TEMPE, Ariz. — With major wins under the team's belt and the chance for a college football playoff appearance, there's no denying it: The Arizona State football program has come a long way under Kenny Dillingham.
Today marks two years since he was introduced as ASU's new head football coach — which Dillingham told reporters on day one was his dream job.
"This is literally home. Home," Dillingham said at his introductory press conference in 2022. "... I'm gonna be fired up to be here, fired up to be a Sun Devil."
Dillingham is a Sun Devil through and through: he's an eighth-generation Arizonan, a graduate of Chaparral High School and married to his high school sweetheart — who is also a Sun Devil — and even began his coaching career at his high school alma mater before becoming ASU's head coach.
People had their doubts about a 32-year-old taking on his first head coaching job. But when he looks back on his first day, he doesn't remember the doubts.
"It was exciting, I mean, that's what I remember," Dillingham said. "I remember thinking 'Wow, this is real.'"
Two years later, Dillingham has the Sun Devils on the verge of a college playoff appearance. But to do that, they need to take care of business in Tucson and win the Territorial Cup, a feat that escaped the Sun Devils in 2023. The University of Arizona Wildcats beat the Sun Devils 59-23 last season.
ASU is 9-2 this season and U of A is 4-7.
"Currently, in five days, if we don't win on Saturday, we're not in the college football playoffs... You've got to take every game one day at a time," Dillingham said. "It's awesome to see how far these guys have come, how much work these guys have put in to get to this point, and these guys have poured a lot into this season, a lot into the off-season, and they deserve what's happening for them."
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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