In the weeks leading up to the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl – which is set for Saturday, December 31 at State Farm Stadium and will serve as the first-ever a College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Game – AZ Big Media is sitting down with a member of the Fiesta Bowl family every Friday to shine a light on the event itself but also all the ways that the organization drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans during and outside of college football Bowl Season. Today we sit down with our friend Steven Kruczek, Fiesta Bowl Yellow Jacket committee member and chief financial officer at AeroGuard Flight Training.
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Question: When and why did you begin volunteering for the Fiesta Bowl?
Steven Kruczek: One of the things that made me fall in love with Phoenix when we moved here in 2008 was the amazing opportunities to get involved with the community. In 2013, a friend on the Fiesta Bowl Yellow Jacket Committee invited me to help out with his favorite part of the bowl, the Fiesta Bowl Parade. I worked as a walking marshal for the next few years and I loved the impact the Parade had on the city. In 2015, I became a member of the Yellow Jacket Committee.
Question: Tell us about your role this year, and what are your general goals with the position?
Steven Kruczek: I’m fortunate to serve as the Chair of the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe this year. I love the Parade because it is one of the most direct connections we have with the larger Phoenix community, literally walking through the heart of Phoenix while celebrating all that Arizona has to offer. This year, with the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl hosting the first-ever College Football Playoff Quarterfinal, I want to make sure that we use the Parade to bring this “New Era” of college football to the whole Valley.
Question: What has been your favorite Fiesta Bowl game to date as a spectator and why?
Steven Kruczek: The 2022 Fiesta Bowl between Notre Dame and Oklahoma State. It was the first game I was able to attend with both my daughter Dorothy (6 at the time) and my parents. While my dad, as a Notre Dame grad, wasn’t happy with the outcome, to be able to experience the Fiesta Bowl with three generations is a memory I’ll never forget.
Question: Any memorable moments while working the Fiesta Bowl game itself?
Steven Kruczek: I’m always amazed at the amount of work and precision that goes into producing one of these games and I feel like I always learn something new. I remember in 2016 when I was working a shift in game operations, we were at the Cactus Bowl pre-meeting finalizing the run-of-show. When they got to the Hot Dog race, I realized the announcer’s script noted that Mustard would win. I guess intellectually I knew that it wasn’t an actual race, but I never really thought about the fact it was planned!
Question: Given it is the holiday season – the time when we all want to give back as much as possible – please share an example of how the Fiesta Bowl helped make spirits merrier and brighter this year?
Steven Kruczek: We closed the 2023 Fiesta Bowl Parade with a float carrying Santa Claus. As I was walking along the route at the end, I passed by a little boy and his father. The boy had the biggest smile on his face and, looking at his dad, said “I just saw Santa!”
Question: Tell us something interesting about you outside of work and your Fiesta Bowl role?
Steven Kruczek: After college, I spent time studying to be a priest at Moreau Seminary.
