Saturday Night in Tempe Arizona
All of the following photos are from last Saturday night in Tempe Arizona before Arizona State University’s 33-14 victory over Colorado at Sun Devil Stadium.
Yesterday I speculated on whether a Curbed-like blog would work here in the Phoenix area. Maybe if I were closer to Tempe and maybe if Tempe were just a little larger, it would. There seems to be a city ordinance that mandates nothing can remain the same for more than two consecutive years.
This is the view of Sun Devil Stadium from along College Avenue. The parking lot on the lower left was, until last fall, the National Guard armory. Soon it will be another in the growing collection of high-rise condos. More on this at a later date.
Tempe Butte, most commonly known as “A” Mountain for fairly obvious reasons. Every year, students from the University of Arizona paint it (or try to paint it) red and blue. For the last 15 or so years, ASU students have taken to camping on the mountain. The task became much easier in the early 1990s when hiking trails were added. (Take this from someone who once scaled the side of the mountain sans trails.)
Students queuing up to enter the stadium. When I bought my first student seats 19 years ago, we had assigned seats. Me thinks I’d prefer that to the mob but that’s just me.
The field was renamed for former coach and local legend Frank Kush back in 1996, right before ASU upset then top-ranked Nebraska 19-0. ASU had been retiring a number a year earlier in the decade but has slowed of late.
Two Pac-10 Championships, two Rose Bowl appearances. Will Dennis Erickson bring a third to each list? Time will tell …
The student section 90 minutes before kickoff. By game time, the entire area out to the top of the frame was filled along with two sections of the upper deck. One thing hasn’t changed since my day (and even before) - the students stand throughout the game.
Reminders of former Sun Devil Pat Tillman are never far away. Tillman left the Arizona Cardinals after September 11 to become an Army Ranger and was killed in 2004. While most fans wear gold to the games, there are hundreds of Tillman jerseys to be seen on any given Saturday.
Arizona State’s marching band underwent an overhaul thanks to a six-figure donation - new uniforms, far more brass than in past years and a long-gone swagger are back. The pregame show includes not only the Star Spangled Banner and Maroon and Gold (the fight song) but also the Al Davis Fight Song (it’s the Al Davis fight song, it’s the Al Davis fight song … the Al Davis Fight Song, it’s the Al Davis fight song), and the Arizona State alma mater.
The view across Rio Salado into Scottsdale and to the McDowell Mountains to the north.
Incidentally, Arizona State plays host to San Diego State at 7 p.m. tonight. Buy a ticket, find a gold shirt and we’ll see you there.
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