TEMPE, Ariz. – Super Bowl XLIX may not kick off until Feb. 1, but Sun Devil Athletics and Arizona State University will be busy throughout the week leading up the big game.
From former stars to current student-athletes, lifetime achievement awards and charity football games, the biggest stage in sports will be Sun Devil Territory.
Jan. 24-Feb. 1 – NFL Experience
· Former Sun Devils and NFL Hall of Famers, including Randall McDaniel and Curley Culp, will be a part of the NFL Experience
Jan. 26 – NFL Player Engagement High School & Collegiate Coaches Forum
· Sun Devil Athletics Senior Associate Athletic Director Jean Boyd and three former Sun Devil Football student-athletes, including Adam Archuleta, Kyle Middlebrooks and Andrew Walter, are among the panelists for a number of discussions and talks on various topics affecting football today
Jan. 27 - Super Bowl Media Day
· Football student-athletes Mike Bercovici and Jordan Simone will be working with azcentral.com
Jan. 28 – Wounded Warrior Amputee Football Team
· The Wounded Warrior Amputee Football Team faces off against NFL alums in “A Game of Honor.” Held at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, the game will include former Sun Devils Jake Plummer, Jeremy Staat and Danny White, among others
Jan. 28 – Sports Business Blitz presented by the NFLPA
· Sports Business Blitz presented by the NFL Players Association gives an inside look at business behind the NFL. Scottie Graham, Sun Devil Athletics Senior Associate Athletics Director, will join Eric Winston, NFLPA President and current Cincinnati Bengal offensive tackle, George Atallah, NFLPA Assistant Executive Director of External Affairs and Ahmad Nassar, President-elect and General Counsel of NFL Players, Inc., to discuss bargaining, licensing, marketing, brand awareness and more. It is hosted by ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business and Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law inside Armstrong Hall on the Tempe Campus
Jan. 29 – John Wooten Lifetime Achievement Award
· Ray Anderson, Vice President for University Athletics and Athletics Director, will be presented with the John Wooten Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is given out annually at the Super Bowl to the NFL player, executive and sports personality who best exemplify the leadership and vision of Wooten, the man who has led charge to promote diversity and equality of job opportunity in the coaching front office and scouting staffs of NFL teams
Jan. 29-Feb. 1 - Waste Management Phoenix Open and ASU Gold Out Sunday
· All ASU students, alums and supporters should wear gold on the final day of the tournament, “Gold Out Sunday,” on Sunday, Feb. 1. Everyone is also encouraged to wear gold throughout the tournament
· Former Sun Devils Phil Mickelson and Chez Reavie, and current men’s golf student-athlete Jon Rahm will be participating
Jan. 28-Feb. 1 – ASU Gold Zone at Super Bowl Central
· More than a dozen former Sun Devils and NFL players, including Eric Allen, Terry Battle, J.D. Hill, Bob Kohrs, Randall McDaniel, Jake Plummer, Mike Richardson, Juan Roque and Grey Ruegamer, as well as Sparky, will be at the ASU Gold Zone tent at the corner of First and Adams streets in downtown Phoenix
Jan. 31 – ASU at Taste of the NFL
· Taste of the NFL’s 24th Annual Party with a Purpose® at WestWorld of Scottsdale brings together former Sun Devil football-students and hall of famers Curley Culp, Danny White, Mike Haynes and Randall McDaniel for a star-studded fundraising event featuring exceptional cuisine, prominent chefs from around the country, NFL players, coaches, legends and celebrities, all to support the fight against hunger
Jan. 31 – Valors & Victors 5K Run
· Proceeds from the Valors & Victors 5K Run in Scottsdale benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation, and Sparky and the Sun Devil Spirit Squad will be there to support the runners
Other notable events
· The Seattle Seahawks will practice at ASU’s Kajikawa Practice Fields and Verde Dickey Dome