Alumni Association to host Sparky's Touchdown Tailgate at MAACO Bowl

The ASU Alumni Association will celebrate the Sun Devil football team's participation in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, Dec. 22, with a special pre-bowl Sparky's Touchdown Tailgate.

The tailgate, co-hosted by the Alumni Association and the Sun Devil Club, will be from 2 to 4:30 p.m. (PST), Dec. 22, at Sam Boyd Stadium, 7000 E. Russell Road, Las Vegas. It will be headlined by special guest speakers that include ASU President Michael Crow and former Sun Devil football player Jeff van Raaphorst, a quarterback who was the Most Valuable Player in ASU’s 1987 Rose Bowl victory.

The event will also feature appearances by the ASU marching band, Spirit Squad and Sparky the Sun Devil. Included in the entry price is a meal with barbeque chicken and beef brisket as entrées, as well as a no-host bar. Members of the ASU Alumni Association receive a special gift at the tailgate if they show their alumni card.

The tailgate is one of several special events preceding the bowl game. On Dec. 21, marching bands from ASU and Boise State will battle it out at a Fremont Street Experience Pep Rally, scheduled to be held at 425 Freemont Street from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The rally is free and open to the public.

Tickets to the tailgate are $40 when purchased online and $45 at the door; a comprehensive bowl package, which includes the tailgate, a ticket to the game and round-trip shuttle service from Mandalay Bay Resort to the tailgate, is available online for $115.

For more information on the pre-bowl tailgate, or to order game/tailgate ticket packages, visit http://alumni.asu.edu/events/bowl-game.