By Drew Schott
The first pass of John F. Goodman's football career at Arizona State University (ASU) was a touchdown. The quarterback intended to do the same thing on his last.
On Nov. 26, 1966, the Sun Devils trailed Arizona 17-13 late in the fourth quarter of the Territorial Cup. A loss would guarantee ASU a sub-.500 season, while a victory would give the Sun Devils a 5-5 record and head coach Frank Kush his first win in Tucson since 1958.
"I decided we had to score," Goodman said. "We had to win that game. I was not going to lose to the University of Arizona."
Goodman kept his word by throwing a touchdown with less than two minutes remaining, lifting ASU to a 20-17 victory over the Wildcats in his final contest for the maroon-and-gold. While that day marked the conclusion of Goodman's time with the Sun Devil football program, it ended up being one small part of his distinguished legacy.
For 42 years, Goodman served in the United States (U.S.) Armed Forces, retiring as a lieutenant general in 2008. 38 of Goodman's years in the military were spent in the U.S. Marine Corps, while the other four were split equally between active duty in the U.S. Army and as an inactive reserve with the U.S. Army.
Goodman's service to his country and connection to ASU will be recognized during the University's Founders' Day celebration on Feb. 21, where he is set to receive the Alumni Achievement Award, which "celebrates alumni who have excelled in their professions and contributed to ASU, the ASU Alumni Association and the community." Now a Distinguished Fellow in ASU's Master of Arts in International Affairs and Leadership program, Goodman is back at the same institution that provided key lessons he carried with him for decades.
"The thing that I'm most proud of, having come to ASU and then graduated and gone on, is the firm foundation it gave me in believing in myself as a leader and as a critical thinker, which I used all throughout my military career," said Goodman, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting in 1970. "It's put me in good stead, so I think that's probably the most important thing. You play football, but football prepares you for life."
'He was perfect for our team'
As a student at Encina High School in Sacramento, Calif., Goodman was a talented three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball. During his senior year on the gridiron, he earned All-Conference, All-City, All-Sacramento County and All-Superior California honors.
For years, Goodman had been focused on playing for the University of Southern California (USC) and there was mutual interest between him and the Trojans. During the final week before signing with a school, USC head coach John McKay – fresh off winning the Rose Bowl and the 1962 national championship – came to meet with Goodman.
"He spent about an hour at my house in the evening," Goodman said. "He talked to my parents for about five minutes and he talked to me for about 50-to-55 minutes about my role on the football team, the pride of USC and how I was going to fit in the following year or the year after that as their starting quarterback when their senior graduated."
Following his discussion with McKay, Goodman felt good about heading to USC for his college football career. But in the following days, Kush eventually walked through the door of his home.
"He talked to me about the school, the educational opportunities, the people and the environment," Goodman said. "We really didn't talk about football. He talked to my parents about his responsibility of developing men and men of character and graduating people who can make a difference in society.
"Guess where my mom wanted me to go to school? That's where I went."
Instead of Los Angeles, Goodman arrived in the Valley of the Sun in the fall of 1963. During his first year with the program, he could only play freshman football and did so before being elevated to the varsity squad for the 1964 campaign.
Even though John Torok started under center that season, Goodman still completed 11-of-23 passes for 160 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions as the Sun Devils finished 8-2. The following year, Goodman earned the No. 1 job and led ASU to a 6-4 record by recording 1,165 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions.
"As a quarterback, you have to be the leader," said former ASU right guard Herman Serignese, who graduated from ASU in 1969. "That's an expectation and John was outstanding… He took responsibility when he made a mistake and did what needed to be done. He had all kinds of great qualities, but the one I remember was he was dedicated to winning and he worked hard during the season and in the offseason."
Despite throwing 14 interceptions during the 1966 season, Goodman finished his final year with 1,259 yards and eight touchdowns while playing a key role in the Sun Devils finishing their campaign on a three-game win streak. By orchestrating ASU's come-from-behind victory in the Duel in the Desert, Goodman helped the Sun Devils not only defeat Arizona for the second straight time, but also kickstart a nine-game win streak over the Wildcats between 1965 and 1973.
