CHANDLER, Ariz. — A week after he plays in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will be honored at home, as he will be inducted into the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame, the Chandler Museum announced on Feb. 1.
Purdy will be one of seven inductees in the Class of 2024. He will be enshrined along with skateboarder Dashawn Jordan, Hamilton High School golf coach Steve Kanner, former Hamilton and Chandler-Gilbert Community College baseball player Adam Mannon, former Valley Christian volleyball player Melissa Melhorn, former Hamilton star football player and current South Dakota State head football coach Jimmy Rogers and former Hamilton golfer and PGA Tour member Andrew Yun.
The induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 11 a.m. in the auditorium at Hamilton High School, which is located at 3700 S. Arizona Avenue in Chandler. Tickets, which include the induction ceremony and a luncheon, are on sale now. They cost $15 and can be purchased here.
Purdy rose to prominence as the quarterback of the Perry Pumas, leading the team to the 6A state championship game in 2016 and 2017 and earning the title of 2017 Friday Night Fever Offensive Player of the Year.
Purdy holds the 6A record for most passing yards in a season (4,405) — which is eighth in state history — and the 6A record for touchdown passes in a season (57) — which is seventh in state history.
He was named the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year in 2017 and threw for a total of 8,937 yards and 107 touchdowns with the Pumas.
Purdy was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and played college football at Iowa State. Over four seasons with the Cyclones, Purdy threw for 12,170 yards and 81 touchdowns, leading the Cyclones to four straight bowl games, including a victory in the 2021 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
Purdy was famously selected with the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, earning him the title of Mr. Irrelevant. Purdy may now be the most notable player ever to earn the nickname, which has also been bestowed upon kicker Ryan Succop, defensive end Cheta Ozougwu and linebacker Tae Crowder, among others. The most recent Mr. Irrelevant was defensive end Desjuan Johnson from Toledo, who was selected by the Los Angeles Rams with the final pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Purdy began the 2022 season as the 49ers third-string quarterback behind Jimmy Garoppolo and 2021 first-round pick Trey Lance. After Garoppolo and Lance were hurt, Purdy took over as San Francisco's starting QB in Week 14, beating Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his first start.
Purdy became an instant star after that, leading the 49ers to the NFC West division title and an appearance in the 2022 NFC Championship game. However, Purdy injured his elbow early in the Championship game against Philadelphia and the 49ers went on to lose the game.
Purdy's rise led the 49ers to let Garoppolo sign with the Las Vegas Raiders and trade Lance to the Dallas Cowboys after the 2022 season.
Purdy recovered from his injury in time to start the 2023 season and has had an incredible year, throwing for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns and leading San Francisco back to the Super Bowl, where they will look for their first Lombardi Trophy since 1995.
The Chandler Sports Hall of Fame was organized in 2004 by the Chandler Museum and honors "athletes, coaches, teams and administrators who have brought fame and recognition to Chandler through athletic achievement."
Past inductees include former Hamilton, Arizona State and NFL star Terrell Suggs, former Hamilton and Major League Baseball star Cody Bellinger, former Chandler High School and ASU quarterback Bryce Perkins, former Chandler High School and ASU star wide receiver N'Keal Harry, Seton Catholic girls basketball coach Karen Self and Valley Christian head basketball coach Greg Haagsma.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
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. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
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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