El Toro Bowl 2011

El Toro Bowl Big Happening in a Little City seen as community wide event
August 17, 2011 7:54 AM BY JOYCE LOBECK - SUN STAFF WRITER
While the El Toro Bowl coming to Yuma no doubt is pretty exciting stuff for football fans, the resurrected event is more than just a game to organizers.
They see it as a premier opportunity to show off Yuma to the many visitors the bowl is expected to attract.
“Early on we wanted to showcase the Yuma community in its entirety,” said Dave McDowell, chairman of the El Toro Bowl, “and not just focus on football.”
That meant getting the entire community involved, he told the Yuma City Council during a Tuesday presentation of the partnerships formed to bring a National Junior College Athletic Association-sanctioned football game to Yuma.
The bowl game will be held on the afternoon of Dec. 3 (note: this may be the same date as Algodones Welcome back Winter Visitors, at the Veterans Memorial Stadium, which Arizona Western College shares with Gila Ridge High School.
El Toro Bowl is being brought to Yuma by AWC, Caballeros de Yuma and the Matador Athletic Association with Time Warner Cable as the title sponsor and the backing of a number of other major corporate sponsors.
It's not exactly a new event for Yuma, but it's been a long time coming back, observed McDowell.
Yuma last hosted a bowl game in 1973 when Mesa took home a national championship by winning the Sunkist El Toro Bowl, which got its start in 1968 as the El Toro Bowl.
The year before, the AWC football team won the National Junior College championship with a 36-8 win over Fort Scott (Kan.) at the El Toro Bowl played at Kofa High School.
As part of this year's bowl festivities, that 1972 national title team and its coach, Ray Butcher, will be among the first inductees into the AWC athletics hall of fame.
“I was at that 1972 game,” observed Yuma City Council Raul Mendoza.
Councilwoman Leslie McClendon noted that her son played football at AWC 14 years ago. “Thank you for bringing this back for my children and grandchildren,” she told representatives of AWC, Caballeros de Yuma and sponsors who were at Tuesday's council work session.
It will be a true community event, McDowell told the council.
In addition to the steering committee comprised of AWC, Matador Athletic Association and Caballeros de Yuma, a Caballeros executive committee is working on the event.
Some key community leaders were brought together to sit on the Business and Industrial Committee to bring fresh new ideas and a community perspective to the table. Serving on that committee are City Administrator Greg Wilkinson; Yuma County Administrator Robert Pickels; Julie Engel, head of Greater Yuma Economic Development Corp.; Susan Sternitzke, executive director of Yuma Visitors Bureau; Ken Rosevear, executive director of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce; agribusinessman Tim Dunn; Sheriff Ralph Ogden; Pat Walz, chief executive officer of Yuma Regional Medical Center; and representatives for Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and Yuma Proving Ground.
“When we were approached by the college, the city, county and business community all pulled together,” McDowell said. “They're all creating an event that people will be attracted to.”
It's also one that organizers hope will leave a lasting impression of a community those visitors will want to return to, added Jonathan Lines of the Caballeros. It's also expected that the bowl and attendant events will have a big impact on the community and its youth programs. Community service such as athletic presentations to youth groups will be part of the weeklong activities.
Organizers anticipate the bowl will raise considerable money for education and youth programs to be shared by the Caballeros and the Matador Athletic Association, McDowell said. In addition, sponsors can designate up to 10 percent of their cash donations to specific academic areas of AWC.
“There's tremendous support from the community,” McDowell said. “Everywhere we go, there's a buzz about it.”
Joyce Lobeck can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.