"He was an outstanding player," said former ASU linebacker Ron Pritchard, who was selected No. 15 overall by the Houston Oilers in the 1969 NFL/AFL Draft. "Also, he was a great guy. He didn't treat us like a freshman might be treated at some other situation and I appreciated that."
"He could throw the ball," Pritchard added. "He was perfect for our team."
'It was about doing the right thing at the right place at the right time'
Before coming to Tempe, Kush – who was ASU's head coach from 1958 to 1979 and recorded 176 wins over that span – served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army. During this time, he also coached with the football team at Fort Benning in Georgia, now known as Fort Moore.
According to Goodman, "it was a culture shock" for some to play under Kush in terms of how he led his program. However, it was not for him, in part because his football, basketball and baseball coaches in high school also took part in military service.
"Kush was a tough taskmaster, but every task he gave us, every time he put a requirement on us or held us accountable, it was because it was about doing the right thing at the right place at the right time, period," Goodman said. "There's no compromise. He had standards and he held you strictly accountable to these standards. You learned from that or you withered and died. Not very many people withered and died. Most of them stood up to the challenge."
During his first year with the Sun Devils, Goodman also learned from another staff member with a military background in freshman football head coach Bill Kajikawa. The namesake of ASU football's practice fields, Kajikawa served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team – known as the most decorated unit in U.S. military history – during World War II.
"He taught you a lot about standards and requirements, but he also taught you to walk tall and hit hard," Goodman said. "That's what we were at Arizona State. You would hit hard. You would absolutely run over the other team. But if you ever broke a rule with any of them, it was a character flaw, so you didn't break rules."
These tenets resonated with Goodman, who found that the Sun Devils "played with a chip on our shoulder" and embraced being the underdog.
"When I took the field at Arizona State, I always believed we would find a way to win," Goodman said. "It didn't matter whether we were playing a bigger team, a faster team, a stronger team, a bigger school, a smaller school. It did not matter. You trained to learn how to play against that team and you learned to apply your strengths against their weaknesses and come out with a win. What was enjoyable was on Saturdays when we slipped on our uniforms, the feeling you had of confidence… You learned to really rely on your teammates… You believed in them and had confidence in them and it translated out on the field."
In 1967, Goodman was selected by the New Orleans Saints in their first year as a professional football franchise. However, he was unable to participate in the Saints' rookie camp since he was drafted by the U.S. Army to fight in the Vietnam War.
For his two years of active duty, Goodman – who was placed with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division in the III Corps area of operations before moving to India Company, 75th Ranger Regiment as a long-range patrol team leader assisting the 1st Infantry Division – earned the Purple Heart, the Soldier's Medal and the Bronze Star with a "V" Device, given for heroic service in a combat zone. Following his Army service as a second lieutenant, he joined the U.S. Army Reserve in 1969 and attended the Saints' camp that summer, but stopped playing football after suffering a career-ending injury by permanently separating his shoulder.
"I moved on, but the hard part was I played football, basketball and baseball my whole life and those were my dreams," Goodman said. "With that over, I wasn't sure what I was qualified to do. It turned out I was more than just a little qualified for the (Federal Bureau of Investigation). I took the test and applied and I was actually heading over for my final interview and when I got to the federal building in San Francisco and saw the sign out front that said, 'The Marines are looking for a few good men to fly the Phantom,' I said, 'That's me.' I went downstairs and did an interservice transfer."
'I only have one general'
Goodman was commissioned into the U.S. Marine Corps in 1971 and eventually graduated from the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School, now called the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program and also known as TOPGUN. He went on to register more than 4,100 hours in tactical jet aircraft and was elevated multiple times up the chain of command during his 38 years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Throughout his military career, Goodman led multiple units and commands including the Marine Aircraft Group 41, the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Korea and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific (Marine Forces Pacific), as well as the U.S. Joint Task Force Caring Response that provided humanitarian assistance and relief supplies to citizens of Myanmar affected by Cyclone Nargis in 2008.
"Sports teaches you a lot of things," Goodman said. "It teaches you teamwork, it teaches you how to rely on and share responsibilities with your teammates and it teaches you to make decisions and perform under pressure. It teaches you to perform and do your job no matter what under all circumstances, whether you're exhausted, tired, worn out or hurting. It doesn't matter. You have a job to do and you have to do it.
