Fiesta Bowl 1983: #11 Arizona State vs. #12 Oklahoma
The Sun Devils trailed 21-18 after three quarters but rallied in the fourth when QB Todd Hons connected with Ron Brown on a 52-yard touchdown pass to seal the victory. Luis Zendejas kicked a Fiesta Bowl-record 54-yard field goal as the first half expired and ASU's Jim Jeffcoat earned Defensive Player of the Game honors. The 32-21 victory earned ASU its 5th Fiesta Bowl title. #SunDevilVault
“Maroon & Gold,” ASU’s official fight song, was composed in 1948 by Felix E. McKernan, who also led the Sun Devil Marching Band from 1946–1952.
Fight, Devils down the field
Fight with your might and don’t ever yield Long may our colors outshine all others
Echo from the buttes Give 'em hell, Devils!
Cheer, cheer for A-S-U Fight for the old Maroon
For it's hail, hail, the gang's all here And it's onward to victory!
Felix E. McKernan, a true Sun Devil legacy.
September 29, 1967: Manzanita Hall opens in Tempe.
Built in just 16 months as an 800-student women’s dorm, it became Arizona’s tallest building at the time. “Manzy” went co-ed in the 1970s and is still an iconic landmark on @ASU’s Tempe campus. #SunDevilVault
#SunDevilVault September 13, 1986
In a pivotal early-season showdown, @ASUFootball knocked off No. 20 Michigan State 20–17 in Tempe — a win that helped launch one of the greatest seasons in Sun Devil history.
The 1986 Sun Devils went 10–1–1, captured the Pac-10 title, and capped the year with a 22–15 victory over Michigan in the 1987 Rose Bowl. @TheSunDevils
The King in Tempe📍March 23, 1977
A 48-year old Elvis Presley performed at the University Activity Center at ASU. That night he dawned a Mexican Sundial jumpsuit in front of 14,047 screaming fans. Tempe was the first show of a 49-stop US tour, which would become his last. (Set list included) #SunDevilVault
In 1958 the House of Heat started with 30,000 seats, grew to 57,722 in 1976, and reached a capacity of 70,311 when the upper deck was completed in 1977.
Sun Devil Stadium’s rise was followed by ASU joining the Pac-10 Conference in 1978. @ASUFootball@TheSunDevils
Family Portrait: The 1969 Western Athletic Conference consisted of Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico, UTEP, Utah, and Wyoming.
The conference was originally founded in 1962, and Arizona State, one of its flagship programs, generated several of its earliest national headlines. In all Sun Devil Football won seven WAC football titles (1963, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, and 1977) before joining the PAC-10 in 1978. @ASUFootball
Tempe, November 1968. @ASUFootball 59 - Utah 21. Legendary RB Art Malone ran for 200 yards that night after posting 239 the week prior, finishing the 10-game season with 235 carries, 1,431 yards (6.1 avg), and 15 TDs.
Art Malone is remembered as one of the best players in ASU history, a two-time all-conference running back and a member of the school’s hall of fame. The Atlanta Falcons selected him in the second round of the 1970 Draft.
In the late 1800s, Arizona Territory leaders were deciding where to place major institutions such as the university, the prison, the capitol, and the teacher’s school. Different Arizona towns competed aggressively.
Tucson got the official university. Tempe landed the Territorial Normal School which, at the time, was a tiny teacher-training school surrounded by farmland and desert. Tempe’s school was viewed as secondary for decades. Instead, the “little teacher’s school” exploded into one of the largest public universities in the United States.
Restoration effort: The Arizona State Bulldogs logo
The mascot of Tempe Normal School/Teachers College (Arizona State) was the Bulldogs from the early 1920s until 1946, when, on November 20 of that year, the student council officially adopted the Sun Devil mascot and named it Sparky. @TheSunDevils@ASU@SparkySunDevil
In 1988 the @AZCardinals came to the valley of the sun from St. Louis and played their inaugural season at #SunDevilStadium. Tempe remained their home for 17 years until moving to the new State Farm Stadium in Glendale in 2006.
#SunDevilCountry in the 1970’s / Opened in 1969, Big Surf on Hayden Road in Tempe included the first inland surfing facility in North America named the “Waikiki Beach Wave Pool.” The 20-acre park drew Arizona crowds for 50 years (closed in 2019) to beat the scorching summers in the valley of the sun. #SunDevilVault
Tempe, December 1965 - Due to uncharacteristically heavy rain and snow melt, the Salt River Flood forced authorities to release water from its reservoirs. The surge caused widespread flooding and extensive damage throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area. In Tempe the flood became a major catalyst for long-term flood control and urban development. This is the site of today’s Tempe Town Lake. #SunDevilVault
Dan Devine’s 1957 @ASUFootball team went 10-0, finishing at No. 12 in both the AP and Coaches poll. It was the first undefeated season in #ArizonaState history.