OPENING KICKOFF In many places nationwide, the leaves on the trees are starting to change colors and the air is getting crisper… also referred to as ‘football weather.’ October at the Fiesta Bowl organization turns to ‘event weather’ as we affect our community with events that have a positive impact across the state. Earlier this week, we announced what Diana Taurasi called “a pretty strong starting five” for our Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade, presented by Cheez-It Grand Marshals, as part of our Women in Sports theme.
FIESTA BOWL ORGANIZATION NEWSLETTER
As the month goes on, we host hundreds of children for a Youth Football Clinic to give football and life skills to kids who don’t often receive this opportunity, put on a one-of-a-kind golf tournament with proceeds going back to our community and then finish it out by granting $1 Million to Arizona’s teachers – our unsung heroes. While all this is going on, we watch football fields closely every Saturday, from the Northwest to the South Central to the Midwest and through the Southeast as every score is scrutinized. College football has the best regular season in all of sports and we’re closely seeing how the games unfold for which teams will be visiting Arizona for our College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl & Cheez-It® Bowl. We hope you are too! As always, we thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you soon, on and off the field.
Mike Nealy - Executive Director
NEWS & NOTES A New Pea in the Pod-cast World The Fiesta Bowl has entered the world of Podcasting. Our first episode has launched and the guest is our Arizona Bank & Trust Kickoff Luncheon speaker Urban Meyer. Each episode of the Fiesta Bowl Football Focus podcast will be interview style, featuring some of the biggest influencers in college football, Fiesta Bowl alumni and industry leaders. Future guests include Washington State Head Coach Mike Leach, 2007 Fiesta Bowl MVP and Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky, ESPN’s College Football Executives, Athletic Directors and many more. You’ll enjoy these chats while driving to work, exercising or on a plane for your next trip. 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
Everyone Loves a Parade To recognize the theme of Women in Sports at the 2019 Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade, presented by Cheez-It®, the Fiesta Bowl will honor five female icons with Arizona ties. Special Olympics golfer Amy Bockerstette, U.S. Women’s Soccer standouts Julie Ertz and Jessica McDonald, U.S. Paralympic gold medalist Allysa Seely and arguably the greatest women’s basketball player of all time Diana Taurasi will serve as Grand Marshals for the parade on Saturday, December 28 at 9 a.m. through Central Phoenix. We hope you can join us in person to start off your College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl gameday or watch live on Arizona’s Family 3TV.
Win $1 Million While we wait for The Masters next spring, the Wells Fargo Fiesta Bowl Par 3 Challenge, presented by Chapman Automotive will bring a tournament unlike any other to the Valley. Every hole features the chance to win a prize, including a chance at $1 Million, a new car or upwards of $100,000 in cash. The scramble-style tournament is held at the picturesque Short Course at Mountain Shadows on October 24-25. Proceeds support Fiesta Bowl Charities. If you’re interested, act now as available slots are in the single digits!
PG 2
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WHAT THEY’RE SAYING World Cup gold medalists, Diana Taurasi among five Fiesta Bowl Parade grand marshals
Fiesta Bowl announced this year’s Grand Marshals
Fiesta Bowl looking for volunteers
Fiesta Bowl awarding $1-million to Arizona teachers
Scottsdale boy’s generosity helps soccer teams in need
Charity Feature: HopeKids
“They’re running all kinds of trick plays, especially at the end, the hook and ladder, the Statue of Liberty, and she’s like, “This is unbelievable.” I remember her like hit me to wake up, and say, “Why don’t we run plays like that? You have to be more creative.” And she’s like yelling at me the week before we’re going to play for the national title.”
Urban Meyer, Fiesta Bowl Football Focus Podcast
CLICK FOR FULL EPISODE F I E S TA B O W L . O R G
PG 3
NEWS & NOTES Draft Day is Coming With applications closing for the Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers, powered by DriveTime this weekend, we look ahead to granting classroom wishes for 200 teachers who will each receive $5,000 – a total of $1 Million. This is the most enjoyable part of the program. Our great partners at SNEAKY BIG created a custom-designed virtual set that will make us look and feel like we’re in a classroom, plus a phone bank where we’ll call teachers to let them know they are receiving $5,000. If you or your company would like to get involved with or help support this program, please contact us for more information and to be involved in granting wishes on Draft Day.
Who’s Coming to Arizona? We’re now one month into the season and all the predictions have started about who will play in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl on December 28. As we look toward that 1 vs. 4 or 2 vs. 3 matchup, preparations are well underway, with weekly rankings starting on November 5. Tickets for the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and the Cheez-It® Bowl’s Big 12/Pac-12 matchup are on sale now. BUY HERE
A Power-Packed Team Our friends, and 1999 Fiesta Bowl champions, at the University of Tennessee are called the Volunteers, but the Fiesta Bowl organization also proudly calls 3,000 volunteers part of our family. To operate and support all our charitable and events activities on a year-round basis, an incredibly dedicated legion of volunteers work tirelessly to serve our guests. As we head into the busiest time of the year, we invite our past and new volunteers to join our Fiesta Bowl team in the fun. If you’d like to help, or know someone across the state of Arizona who would, please visit Fiestabowl.org/ volunteer for more information and to sign up.
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.
$15,500,000
Amount of charitable funds the Fiesta Bowl has contributed to non-profit organizations in the past nine years.
3,000
Number of volunteers who make up the Fiesta Bowl Organization.
24.9
Nielson television rating for 1987 Fiesta Bowl featuring Penn State vs Miami. The rating still stands as the highest-rated championship game in history.
54,247
Record Cheez-It Bowl attendance for 2011 Iowa-Oklahoma game.
$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 2019-20 Board of Directors Member: Gary Hanson Senior Director of Communications, Marathon Petroleum First Year on the Committee: 2015 Most Fiesta Bowl Game: 2016 Ohio State vs Notre Dame - great players on both sides but Ohio State offense dominated. Most Memorable Moment: Bowl Week every year - to see all of the volunteers, Yellow Jackets, Board members and staff execute two outstanding bowl experiences for four universities and our community. Why do I Serve the Fiesta Bowl: Because of the positive impact we have on Phoenix and Arizona – economically, quality of life and community giving and because of my love for college football. Favorite Job: Board liaison for Big 12 Conference and host for the Big 12 Athletic Directors during Cheez-It® Bowl. I’m a Texas Tech graduate and proud Baylor dad. Interesting fact: As Student Body President of Texas Tech, served on the Tech Athletic Council.
VOLUNTEER FEATURE: MONICA KRUK
By day, she’s a Network Manager for Cigna Health. By night, she’s the face of the Fiesta Bowl’s Ambassador program and oversees the 26 active members. As the Chair of the Fiesta Bowl Ambassadors, she has an important job. The Ambassadors enhance the Fiesta Bowl experience though hospitality, leadership and community involvement. Normal volunteers help at events leading up to the bowl games and at the games. However, Ambassadors volunteer year-round, including at the Ronald McDonald House, reading to kids, wrapping gifts at Christmas time and donating gift cards to kids aging out of foster care. The Fiesta Bowl matches the Ambassador’s gift card donations. READ MORE PG 6
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GET INVOLVED FIESTA BOWL UP C OMING EVENT S
CHECK OUT THE IMPACT REP ORT
Fiesta Bowl Youth Football Clinic O C T OB E R 5 , 2 0 1 9
Wells Fargo Fiesta Bowl Par 3 Challenge presented by Chapman Automotive O C T OB E R 2 4 - 2 5 , 2 0 1 9
Wishes For Teachers Powered By DriveTime Draft Day O C T OB E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 9
The Oasis Pregame Party, presented by Cheez-It速 DECEMBER 27, 2019
Cheez-It速 Bowl Game
DECEMBER 27, 2019
CLI CK H E R E
Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade, presented by Cheez-It速 DECEMBER 28, 2019
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
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
DECEMBER 28, 2019
STAFF
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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
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