"Those are all traits and characteristics that are instilled in you in the U.S. Armed Forces, from bootcamp to advanced training to your entire career. They are hammered into you. I have given out thousands of awards of valor to pin them on people's chests and pin them on coffins. I can tell you every single one of them, if they ever could tell you, they would all say one thing, 'I was just doing my job.' That's what you were taught to do in athletics, that's what I was taught at Arizona State and that's what applied my whole time in the military."
While in the U.S. Marine Corps, Goodman was able to reconnect with his alma mater in multiple instances, including on Oct. 2, 1999 thanks to an invite from Kush. Goodman – then a Brigadier General stationed in Quantico, Va. – was honored on the field with an achievement award at halftime of ASU football's game against UCLA.
"When I came out here, I visited his office," Goodman said of Kush. "When I walked in, he had this huge wall in front of his desk full of pictures of all the guys who had played for him and who went on to play professional football and be announcers. Right dead in the center of the wall was my picture. I looked at him and said, 'What is that?' He said, 'I have pro football players coming out of my ears, I have broadcasters, (but) I only have one general.'"
Goodman crossed paths with ASU football again in 2006 as the Sun Devils were facing off against Hawaii in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. In addition to speaking with the team following one of its workouts, Goodman was invited to the broadcast booth to give his analysis of the game's first half and his prediction for the second half. He ended up staying there for all of the third quarter and part of the fourth quarter to contribute color commentary in ASU's 41-24 loss.
The timing worked out perfectly for Goodman to help call his alma mater's bowl game. That is because during Dec. 2006, he was in the midst of commanding Marine Forces Pacific in Hawaii.
"That's incredible," Pritchard said of Goodman becoming a lieutenant general. "That's like winning the Heisman Trophy. I could see how he was a military guy. He was born for it and he became a great leader. He certainly had the courage for it because he was there over 30 years to reach that status. When we met within these last few years, it was an honor to shake his hand with how magnificent it was that he went and served our country at such a high level."
'Arizona State gave me a lot of pride'
Following his retirement from the U.S. Marine Corps, Goodman ran the U.S. Department of Defense's Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance from 2008-2012 before serving as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction from 2013-2023. During this period, he returned to Arizona and was able to reconnect with old teammates, including Pritchard, Serignese and Larry Laughlin, who played linebacker and guard for ASU.
For between five and six years, Laughlin – who was a member of the class of 1968 – lived within five miles of Goodman. As a result, they ended up attending the same Saint Patrick's Day gatherings and tailgates for ASU football games.
"We talked a lot about Frank Kush and how he treated us, plays and things that happened during practices or games," Laughlin said. "... We'd just sit around the firepit and chew the fat about everything and what was going on. Most of it was conversations about football and ASU."
Earning the Alumni Achievement Award at Founders' Day – the University's "signature event honoring the changemakers whose pioneering achievements and visionary philanthropy have shaped ASU's spirit of excellence and innovation" – is significant to Goodman, who shared that ASU helped him realize his dreams. He is not only "very humbled that my university would select me," but also "deeply honored that they would even think of me."
"Arizona State gave me a lot of pride in, 'Take what you have, bloom where you're planted and make the best of what you've got,'" said Goodman, who was honored during the Pac-12 Conference's Centennial Celebration in 2015.
In a little more than six months following Founders' Day, second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham will lead Sun Devil football against Wyoming in the opening game of the 2024 season, its first in the Big 12 Conference. As a former ASU signal-caller, Goodman is excited for the future of the football program at his alma mater, an institution that helped shape the direction of his life.
"I see three things, all important and all good," Goodman said about Dillingham. "The first is he brings youth and enthusiasm to the school. No. 2, he believes that Arizona is important and you recruit from home first because we're here to support our community. No. 3, he's innovative and thoughtful. He's trying to build a program that is innovative like the university that it represents and is highly-competitive on the field and off the field."
Drew Schott is currently a graduate student in the Master of Sports Law and Business program at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. He graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications in 2022. Drew has previously written for On3, The Arizona Republic and The Daily Northwestern among other publications.
