Cooper Jones, Executive Director of the Sun Devil Club
Opening Statement:
“Good afternoon. Today is a tremendous day for Arizona State University and Sun Devil Athletics. I want to share with you this exciting and special announcement of Steve Butterfield, or “Butter,” as he is known across campus. He is not only an ASU graduate, but he has been a tremendous supporter and friend of all things Sun Devils for many, many years. He is currently the campaign co-chair for the Momentum Campaign and has truly been a friend to ASU for many years. With that said, I am pleased to introduce Steve Butterfield.”
Steve Butterfield, Momentum Campaign Co-Chair
Opening Statement
“I walked on this campus as a very afraid and scared sophomore in 1971. I graduated from Arizona State and have always held it emotionally as one of the most important things I have. As my life grew and my capabilities financially grew I became a very dedicated financial giver. I grew up in a family where the giving was equally as important as the getting, and I try to live that every day. With that, I think you should know that last year 160 people in this department gave money to what is going on in this building. People that work here every day are showing their leadership and commitment to the University. With that, I am thrilled to tell you that Buffie and Ray Anderson, and Penni and Todd Graham have decided to lead the Momentum Campaign by pledging $500,000 each. I think it speaks volumes of their personal commitment to what they do every day, and sends a tremendous message across the country to how emotionally involved they are with the success of what is going on here at Arizona State University. I couldn’t be prouder to say that I am thrilled with this and honored that these lovely people would join us in what is going to be a very successful campaign for our university. Please thank Ray, Todd, Penni and Buffie.”
Ray Anderson, Vice President for University Athletics, Athletics Director
On his pledge to The Momentum Campaign:
“Thank you Steve [Butterfield), and thank you to all of you for being here. What we are working on here with this stadium reinvention is really a transformational opportunity for ASU. It’s a community asset and a community-added value opportunity for ASU that could really make our future. Buffie [Anderson] and I really want to thank Todd and Penni [Graham] for leading the way, because I remember when Jack [Furst] and [Steve] Butterfield first told me that Todd and Penni had stepped up the way that they had. I was just really moved and inspired because it put an explanation point on the statement of commitment to ASU that Coach Graham and Penni have made. When I went home and shared the information with Buffie and we discussed it, it really was exciting for us to step forward and partner with the Graham’s to lead in this effort as well. I want to thank Buffie for understanding the opportunity we have to be involved in a project that will impact not only just the football team, but Sun Devil Athletics, the university, and the community as well. This was not just Buffie and I saying that we are contributing to something that is much more than a football project, and we are very proud to join the Graham’s as partners for Sun Devil Athletics and the community in this effort. Pick the cliché: Skinning the game, putting your money where your mouth is, you got to walk the walk. I think intuitively, the four of us understood that we needed to step up and be able to answer those challenges and we believe we have in a significant way to the extent that our circumstances allow. So we are proud because I know now that Todd and I can go out much more credibly, and much more comfortably, to ask others to join us in this transformational experience for this university and this community, and we can do it much more emphatically because we have in fact put skin in the game. We are delighted to partner with the Graham’s and be a part of what we think will be the most exciting project ever in collegiate athletic history.”
On the impact the new stadium will have on the Sun Devil community:
“It’s all about fan engagement. When I was at the NFL, they were driving the notion about fan engagement; you really have to be able to give the fans the kind of experience that they can’t receive at home. In our case, we have to give them the experience in our facility that can’t be duplicated anywhere else in the world.”
On the fundraising for The Momentum Campaign:
“In the very near future, in the next 48 to 72 hours, we will be able to come forward with much more specifics as to what is being done right now. I will tell you that we are very confident about our fundraising, and we know that our goals are ambitious and that it will take a great deal of hard work to accomplish them. I am personally delighted that we will be out there vocally, inviting others to join us in this fundraising campaign, and I understand that we are all an important part of this project and the future of Sun Devil Athletics. More details to come, but we are certainly confident in our ability to invite others to join us in this very worthy project.”
