3/14/1988 39th Annual Arizona Sports Awards Dinner, Sheraton Mission Palms, Tempe, AZ


 33 years ago today...

March 14, 1988 - Tempe, AZ

 The 39th Annual Arizona Sports Awards dinner was held at the Sheraton Tempe Mission Palms resort.

I was a member of the Phoenix Press Box Association which sponsored this event.  TSTT readers from central Illinois may remember Tom Schoendienst doing the sports on WCIA-TV3, who was now the Executive Director of the group.

On this night, ASU senior golfer Billy Mayfair won AZ Amateur Athlete of the Year.  He now plays on the TPC Champions, aka "Senior," Tour.  

Lafayette "Fat" Lever, formerly of the ASU basketball team and then with the Denver Nuggets, was honored as AZ Professional Athlete of the Year.

University of Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson was named AZ Coach of the Year. 
 
NBC Sports analyst and NFL pre-game host Paul Maguire served as the master of ceremonies on the evening and autographed the event program.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

7/10/21 Super Bowl of Rock: Ted Nugent, Lynyrd Skynyrd, REO Speedwagon, Journey, .38 Special, Soldier Field, Chicago, IL

Image
 44 years ago today... July 10, 1977 - Chicago, IL The "Super Bowl of Rock" headlined by Ted Nugent and Lynyrd Skynyrd was held at Soldier Field. The day opened with a then-relatively unknown .38 Special followed by a new version of Journey and one of the first ever appearances by Steve Perry. Regional favorites REO Speedwagon came on next and then Skynyrd, at their live show peak and the best band of the day. Ted Nugent, also arguably at his career peak performance-wise, closed the festival. In this pre-bottled water era, each of the 60K+ in attendance at Soldier Field could bring in a gallon jug. When Nugent took the stage, the empty jugs were thrown from the back and upper levels of the stadium down to the main floor and toward the stage. Jugs were tossed at the band with Nuge egging it on. So many gallon jugs accumulated on stage the show was stopped and staff with push brooms worked to clear the area.
Read more

3/31/1998 Arizona Diamondbacks Inaugural Game vs Colorado Rockies, Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, AZ

Image
 23 years ago today... March 31, 1998 - Phoenix, AZ Arizona made it to the big leagues when the Diamondbacks made their Major League Baseball debut at the opening of Bank One Ballpark. Arizona had hosted MLB Cactus League spring training since the 1950s, but the market only had a Triple A minor league baseball franchise until this date. The NBA Phoenix Suns were no longer the only professional sports team in Phoenix. This was an important day in Arizona sports history. Bank One Ballpark was a grand new addition to downtown and the sports landscape. With seating for 48,500, the "BOB" as it became known, was the only ballpark at the time with its own swimming pool. The retractable roof and levered panels across the outfield allowed for an open-air park for early and late season, while being a model of modern air conditioning through the hot summer months. The inaugural year opening day ticket was a unique souvenir, featuring a holographic image that reflect the roof opening
Read more

10/24/2008 Tina Turner, Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, AZ

Image
 13 years ago yesterday... October 24, 2008 - Glendale, AZ Tina Turner brought rock, soul and blues in a concert at Jobing.com Arena. This was billed as Tina's 50th Anniversary Tour, her first live shows in nearly 10 years. This tour was her last and supported a Greatest Hits album. Tina had amazing energy and great dance moves in mile-high stilettos. She was 68 years young at the time and had the look and attitude of someone half her age. Tina rocked it in a terrific show. Here's a link to the setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/tina-turner/2008/jobingcom-arena-glendale-az-bd6a51a.html
Read more