The first pass of John F. Goodman's football career at Arizona State University (ASU) was a touchdown. The quarterback intended to do the same thing on his last.
On Nov. 26, 1966, the Sun Devils trailed Arizona 17-13 late in the fourth quarter of the Territorial Cup. A loss would guarantee ASU a sub-.500 season, while a victory would give the Sun Devils a 5-5 record and head coach Frank Kush his first win in Tucson since 1958.
"I decided we had to score," Goodman said. "We had to win that game. I was not going to lose to the University of Arizona."
Goodman kept his word by throwing a touchdown with less than two minutes remaining, lifting ASU to a 20-17 victory over the Wildcats in his final contest for the maroon-and-gold. While that day marked the conclusion of Goodman's time with the Sun Devil football program, it ended up being one small part of his distinguished legacy.
For 42 years, Goodman served in the United States (U.S.) Armed Forces, retiring as a lieutenant general in 2008. 38 of Goodman's years in the military were spent in the U.S. Marine Corps, while the other four were split equally between active duty in the U.S. Army and as an inactive reserve with the U.S. Army.
Goodman's service to his country and connection to ASU will be recognized during the University's Founders' Day celebration on Feb. 21, where he is set to receive the Alumni Achievement Award, which "celebrates alumni who have excelled in their professions and contributed to ASU, the ASU Alumni Association and the community." Now a Distinguished Fellow in ASU's Master of Arts in International Affairs and Leadership program, Goodman is back at the same institution that provided key lessons he carried with him for decades.
"The thing that I'm most proud of, having come to ASU and then graduated and gone on, is the firm foundation it gave me in believing in myself as a leader and as a critical thinker, which I used all throughout my military career," said Goodman, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting in 1970. "It's put me in good stead, so I think that's probably the most important thing. You play football, but football prepares you for life."
'He was perfect for our team'
As a student at Encina High School in Sacramento, Calif., Goodman was a talented three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball. During his senior year on the gridiron, he earned All-Conference, All-City, All-Sacramento County and All-Superior California honors.
For years, Goodman had been focused on playing for the University of Southern California (USC) and there was mutual interest between him and the Trojans. During the final week before signing with a school, USC head coach John McKay – fresh off winning the Rose Bowl and the 1962 national championship – came to meet with Goodman.
"He spent about an hour at my house in the evening," Goodman said. "He talked to my parents for about five minutes and he talked to me for about 50-to-55 minutes about my role on the football team, the pride of USC and how I was going to fit in the following year or the year after that as their starting quarterback when their senior graduated."
Following his discussion with McKay, Goodman felt good about heading to USC for his college football career. But in the following days, Kush eventually walked through the door of his home.
"He talked to me about the school, the educational opportunities, the people and the environment," Goodman said. "We really didn't talk about football. He talked to my parents about his responsibility of developing men and men of character and graduating people who can make a difference in society.
"Guess where my mom wanted me to go to school? That's where I went."
Instead of Los Angeles, Goodman arrived in the Valley of the Sun in the fall of 1963. During his first year with the program, he could only play freshman football and did so before being elevated to the varsity squad for the 1964 campaign.
Even though John Torok started under center that season, Goodman still completed 11-of-23 passes for 160 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions as the Sun Devils finished 8-2. The following year, Goodman earned the No. 1 job and led ASU to a 6-4 record by recording 1,165 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions.
"As a quarterback, you have to be the leader," said former ASU right guard Herman Serignese, who graduated from ASU in 1969. "That's an expectation and John was outstanding… He took responsibility when he made a mistake and did what needed to be done. He had all kinds of great qualities, but the one I remember was he was dedicated to winning and he worked hard during the season and in the offseason."
Despite throwing 14 interceptions during the 1966 season, Goodman finished his final year with 1,259 yards and eight touchdowns while playing a key role in the Sun Devils finishing their campaign on a three-game win streak. By orchestrating ASU's come-from-behind victory in the Duel in the Desert, Goodman helped the Sun Devils not only defeat Arizona for the second straight time, but also kickstart a nine-game win streak over the Wildcats between 1965 and 1973.
