it and purchase a LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 Core Set.
Who’s Coming to Arizona? This week we saw the first of six weekly rankings by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, with eight-time Fiesta Bowl participant Ohio State topping the list, followed by last year’s PlayStation Fiesta Bowl champion LSU. The others in the top four included Alabama and 2017 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl champion Penn State, with 2016 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl champion Clemson at No. 5. One month from now, on December 8, we will learn who will play in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl on December 28 in a 1 vs. 4 or 2 vs. 3 matchup. BUY HERE
Record-Setting Performance Following on the heels of a momentous donation to Arizona’s teachers, the Fiesta Bowl will set a Guinness World Record for the largest game of freeze tag. The November 13 event at Garfield Elementary School, in conjunction with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, promotes active lifestyles and wellness for youth. BCBSAZ is also the title sponsor of the Fiesta Bowl’s robust yearlong volunteer program.
PG 4
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BY THE NUMBERS $2,750,000,000
Estimated amount that the Fiesta Bowl and its surrounding events has generated for the Arizona economy over the past 12 years.
3,000
Number of volunteers who make up the Fiesta Bowl Organization.
$3,000,000
Amount of Fiesta Bowl charitable giving for the 2019-20 season.
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
PG 5
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT 2018-19 Ambassador of the Year: Nicole Barrington
First Year as Ambassador: 2016 Favorite Fiesta Bowl Game: 2003. Ohio State Buckeyes vs Miami Hurricanes. We were living in North Carolina at the time, and my husband and I made the trip out here for the game. It was definitely a thrill, as a Buckeye fan, to be in the stadium for such a great game! Most Memorable Moment: As a fan: Ohio State’s defensive stand at the end of the second OT in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, resulting in OSU winning the National Championship. As an Ambassador: 2018 Wishes for Teachers - it was an honor to draw the name, then call the teacher to notify her that the Fiesta Bowl was granting her $5,000 wish. She was so appreciative and overcome with gratitude, it was a very memorable experience. Why do I Serve the Fiesta Bowl: When we relocated to Phoenix in 2015, I was searching for opportunities to become involved in the community. Initially, I was just happy to be active in a football related organization – I didn’t fully understand the extent of the charitable works associated with the Fiesta Bowl. The scope of community involvement and the impact of Fiesta Bowl projects/charitable donations across the state are incredible, and it’s a privilege to be a part of this organization. Favorite Job: I honestly love all the “jobs” that I’ve been fortunate to do so far with the Fiesta Bowl. I really appreciate the opportunity to interact with the teams as they enjoy their time in Arizona leading up to the game. The hospitality that we provide is a comfort to them during a very busy week, especially over the holiday. Participating in game ops is very fulfilling to help with the many tasks involved in putting on two major bowl games within a short time period. Interesting fact: My family and I have been active with foreign exchange programs. We’ve welcomed three students (two from Spain and one from Italy) into our home, one of whom lived with us for two years and is now in college in Phoenix.
PG 6
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GET INVOLVED FIESTA BOWL UP C OMING EVENT S
CHECK OUT THE IMPACT REP ORT
Guinness World Record for Largest Game of Freeze Tag NO VE M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 9
Fiesta Bowl Charities and KaBOOM! Playground Build Fort Mohave NO VE M B E R 2 3 , 2 0 1 9
The Oasis Pregame Party, presented by Cheez-It速 DECEMBER 27, 2019
Cheez-It速 Bowl Game
DECEMBER 27, 2019
Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade, presented by Cheez-It速 DECEMBER 28, 2019
CLI CK H E R E
Fiesta Bowl Fan Fest Pregame Party
DECEMBER 28, 2019
APS Fiesta Bowl Stadium Club Pregame Party DECEMBER 28, 2019
2019 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation速 Fiesta Bowl DECEMBER 28, 2019
WHO WE ARE B OAR D O F D I R E CTO R S Y E LLO W JACK E T C O M M I TTE E AM B AS SAD O R S STAFF
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
PG 7
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 2 5 | AN ASH @ FIESTABOWL .ORG
FOLLOW US
FI E STA BO W L .O R G
PG 8
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