The Fiesta Bowl 2012

A few comments about attending the Fiesta Bowl and other related events while renewing old friendships with my Stanford relatives and friends.

1. The game was an old fashion western shoot out between Cowboys and Indians at the UP Coral.

2. The Oklahoma State fans were a sea of orange and their Cowboy team was dressed in black from helmet to shoe while the Stanford Cardinal wore white uniforms and their supporters were in red or cardinal.

3. It looks like a Guinness Book of Records might have been broken at the Stanford Tail Gate Party. It is believed that those in attendance broke the all time cumulative SAT score for a party attended by less than 10,000 people. The College Board is still in the final stage of verifying scores of those in attendance who incidentally did not have to be a Stanford grad to count. The total attendance at the party was so close to breaking above 10,000 that it will be recounted in order that the record can be certified.

4. I was very disappointed when a Stanford cheer leader told me that they would not be doing the famous AX yell during the game. I had practiced the yell with a group at the Chaparral Suites in Scottsdale, with friends at the Renaissance Glendale Hotel and again at the tail gate party but then forgot to lead this traditional historic yell as promised with 5 minutes remaining in the game. Besides eliminating the AX yell, I am told by a reliable source that the spell out yells formerly done at the start of games had been dropped because university presidents would feel embarrassed if their school name was misspelled. Additional changes such as the Stanford band (above) and cheer leaders attire have taken place over the decades. The male yell leaders of my day were dressed in full uniform and led yells while today's cheerleaders are female wear little and hold up signs that say 'Noise'.

5. To attend a game at the indoor University of Phoenix Stadium was a complete delight with a great view of the game, very comfortable indoor conditions and padded seats instead of wooden benches. Oh how football games have changed!

Homer Sweeney