"He was an outstanding player," said former ASU linebacker Ron Pritchard, who was selected No. 15 overall by the Houston Oilers in the 1969 NFL/AFL Draft. "Also, he was a great guy. He didn't treat us like a freshman might be treated at some other situation and I appreciated that."
"He could throw the ball," Pritchard added. "He was perfect for our team."
'It was about doing the right thing at the right place at the right time'
Before coming to Tempe, Kush – who was ASU's head coach from 1958 to 1979 and recorded 176 wins over that span – served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army. During this time, he also coached with the football team at Fort Benning in Georgia, now known as Fort Moore.
According to Goodman, "it was a culture shock" for some to play under Kush in terms of how he led his program. However, it was not for him, in part because his football, basketball and baseball coaches in high school also took part in military service.
"Kush was a tough taskmaster, but every task he gave us, every time he put a requirement on us or held us accountable, it was because it was about doing the right thing at the right place at the right time, period," Goodman said. "There's no compromise. He had standards and he held you strictly accountable to these standards. You learned from that or you withered and died. Not very many people withered and died. Most of them stood up to the challenge."
During his first year with the Sun Devils, Goodman also learned from another staff member with a military background in freshman football head coach Bill Kajikawa. The namesake of ASU football's practice fields, Kajikawa served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team – known as the most decorated unit in U.S. military history – during World War II.
"He taught you a lot about standards and requirements, but he also taught you to walk tall and hit hard," Goodman said. "That's what we were at Arizona State. You would hit hard. You would absolutely run over the other team. But if you ever broke a rule with any of them, it was a character flaw, so you didn't break rules."
These tenets resonated with Goodman, who found that the Sun Devils "played with a chip on our shoulder" and embraced being the underdog.
"When I took the field at Arizona State, I always believed we would find a way to win," Goodman said. "It didn't matter whether we were playing a bigger team, a faster team, a stronger team, a bigger school, a smaller school. It did not matter. You trained to learn how to play against that team and you learned to apply your strengths against their weaknesses and come out with a win. What was enjoyable was on Saturdays when we slipped on our uniforms, the feeling you had of confidence… You learned to really rely on your teammates… You believed in them and had confidence in them and it translated out on the field."
In 1967, Goodman was selected by the New Orleans Saints in their first year as a professional football franchise. However, he was unable to participate in the Saints' rookie camp since he was drafted by the U.S. Army to fight in the Vietnam War.
For his two years of active duty, Goodman – who was placed with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division in the III Corps area of operations before moving to India Company, 75th Ranger Regiment as a long-range patrol team leader assisting the 1st Infantry Division – earned the Purple Heart, the Soldier's Medal and the Bronze Star with a "V" Device, given for heroic service in a combat zone. Following his Army service as a second lieutenant, he joined the U.S. Army Reserve in 1969 and attended the Saints' camp that summer, but stopped playing football after suffering a career-ending injury by permanently separating his shoulder.
"I moved on, but the hard part was I played football, basketball and baseball my whole life and those were my dreams," Goodman said. "With that over, I wasn't sure what I was qualified to do. It turned out I was more than just a little qualified for the (Federal Bureau of Investigation). I took the test and applied and I was actually heading over for my final interview and when I got to the federal building in San Francisco and saw the sign out front that said, 'The Marines are looking for a few good men to fly the Phantom,' I said, 'That's me.' I went downstairs and did an interservice transfer."
'I only have one general'
Goodman was commissioned into the U.S. Marine Corps in 1971 and eventually graduated from the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School, now called the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program and also known as TOPGUN. He went on to register more than 4,100 hours in tactical jet aircraft and was elevated multiple times up the chain of command during his 38 years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Throughout his military career, Goodman led multiple units and commands including the Marine Aircraft Group 41, the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Korea and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific (Marine Forces Pacific), as well as the U.S. Joint Task Force Caring Response that provided humanitarian assistance and relief supplies to citizens of Myanmar affected by Cyclone Nargis in 2008.
"Sports teaches you a lot of things," Goodman said. "It teaches you teamwork, it teaches you how to rely on and share responsibilities with your teammates and it teaches you to make decisions and perform under pressure. It teaches you to perform and do your job no matter what under all circumstances, whether you're exhausted, tired, worn out or hurting. It doesn't matter. You have a job to do and you have to do it.
