Boivin: University of Phoenix Stadium changed Valley’s sports reputation – azcentral.com
Paola Boivin, azcentral sports 
UP NEXT
03
Carson Palmer says University of Phoenix Stadium is his favorite NFL venue and it has a great home-field advantage, thanks to the fans.
azcentral sports
If a badge of honor can be made of Luxembourg steel and sport 1.7 million square feet of space, then that’s what University of Phoenix Stadium is to the Valley sports community.
The facility, which is beginning its 10th season of operation, has had a profound effect on shaping the reputation of the local sports scene. By changing the Cardinals’ fortunes, and hosting two Super Bowls, two college football national championships and an array of other big-ticket events — from WrestleMania to high-profile soccer matches — the stadium has been a game-changer.
“It’s what I envisioned,” Cardinals President Michael Bidwill said. “But it’s also gone beyond that.”
University of Phoenix Stadium, we salute you.
The impact on Arizona’s NFL team has been profound. The Cardinals, who open their season Sunday against New Orleans, have sold out all 93 games since moving in, something that happened just 12 times in 18 seasons at Sun Devil Stadium, and seven of those were when the Dallas Cowboys came to town.
In Tempe, the Cardinals posted losing seasons 16 out of 18 times. In Glendale, that’s happened just three out of nine times. Since moving into University of Phoenix Stadium, the Cardinals have advanced to the playoffs three times including a Super Bowl appearance on Feb. 1, 2009.
Cardinals players frequently talk about the impact of the crowd noise.
“It’s electric in that building every time we step out there,” wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. “It shows by our record how we’re able to produce at home over these last 10 years. It’s been exponentially better than what we were doing at Sun Devil.”
It’s not just the Cardinals that have benefited from the facility. Its ability to host big events has helped the Valley’s Q Rating, too. The college football national championship will be here Jan. 11 and college basketball’s Final Four in 2017.
The state’s resorts have always attracted celebrities, but the big-scale sporting events have put the area under a spotlight — from P Diddy’s block party that preceded Super Bowl XLII in 2008 to Rhianna’s DirectTV bash before Super Bowl XLIX in February.
From stars sharing events on social media to non-stop television coverage of the desert’s unique topography, the events have prompted comments like this from actor Jamie Foxx, who hosted a party at the W Scottsdale hotel before Super Bowl XLIX and told fans, “This city is the epicenter of cool.”
University of Phoenix Stadium hasn’t just hosted big sporting events. It has hosted memorable big sporting events.
Both Super Bowls there involved the New England Patriots, and both are considered among the most heart-stopping in the game’s history.
In February, the competition went back and forth until it appeared Seattle was poised to win, sitting on the New England 1-yard line with 26 seconds left. Instead, safety Malcolm Butler intercepted a Russell Wilson pass and locked up the Patriots’ 28-24 victory.
The controversial decision to pass continues to be debated. The exciting finish made it an instant classic. But no more so than what happened seven years earlier, when the Patriots were denied a historic perfect season by the New York Giants.
The game’s defining play was a desperate, sack-defying scramble by Giants quarterback Eli Manning followed by an improbable one-handed catch by David Tyree — pinning the ball to his helmet as he was tackled — for a critical 32-yard gain and the clock dipping inside of one minute to go. Plaxico Burress’ 13-yard touchdown catch with 35 seconds left clinched the Giants’ upset.
Those were far from the only games that created University of Phoenix Stadium lore.
In a 2007 Fiesta Bowl game, Boise State took heavily favored Oklahoma into overtime thanks to a 50-yard hook-and-ladder play that resulted in a touchdown with 18 seconds left.
The Sooners scored in overtime but the Broncos came back again when wide receiver Vinny Perretta threw a halfback option scoring pass and Ian Johnson turned a Statue of Liberty handoff into a successful two-point conversion.
After the victory, Johnson added to the surreal nature of the game by proposing to his girlfriend, a cheerleader, on the field.
She said “yes,” but Oregon said “oh no” in a 2011 national title game that ended with a 19-yard field goal by Auburn as time expired to secure a 22-19 victory over the Ducks. The game helped solidify Tigers quarterback Cam Newton’s spot as the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
The stadium has been known to make a few coaches go nuts, too.
The Cardinals’ 24-23 loss to the Chicago Bears in 2006 on Monday Night Football was a tough one because Arizona had led 23-3 late in the third quarter. They had a chance to win it on a Neil Rackers 40-yard field goal with 52 seconds left but the kicker missed.
USA TODAY SPORTS FANTASY SCORE: One-day fantasy sports games
Coach Dennis Green flipped out in a press conference afterward, barking the memorable “the Bears are who we thought they were” line.
That was Green’s last season.
Most of his time with the Cardinals was spent at Sun Devil Stadium, where the team never played at home on the opening weekend of the NFL season because of the heat.
Not only did fans of the visiting team often populate the stands, but the temperatures during day games made viewing uncomfortable.
“I remember it being hot. Hot, hot, hot,” said Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, who came to Sun Devil Stadium as a member of visiting college and pro teams. “I remember playing there Halloween weekend and couldn’t believe it was still 100-something degrees.
“I’ve always really liked it but I always hated the visitors walk, from the locker room to the field, because it’s a mile and a half.”
Sun Devil Stadium was an accommodating host for a team that needed a facility but University of Phoenix Stadium has been the perfect solution to help build a fan base.
“It’s been amazing for us,” Bidwill said. “It’s been the cornerstone of our success. The ‘Red Sea’ was born there. And we talk about it all the time: The players and coaches get so energized. The fans put us over the top in the fourth quarter so many times because that Red Sea is so loud.”
Clearly, the Cardinals have benefited. So, too, has a community that has collected nearly a decade of great sports memories.
Here’s to you, you big hunk of Luxembourg steel.
Follow Paola Boivin at paola.boivin@arizonarepublic.com and on Twitter at Twitter.com/PaolaBoivin. Listen to her streaming live on “The Brad Cesmat Show” on sports360az.com every Monday at 10:30 a.m.
0) { %>
<!–
About Us
Free Shipping
If your order is $35 or more, you may qualify for free shipping. With free shipping, your order will be delivered 5-8 business days.
Join the Conversation
To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs