Sixty degrees and sunny, the first Fiesta Bowl game in 1971 showcased cross-country college football action between Arizona State and Florida State, with the Sun Devils reigning victorious in a 45-38 action-packed contest. The combined 83 points were the highest recorded in a major bowl game, and over 51,000 attendees made the first Fiesta Bowl home to the largest crowd any inaugural bowl game had ever seen.
Dubbed the most exciting bowl game of the decade, the battle was the first sanctioned bowl game in the state of Arizona.
Since its inception, the Fiesta Bowl has made a point to prove its rightful place in collegiate football's flood of annual bowl games.
"What we couldn't do in payouts to the teams, we did in hospitality," Bill Shover, one of the bowl's nine founding fathers, said. "We flew the coaches' wives to the Grand Canyon in private jets, arranged babysitters for their families and became unofficially known as the 'Hospitality Bowl.'"
Arizona State University's football program and the Fiesta Bowl go hand-in-hand – one can't be discussed without mentioning the other.
Considering that the Sun Devils participated in four of the first five Fiesta Bowl games and reigned victorious in all four contests, the national rise for ASU and the Fiesta Bowl climbed quickly together in those early years. In total, Arizona State has played in six Fiesta Bowl games, with a 5-1 record: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 and 1983.
The relationship between Arizona State and the Fiesta Bowl continues beyond the on-the-field realm. For years, Sun Devil graduates have helped elevate the Fiesta Bowl, starting with one of the Fiesta Bowl Founders Don Dupont. Currently, dozens of Fiesta Bowl staff members, Board of Directors and Yellow Jacket Committee members Arizona State alum.
Avid Sun Devil booster and one of Fiesta Bowl's Founders, Glenn Hawkins, is a large part of the Fiesta Bowl's origin story. Hawkins drafted a letter of invitation, co-signed by him and Shover, and mailed it out to 25 guests and media.
The result of Hawkins and Shover's persistence, along with the other Founders, is the renowned and beloved Fiesta Bowl the world knows today.
The modern-day Fiesta Bowl is as sought-after as ever, as a leader within the Bowl Season industry and through the organization's dedication to supporting Arizona's communities in the areas of youth, sports, and education. Arizona State University students have benefitted immensely from this growth.
In recent years, a new generation of ASU students and alumni have strengthened the relationship with the Fiesta Bowl through work with The Cronkite Agency. The Cronkite Agency, a hands-on experience where students take advantage of the opportunity to work with real local, regional and national clients in a public relations agency setting, has worked on behalf of the Fiesta Bowl Organization, including its numerous charitable endeavors.
The program, based at the award-winning Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, is built on Cronkite's foundation of journalism and storytelling, which is a key advantage for students as they enter the workforce.
Beginning in fall 2019, the Fiesta Bowl partnered with The Cronkite Agency to give students experience with the organization's sports and community impact from a strategic communications standpoint. In an effort to aid the Fiesta Bowl's media relations, storytelling and community outreach, a team of innovative student specialists are presented with the opportunity to bring their new ideas to an established organization.
The Cronkite Agency isn't the only set of students that the Fiesta Bowl has supported. Fiesta Bowl's focus on uplifting the Valley has benefitted higher education institutions such as Arizona State since its beginnings.
Throughout the years, many students have sought degrees by virtue of the Fiesta Bowl's ongoing charity efforts. Students have attended the university thanks to scholarship programs awarded by the Fiesta Bowl through partnerships with organizations such as the Empowering Diversity Scholarship with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.
Fiesta Bowl has also given ASU students the opportunity to pursue education beyond a bachelor's degree, through the John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship. Since 2017, six ASU students, including 2023 recipient Deontre Winston II, have been given the opportunity to earn their master's at ASU in various fields.
Tied together since the Fiesta Bowl's formation, and through the numerous connections between the organizations, both have maintained a strong relationship with one another. The Fiesta Bowl has continued to foster new connections throughout the Valley while also retaining its rich history, including an unwavering support for the ASU community.