Head Coach Todd Graham
On his pledge to The Momentum Campaign:
“For Penni and I, it wasn’t hard for us to be associated with “Butter” [Steve Butterfield], Jack (Furst), and the tremendous givers we have around this program. Penni and I consider ourselves very blessed, and I really consider this a once in a lifetime opportunity to be involved with a dynamic group. From Dr. [Michael Crow] to Ray (Anderson) and his team, to our staff and players that we are putting together and the foundation we have laid as a program. Then the fans, the boosters, and all the supporters we have. It’s all about the relationship and I can tell you that was what activated us to make a commitment like this. I didn’t do this lightly. I have never done anything lightly, but I developed a relationship with Steve and Jack. How could you not when it’s something you believe in as much as I believe in this program? I want our fans to know the commitment that Penni and I have to build a legacy here. We have an unbelievable team. I can tell you the excitement from our supporters, our fan base and the dynamic leadership we have here is second to none. We are not following anybody else’s model. This is the Arizona State model. We have an opportunity to do something great. It was a family decision for us, but it wasn’t something I spent a lot of time thinking about. It was a no-brainer because of the people that are here and the investment that is being made is a transformational opportunity. We wanted to step up and say the Graham’s are committed. We have a lot of tremendous things in place here and it is exciting to be a part of it.”
On what this says about his commitment to the program:
“It really wasn’t about that. Obviously this is something that makes a big statement about what our commitment is, as we surely wouldn’t make this kind of commitment if we had anything else in mind. We made this decision as a family because of the relationships. I have been in this business a long time, but I have never been in a place where I have had the personal relationship that I have here with our supporters. I have never been anywhere where we have the type of dynamic leadership from the President, to the Athletic Director, to the staff that I have been able to put together and the young people that are in our program. To make that kind of financial commitment, it is something that you have to have tremendous belief in.”
On how the campaign will elevate the program:
“The key to success is personnel and getting the right people that fit ASU. When it comes to recruiting, it makes a statement about the commitment to winning at the highest level. We talk about being a top-four program in the nation because we want to be in that playoff. I think it helps tremendously because it shows that this is not just business as usual. There is a different commitment. One of the things that activated me personally was the volume of people and supporters we have that want to get involved in this and want to do something special here. To do that, you have to do things differently and it starts with our giving and our financial campaign. I think it is critical to competing for the entertainment dollar. When people come to the games we want our fans to get what they came for. People that are supporting the program and buying the tickets, we should give them what they want. It impacts recruiting in a big way. It is also going to impact all student athletes in being able to provide a facility to take our academic support staff to a different level. This is an unprecedented commitment not just from a few people, but from a whole bunch of people. There is a lot of excitement, a lot of energy and a lot of people stepping forward. It takes everybody, and everyone in this building is on the same page and going in the same direction. The facility needs to speak volumes about who we are, not necessarily copying something someone else has. We have a unique plan for Arizona State. If I didn’t believe we could do it, I would not make this kind of commitment. This gives us the opportunity that no one has had here before.”
On the credibility he gains through this commitment:
“It is a lot easier to ask somebody to donate if you are committed to doing it yourself. Penni and I didn’t talk a whole lot about it. When you sit here and see what Steve [Butterfield] and Jack [Furst] step up, it’s humbling. How could we not step up? We are pretty much all in and that’s something that helps you a lot when you ask someone else. We need to fill the stadium Thursday, Sept. 25. This is the biggest game of the year, this is what we work for and this is what the fans come to cheer for. Sun Devils are stepping up at unprecedented level. That is what it is going to take to get a different result. There is that energy out there right now that we really have a chance to do something special. I appreciate every single one of the season ticket holders filling the stadium on Thursday. Every single one of our games we want to fill the stadium. If we can get everybody out there to give their best and to be a giver and step up, then we can have a different destination than we have ever had here. We have tremendous respect for the past, but we want a different destination. We talk about winning the National Championship and becoming the first team that has done that here. Success here is defined differently than it was two years ago. We can get behind this because we believe in the cause and believe in the people. I am committed and I want to build something special. If we want to do that, then we need every single person to buy tickets and to sell the stadium out. It just takes a little from everybody and we can do so