Howard Case has been a Sun Devil Club member for many years. As a dedicated supporter of Sun Devil Athletics, we recently reached out to ask him a few questions about the importance of giving back.
In what ways are you connected to ASU? We have always been ASU fans. I grew up in Safford and always supported the Sun Devils. Tracy grew up in Mesa and was able to attend ASU events with her grandparents. We met at ASU in the accounting program. We both graduated in 1997 and were able to watch Jake the Snake and the other Devils our senior year. We now have a son who is a junior at ASU and another one that is a sophomore. We have been able to have season tickets to football, basketball and baseball for more than 15 years. Both of our sons were batboys for the Sun Devil Baseball team, and we have always enjoyed the banquets and getting to know the players.
What does it mean to you to be a Sun Devil and be a part of the Sun Devil Family? How does it help connect you with your community? There are many things which make being a Sun Devil special to our family. Like teaching all of the kids from a young age “Forks Up”. Being able to go to games as a family, especially baseball games where our kids could interact with the players, get them to sign their baseball cards, and participate in the baseball camps in the summer. Some of our favorite memories were being able to celebrate on the field with the players and coaches for the final game at Packard Stadium, honoring the life and legacy of Pat Tillman by participating in the Pat’s Run and participating in the Devil Walk before ASU football games. We have been able to meet many other ASU fans over the years at games and other ASU events, sharing that love of ASU athletics with others who are as passionate as us.
Describe the most exciting game you have attended. Each sport has had its own special game. We remember the ‘96 football game against Nebraska. They came in with their long win streak and we were able to shut them out and win 19-0. We were in the student section and watched as the goal post was ripped down and taken out of the stadium to end up on Mill Avenue. For basketball I would have to say the Kansas game. They were #1 in the nation, and we were able to beat them. For baseball there were a lot of great games at Packard. I think the one we remember the most is the Super Regional game against Ole Miss in 2007.
If you could have dinner with any Sun Devil student-athlete/coach/staff member from the past or present, who would it be and why? If I could pick one person for each sport it would be Barry Bonds for Baseball, James Harden for Basketball and Jake Plummer for football. I would choose these three because each of these players were dominant in their time at ASU.
The Sun Devil Club would like to thank Howard for his continued support of Sun Devil Athletics. For more information on ways to get involved with the Sun Devil Club, please contact us.