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For the first time in the history of the game, a rock ‘n’ roller has been chosen to serve as the Fiesta Bowl Parade Grand Marshal.
Alice Cooper and nine Fiesta Bowl Founders will share the honor when the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe hits Central Phoenix Saturday, Dec. 18.
The theme of the parade, which honors the organization’s 50th Anniversary, is “Gold Standard: A Commitment to CommUNITY.”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was chosen, as were the founders, because his actions align with the organization’s commitment to driving economic growth, championing charitable causes and executing innovative experiences.
Patrick Barkley, the chairman of the board for Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade, says, “I think Alice was a natural fit because he’s been such an asset to the community and he’s recognized worldwide.”
Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Executive Director Mike Nealy says many esteemed individuals have served as the parade’s grand marshal through the years.
“We’ve had astronauts, teachers, sports stars, a lot of categories,” he says. “What we haven’t had is a rock ‘n’ roll legend. And this year, we’re gonna have a rock ‘n’ roll legend to add to the list.”
Cooper was thrilled to be chosen
“It’s really funny when you start getting honored by all these different people, you start going, ‘They only do this with really old guys,'” Cooper says, with a laugh. “‘Here’s the key to the city. You OK?'”
This isn’t Cooper’s first experience acting as grand marshal for a big event. In 1976, while riding high on the previous year’s “Welcome to My Nightmare” album, he did the honors for Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
“It was insane,” Cooper says. “When I’m the voice of reason out of 3 million people? I had never seen anything that insane in my life.”
The singer had just gotten married and invited his wife, Sheryl Cooper, to join him on the float.
“There had never been a woman on the float before,” he says. “So I picked up Sheryl and they said, ‘Oh, we can’t have any women on the float.’ I said, ‘Who’s the grand marshal?'”
As to what his duties may entail at the Fiesta Bowl Parade, Cooper says, “I would imagine that I’m going to be standing on a float and waving.”
He hasn’t heard about the design of the float.
“It might be funny to have an Alice Cooper-themed float, though,” he says, with a smile. “Giant guillotine. And flowers.”
Cooper says he appreciates the generosity of Fiesta Bowl Charities in helping Phoenix-area teenagers, including Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Center, which received a donation of $10,000 from the organization.
Cooper has a history of giving back to the community
Cooper (then still known as Vincent Furnier) made his first onstage appearance in the Cortez High School “cafetorium” in Phoenix, singing Beatles parodies alongside future bassist Dennis Dunaway and guitarist Glen Buxton.
Joined by two other veterans of the Phoenix music scene, guitarist Michael Bruce and drummer Neal Smith, the Alice Cooper group released a string of timeless, influential records in the early ’70s, including “I’m Eighteen” and “School’s Out.”
By 1973, their theatrical approach to live performance had become so popular, their U.S. tour in support of the chart-topping “Billion Dollar Babies” album broke box-office records then held by the Rolling Stones.
Fifty years down the road from breaking through with “I’m Eighteen,” the star lives in Paradise Valley with his wife, Sheryl Cooper, who also sings and dances in his concerts.
The couple is known for their charity work with Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock, a faith-based organization whose mission is to make a difference in teens’ lives by offering a safe, engaging environment during non-school hours at their Solid Rock Teen Center.
‘This is what can happen’: How Alice Cooper plans to showcase good work at new teen center
The Fiesta Bowl is celebrating 50 years of community service
Barkley says they decided to honor their founders as grand marshals because of the 50th anniversary.
“They’re the ones who started the bowl so we wanted to make sure we recognize them,” Barkley says. “It’s a unique opportunity to honor them.”
The Fiesta Bowl Founders were chosen for bringing a college bowl game to the Valley, elevating Arizona to the level of a major player in the sports world.
Headed by advertising exec Glenn Hawkins, newspaper public relations director Bill Shover, hotelier Jack Stewart, lawyer Don Meyers, media executive Karl Eller, stockbroker Jim Meyer, Coca-Cola general manager George Taylor, banker George Isbell and accountant Don Dupont, the Founders began their efforts to bring a bowl here in 1968.
It took several presentations, but on April 26, 1971, the NCAA Council gave its approval for Arizona to host a bowl game. And with that, the Fiesta Bowl was born.
Meyer, Meyers and Shover will represent the Founders on the Parade route.
“From the beginning, the Fiesta Bowl Founders’ vision was to create Arizona’s largest and most important community effort in history,” Meyers said in a press release.
“Our collaboration and ‘can-do’ spirit were the foundation of the amazing impact Fiesta Bowl has had on and off the field ever since.”
Fiesta Bowl parade date has also been set
Desert Financial Credit Union has been the title sponsor of the Fiesta Bowl parade since 2018, providing custom floats, balloons and activations.
In a press release, Desert Financial President and CEO Jeff Meshey said of the parade, “I think it brings the whole community together and the Desert Financial team is proud to be a part of that.”
Lerner & Rowe is in its first year as a presenting partner, having worked with the Fiesta Bowl Organization on several community relations projects over the past several years.
Founded in 2005, the law firm has a history of assisting community organizations that serve children and families.
This year’s Fiesta Bowl Parade will take place on Dec. 18, two weeks prior to the game itself for the first time in the history of the state’s highest-attended single-day event.
Admission is free with premium and reserved seating available for $30.
The Parade is broadcast live on Arizona’s Family 3TV, online and through the AZFamily app.
More than 3,000 men, women, children and animals participate in the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade annually.
The parade features colored floats, giant balloons, antique cars, equestrian units, charitable groups, local celebrities, marching bands and more.
The Fiesta Bowl invites groups to submit an application by Friday, Sept. 10, to join in the parade.
For more information about the events or application process and to purchase tickets, visit FiestaBowl.org/parade.
Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter @EdMasley.
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