FEATURE FRIDAY: Ryan Hatch on the Fiesta Bowl’s Epic Impact, Arizona Sports 98.7FM, and Hosting the Nation’s First College Football Quarterfinal

To call this winter “busy season” for Ryan Hatch is a bit of an understatement.

As the 2024-25 Fiesta Bowl Yellow Jacket Committee Chair, Hatch oversees fundraising, volunteerism and engagement efforts in advance of, during, and after the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, which will host the first-ever College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Game on Dec. 31, 2024.

The months leading up to the big game have been a whirlwind for the business leader, who serves as senior vice president and market manager for Bonneville Phoenix, including operations for Arizona Sports, the flagship station for the Arizona Cardinals, Suns, D-backs and Sun Devils.

We recently had the chance to connect with Hatch to get the behind-the-scenes scoop on the enormity of the impact the Fiesta Bowl Organization and its signature events have on our community.

First, we have to know … what is the story behind the Yellow Jackets?

The Fiesta Bowl origination in 1971. Created by nine founders, these community leaders were seeking to elevate the stature of Arizona nationwide and provide a postseason home for Arizona State and other western teams after Arizona State University was snubbed for postseason as a highly-ranked team. In addition to being a great way for committee members to attract attention, the Yellow Jacket was chosen as a symbol of sunshine here in the Valley. The organization since then has grown beyond the game, and we see it as our duty to give back to communities all across the state.

At the core of the Fiesta Bowl is Fiesta Bowl Charities, which enhances organizations that contribute to the success of their communities in the areas of youth, sports and education. I’m honored to lead a remarkable group of men and women who wear the Yellow Jacket in service to our communities. Together, we are dedicated to improving where we live, work and play through fundraising and volunteerism. Our 3,000 volunteers–the largest of any bowl organization–drive the success of the Fiesta Bowl’s year-round events.

On. Dec. 31, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl will make history as the first-ever College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Game, keeping the tradition of being a “bowl of firsts.” Tell us about some of its other firsts?

The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl is thrilled to make history as the home of the first-ever CFP Quarterfinal on Dec. 31. This milestone moment will mark a new era of college football with the expanded 12-team Playoff.

This achievement is another piece of Fiesta Bowl’s legacy of firsts that we are proud of, which includes being the first bowl game to secure a title sponsor in 1986, the first to donate $1 million annually to charitable causes and the first bowl with a female Board Chair and an African-American Board Chair.

In addition to the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, your organization is also putting on the Rate Bowl. Tell us about that …

The Rate Bowl will return to Chase Field in downtown Phoenix on Thurs., Dec. 26, showcasing Bowl Season’s only matchup between teams from the power Big 12 and Big Ten Conferences. The transformation of Chase Field from an MLB ballpark to the Rate Bowl football field sets the stage for an exciting game, but beyond the action on the field, the event also leaves a lasting impact as the 75,000 square-foot natural grass playing field will be donated to an Arizona community in need. 

The field was last donated to Fighter Country Foundation at Luke Air Force Base in 2023, continuing Fiesta Bowl Charities’ tradition of supporting communities, youth and families across the state, including Phoenix, Maryvale, Avondale, Laveen, Glendale, Bullhead City, and Fort Mohave.

Will there also be a Fiesta Bowl Parade this year? 

Oh, yes! The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe will return during the heart of bowl season on Sat., Dec. 28 at 10 a.m., as Arizona’s community groups, marching bands, and unique floats make the traditional two-mile march through central Phoenix to honor the Fiesta Bowl Organization’s 53-year history.

The parade’s theme, “A New Era,” celebrates Arizona’s community spirit as we welcome an exciting new chapter for college football, elevated fan experience and the organization’s brand refresh into the Fiesta Sports Foundation. We are honored to welcome Grand Marshal Anthony Robles, an inspiring former NCAA wrestling champion and three-time All-American from Arizona State University, who was born with one leg. Come out and join the fun with over 3,000 participants to celebrate in the leadup to the highly anticipated game–it’s free to the public and all are invited to attend.

Beyond the exciting events this year, the Fiesta Bowl has also been helping teachers this fall? Can you tell us about Wishes for Teachers?

It’s always an honor to support Arizona’s educators through the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers Draft Day, presented by SRP, where 500 teachers statewide are awarded $2,500 classroom wishes to help enhance their classrooms and improve the learning experience for students. This is one of my favorite days of the year and I’ve been blessed to call teachers and hear their reactions when their wishes are granted. It’s incredibly rewarding. Now in its ninth year, the program has drawn record interest, receiving more than 4,300 applications from Arizona educators. After consecutive record years of granting $1.25 million annually, the program’s total giving has now surpassed a whopping $8 million, benefiting over 2,600 teachers and more than one million students. The $1.25 million in donations will be distributed to 84 cities and towns across Arizona, impacting 237,737 students. Wishes granted include resources such as new books, instruments, and virtual reality headsets, benefiting 380 schools across 108 school districts and 79 charter schools. The program honors educators as the heroes they are, providing opportunities to improve the classroom without having to spend their own money.

After consecutive record years of granting $1.25 million annually, the program’s total giving has now surpassed a whopping $8 million, benefiting over 2,600 teachers and more than one million students.

You also have a grants program? 

Yes! After positively impacting one million Arizonans statewide last year through youth, sports and educational programming, we are excited to do it again. In August, we proudly announced the 2024-25 Fiesta Bowl Charities grant recipients, awarding financial resources to 22 Arizona nonprofits across the state.

Among the many impactful programs, Child Crisis Arizona received $25,000 to support Whispering Hope Ranch, which offers children a safe space to process trauma, heal, and grow through the human-animal connection. Positive Coaching Alliance was awarded $50,000 to fund youth sports programs for underserved schools, girls’ flag football initiatives, and Native American communities. Special Olympics Arizona received $25,000 to expand access to inclusive sports programming for athletes. Additionally, Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank was granted $15,000 to fund its Weekend Backpacks program, which provides students with all their meals over the weekend.

You are also busy running Arizona Sports—tell us a little about the station!

Arizona Sports is so much more than just a radio station as we have more than a million passionate fans engaging with our content on radio, stream, podcast, ArizonaSports.com, the Arizona Sports app and our YouTube channel. Our teams produce more local sports content than anyone in the Southwest, which includes live radio and video shows each weekday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. talking about the biggest, most exciting sports stories in the Valley. In addition, we are the proud exclusive broadcast partners of the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, and ASU football and men’s basketball, which totals over 320-plus live games per year on our air. We are also the home for ESPN Radio, which gives us the rights to broadcast the NBA Finals, World Series and the College Football Playoff, including this year’s historic College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl game on New Year’s Eve.

Ryan Hatch, 2024-24 Fiesta Bowl Yellow Jacket Committee Chair. Courtesy Ryan Hatch