The Fiesta Bowl
Phoenix and the surrounding communities started growing into a large metropolitan area in the 1960s. With the spacious new Sun Devil Stadium and a mild winter climate, Valley
leaders knew that Tempe would be an ideal site for a major college bowl game. In 1969,
ASU President G. Homer Durham met with Scottsdale resort owner Jack Stewart, who was
head of the Greater Phoenix Sports Foundation. They came up with a plan for establishing
what would be known as the Fiesta Bowl.
The first Fiesta Bowl was played on December 27, 1971. Before a crowd of more than
51,000 fans, ASU defeated Florida State, 45-38. The Sun Devils were clearly the featured
stars of the early Fiesta Bowls. Arizona State beat Missouri in 1972 and Pittsburgh in 1973,
taking the first three Fiesta Bowl trophies. The Sun Devils also played in the bowl in 1975,
1977, and 1983. The 1975 game, in which ASU edged Nebraska with a late field goal, was
one of the outstanding games of the Kush years.
The 2006 Fiesta Bowl was the
last bowl game played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. In the largest-ever crowd
for a non-championship game, spectators watched Ohio State defeat Notre Dame
34-20. There was standing room only as the stadium was packed with 76,196 fans.
This was the third time in four years that Ohio State won the Fiesta Bowl. In
2007 the 36th Annual Fiesta Bowl was held in the new University of
Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
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