Everywhere you turn at a Fiesta Sports Foundation event, chances are you will be greeted by Andy Shultz. He may or may not be equipped with his camera or a notebook, but he will definitely wear his trademark smile.
 
Since earning his Yellow Jacket in 2010, Shultz has embodied what the Fiesta Sports Foundation stands for – and he does so out of pure love for the Foundation.
 
"I have a good job and I like my job, but I love volunteering for the Fiesta Sports Foundation," Shultz said. "I'm very fortunate. I work with some wonderful people, but my true love is being a part of the media and the Fiesta Sports Foundation."
 
That love was returned to Shultz when he was selected by the Fiesta Sports Foundation Board of Directors to receive the 2024-25 Frank Snell Lifetime Achievement Award. Shultz made an impact from the start of his career, earning the George Leonard Rookie of the Year Award in 2010-11. In 2015-16, Shultz was named Chair of the Year for his efforts in leading the Hole-in-One Committee and then earned the 2021-22 Committee Member of the Year Award.
 
Shultz is the first volunteer to receive all four of those honors, a fact that is not lost on him nor something he takes for granted.
 
"It's hard to describe still how much it means to me because it's still surreal," Shultz said. "It's not just one person, it's a team. This is a partnership between Fiesta Sports Foundation staff, Yellow Jacket Committee, Ambassadors, Board, volunteers. This is a great organization that has supported me so much. It's very special and humbling to wear the Yellow Jacket."
 
Shultz, a corporate trainer for a mortgage company, was immersed in the sports media world from a young age. His father, a sportswriter for the Reading Eagle in Pennsylvania, covered the 1980 Fiesta Bowl between Penn State and Ohio State, providing his son with his introduction to the Fiesta Bowl.
 
In 2007, Shultz and his wife, Sarah, moved from Philadelphia to Arizona and immediately began volunteering with the Foundation. His first volunteer role was the Fiesta Bowl Block Party and after doing so for three years, Shultz found his roots with the media operations committee.  
 
It was as a member of the media operations committee that Shultz met one of his closest friends and mentors, Steve Leach. Leach, a past Yellow Jacket Committee member and Fiesta Sports Foundation Board Chair, encouraged Shultz to apply for the Yellow Jacket Committee himself.
 
"The first and only time I've ever seen a Fiesta Bowl in the stands was 2008, West Virginia and Oklahoma, which was the first year I volunteered," Shultz said. "I saw a lot of people in their yellow jackets and I thought that was really neat. I thank Steve for encouraging and sponsoring me. I don't know if I would have done it on my own because I thought 'This is pretty big.'"
 
As a Yellow Jacket, Shultz has served as chair of the Media Operations, Hole-in-One and Youth Football Committees in addition to assistant committee chair for Team Hospitality and Fiesta Bowl Parade. Shultz has also held the role of assistant commissioner within the Yellow Jacket Committee for six seasons, sales captain for two and been a team liaison.
 
Shultz is a current member of the game operations committee as an ESPN liaison for both the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and Rate Bowl, tying together his love for sports media and the Fiesta Sports Foundation.
 
In this role, Shultz is ready to assist the entire ESPN broadcast team. That ranges from delivering informational flip cards or handling credential requests.
 
"I have an opportunity to work with Yellow Jacket legends like Rick Dircks, Ann Damiano and Win Holden," Shultz said. "The key thing to know is ESPN and our broadcast partners are dialed in. They know what they're doing, so we're there to be available when those quick questions come up and they need answers. It comes down to being available and ensuring that the technical operations managers and producers know you're there to solve issues when they need it."
 
Although Shultz's career path veered away from the sports media and communications full-time career he thought he'd travel, Shultz has tapped into his passion. In addition to serving on the media operations committee and volunteering as an ESPN liaison, Shultz has contributed more than 25 bylined stories for the Fiesta Sports Foundation website to tell the stories of the people and activities behind the Foundation's storied history.
 
He will also be found often with a camera in his hand at events, capturing moments – and printed photos – for other volunteers and Foundation staff members to enjoy forever.
 
As Shultz can attest, given his vast volunteer experience across the Fiesta Sports Foundation, the Foundation has opportunities for volunteers of all interests and skills to explore.
 
"What makes the organization great is that there is something for everyone," Shultz said. "You do not need to be a college football fan to be a part of the Fiesta Sports Foundation. I love that there are some volunteers who have no interest in working the Fiesta Bowl or the Rate Bowl, but every year they are at the Parade or supporting all of the other great impact the organization does."
 
Shultz's volunteering extends beyond the Fiesta Sports Foundation. He has volunteered at the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Final Four in 2017 and 2024, the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, Section 7 Basketball Tournament and NCAA Division I Golf Championships.
 
Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award does not signal that Shultz plans to slow down. In addition to the volunteering he will continue to do, he hopes to mentor the Foundation's next crop of leaders.
 
"Mentoring future leaders is important to me because I'm a firm believer that there are ways to be a leader without being in a leadership position," Shultz said. "As I look to the future, my goal is to continue to support the outstanding staff because we have one of the best staffs in sports. I also hope to help our new Futures and young Yellow Jackets achieve their goals while still being active and participating."