"Those are all traits and characteristics that are instilled in you in the U.S. Armed Forces, from bootcamp to advanced training to your entire career. They are hammered into you. I have given out thousands of awards of valor to pin them on people's chests and pin them on coffins. I can tell you every single one of them, if they ever could tell you, they would all say one thing, 'I was just doing my job.' That's what you were taught to do in athletics, that's what I was taught at Arizona State and that's what applied my whole time in the military."
While in the U.S. Marine Corps, Goodman was able to reconnect with his alma mater in multiple instances, including on Oct. 2, 1999 thanks to an invite from Kush. Goodman – then a Brigadier General stationed in Quantico, Va. – was honored on the field with an achievement award at halftime of ASU football's game against UCLA.
"When I came out here, I visited his office," Goodman said of Kush. "When I walked in, he had this huge wall in front of his desk full of pictures of all the guys who had played for him and who went on to play professional football and be announcers. Right dead in the center of the wall was my picture. I looked at him and said, 'What is that?' He said, 'I have pro football players coming out of my ears, I have broadcasters, (but) I only have one general.'"
Goodman crossed paths with ASU football again in 2006 as the Sun Devils were facing off against Hawaii in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. In addition to speaking with the team following one of its workouts, Goodman was invited to the broadcast booth to give his analysis of the game's first half and his prediction for the second half. He ended up staying there for all of the third quarter and part of the fourth quarter to contribute color commentary in ASU's 41-24 loss.
The timing worked out perfectly for Goodman to help call his alma mater's bowl game. That is because during Dec. 2006, he was in the midst of commanding Marine Forces Pacific in Hawaii.
"That's incredible," Pritchard said of Goodman becoming a lieutenant general. "That's like winning the Heisman Trophy. I could see how he was a military guy. He was born for it and he became a great leader. He certainly had the courage for it because he was there over 30 years to reach that status. When we met within these last few years, it was an honor to shake his hand with how magnificent it was that he went and served our country at such a high level."
'Arizona State gave me a lot of pride'
Following his retirement from the U.S. Marine Corps, Goodman ran the U.S. Department of Defense's Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance from 2008-2012 before serving as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction from 2013-2023. During this period, he returned to Arizona and was able to reconnect with old teammates, including Pritchard, Serignese and Larry Laughlin, who played linebacker and guard for ASU.
For between five and six years, Laughlin – who was a member of the class of 1968 – lived within five miles of Goodman. As a result, they ended up attending the same Saint Patrick's Day gatherings and tailgates for ASU football games.
"We talked a lot about Frank Kush and how he treated us, plays and things that happened during practices or games," Laughlin said. "... We'd just sit around the firepit and chew the fat about everything and what was going on. Most of it was conversations about football and ASU."
Earning the Alumni Achievement Award at Founders' Day – the University's "signature event honoring the changemakers whose pioneering achievements and visionary philanthropy have shaped ASU's spirit of excellence and innovation" – is significant to Goodman, who shared that ASU helped him realize his dreams. He is not only "very humbled that my university would select me," but also "deeply honored that they would even think of me."
"Arizona State gave me a lot of pride in, 'Take what you have, bloom where you're planted and make the best of what you've got,'" said Goodman, who was honored during the Pac-12 Conference's Centennial Celebration in 2015.
In a little more than six months following Founders' Day, second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham will lead Sun Devil football against Wyoming in the opening game of the 2024 season, its first in the Big 12 Conference. As a former ASU signal-caller, Goodman is excited for the future of the football program at his alma mater, an institution that helped shape the direction of his life.
"I see three things, all important and all good," Goodman said about Dillingham. "The first is he brings youth and enthusiasm to the school. No. 2, he believes that Arizona is important and you recruit from home first because we're here to support our community. No. 3, he's innovative and thoughtful. He's trying to build a program that is innovative like the university that it represents and is highly-competitive on the field and off the field."
Drew Schott is currently a graduate student in the Master of Sports Law and Business program at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. He graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications in 2022. Drew has previously written for On3, The Arizona Republic and The Daily Northwestern among other publications.