If it were not for a temporary relocation in the late 1970s and a cold call in the 1980s, the state of Arizona and the Fiesta Bowl Organization would have never been introduced to the philanthropic spirit of Fiesta Bowl Life Director Win Holden and his family.
 
Holden, who grew up in the Chicago area, started his career in advertising. His firm asked him to relocate for two years to Arizona to help retain a major client, Dial Corporation, who moved its operations from Chicago to Phoenix.
 
"We immediately fell in love with Arizona during our first couple days there," recalled Win. "When we returned to Illinois, our initial thought was we could go back to Arizona one day to retire." 
 
But that return was expedited, when a few years later another firm opened an office in Phoenix. Upon moving out to Arizona permanently, one of his top priorities was to find an organization where he could volunteer with his family.
 
He enjoyed music and inquired about drum and bugle corps. When the weather was not feasible, it led him to the Fiesta Bowl and the Band Championship.
 
"I called the Fiesta Bowl office out of the blue and told (former Operations VP) Karen Churchard that I was interested in volunteering for the Band Championship event," Win recalled.
 
"She invited me to a meeting where I met some nice people. My job was bus transportation in the north parking lot of Sun Devil Stadium. I could still hear the bands playing and the percussion warming up. This was the event that hooked me on the Fiesta Bowl."
 
Holden joined the Yellow Jacket Committee in 1988 and the Board of Directors in 1995, and was ultimately elected to serve as the Board Chair during the 1999-2000 season.
 
A constant presence volunteering with him at every event was his family – wife Carolyn and children Chris, Allison and Emily.
 
Carolyn has been a Fiesta Bowl Ambassador since 1999. Allison, a teacher in the Tempe School District, is a two-time Palo Verde Wishes for Teachers recipient and Chris is an executive producer with Arizona's Family 3TV and CBS 5.
 
Win's tradition of service to the Fiesta Bowl continued into the next generation as Emily has served as the Fiesta Bowl's senior director of game and event operations since 2017. She recalls that most childhood memories included the bowl.
 
"It was something we always did in the winter," said Emily. "We would attend the parade and game at Sun Devil Stadium. One of my favorite events was the Band Championship.
 
"We would go as family with my grandparents. We would all have our scoresheets and be there for the entire day watching the high school bands compete."
 
Emily began her career in sports working with the Fiesta Bowl as a seasonal associate. Following her graduation from California Lutheran University, she joined the Arizona State University Athletics staff, working first in development then later in athletic operations and facilities.
 
"There is a sense of community in live sporting events that I love," said Emily. "When you attend a game, you are best friends with your neighbors, or jokingly enemies if they are rooting for the other team. You also get to see how hard the teams are working together towards a goal."
 
Following additional stops at the University of Missouri and the Phoenix Suns, Emily saw an opportunity to join an organization she remembers fondly when growing up. When she applied, not many knew there was a family connection to Win.
 
"She sought the job independently," said Win. "No one asked me about it. The fact she wanted the job, pursued it and got in on her own merits was something of which I was proud."
 
It was during his tenure as Board Chair where Win drew from his childhood memories an idea to rejuvenate a second bowl game hosted in another part of the state.
 
"When I was a kid, I would go to Chicago Bears games at Wrigley Field. You would see a football field inside a baseball stadium footprint. I believed we could accomplish this in downtown Phoenix," Win said.
 
"There was skepticism about the idea. I was able to convince some colleagues to let me get an aerial survey of the stadium and field. We discovered it would work and began discussions with Maricopa County and the Arizona Diamondbacks."
 
Eventually the Insight Bowl was successfully moved to Bank One Ballpark from Tucson where it struggled financially and in attendance. It also provided the Fiesta Bowl Organization with another seat at the college football's postseason table.
 
The inaugural game at Chase Field in 2000 was a success. A capacity crowd of more than 40,000 saw Iowa State win the first bowl game in program history over the Pittsburgh Panthers, 37-29. Iowa State quarterback Sage Rosenfels was the game's Offensive MVP. Other standouts to play in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl include Larry Fitzgerald and Aaron Rodgers.
 
In her role, Emily oversees the facility management and game operations for the current-day Guaranteed Rate Bowl and the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. The fact the bowl hosts a game at a location her father proposed more than 20 years earlier has special meaning.
 
"There is nothing like that moment on game day right before kickoff," said Emily. "The teams are getting ready to run out of the tunnel with the pyro. I then get to see my dad on the field working with ESPN to make sure the teams enter the field on time. It is truly special."
 
"College football is the best sporting event on the planet," said Win. "I do not care if it is the first week of the season or the national championship game. The pageantry with the marching bands, cheerleaders and traditions continue to remain the same over the years."
 
One of the traditions in the Holden family is the commitment and service to the Fiesta Bowl and to Arizona communities.
 
"The opportunity to work with Emily each year is one of the main reasons I stay involved (with the Fiesta Bowl)," said Win. "I get to see her run meetings and produce events. It is during those times when I am Win, not dad."