Change the future with Sun Devil Athletics
Advancing ASU through sport
Arizona State University is building a thriving future in Arizona and across the globe. Sun Devil Athletics is a key driver of that vision.
ASU’s Charter guides every facet of the university, including Sun Devil Athletics.
The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics saw 24 Sun Devils – past, present and future – compete for their countries on the world’s biggest stage. Sun Devil Athletics has accumulated 25 NCAA team national championships, including a record eight in women’s golf. That mark is tied for the 23rd most for an institution ahead of such storied athletic programs as Notre Dame, Duke and Nebraska. These championships bring pride and recognition to ASU from across the globe.
With its move to the Big 12 conference, Sun Devil Athletics has also positioned itself for increased exposure due to a robust TV rights package that enables households around the country to access ASU like never before. For context, ASU’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup against Texas made history with 17.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched bowl game with a kickoff before 3 p.m. EST ever. It was also the fifth-most watched college football game all season.
Sun Devil Athletics will serve as a front porch to ASU within the community and across the nation.
ASU outpaced 66 countries as they combined for nine medals, unifying Sun Devils around the world and signaling an arrival of ASU on the international stage.
Enhancing the fan experience
Sun Devil Athletics brings our community together for unforgettable experiences.
The Sun Devils foster unity among fans who hail from around the world.
“With every game and every competition, we are committed to creating electric environments and fan experiences that start long before the games and last for lifetimes,” says Graham Rossini, athletics director at Sun Devil Athletics. “We believe that we can unite students, alumni and our communities through sport to create Sun Devil fans who are proud to root for our student-athletes as they push themselves to new levels of mental and physical abilities.”
Beyond athletic achievement, Sun Devil Athletics plays a vital role in the university and the greater community, enhancing the university experience, fostering Sun Devil pride, generating economic growth, and driving community impact.
ASU athletic venues have hosted everything from Super Bowls to superstars including Madonna and Elvis Presley. Our facilities have served us well, yet they require updates to meet the present and future needs of our community. Alongside the creation of the Novus Innovation Corridor, we have a special opportunity to improve our athletic facilities, ensuring ASU is always able to put its best foot forward as it continues to compete at the highest levels and on the largest stages.
The relocation of athletic facilities such as the indoor football training facility, the Whiteman Tennis Center and Sun Angel Stadium and the improvement of facilities like Desert Financial Arena will enable ASU to provide elevated entertainment experiences for fans and provide championship level resources to ensure student-athletes have everything they need to proudly represent ASU and bring more championships home to Tempe.
Through Changing Futures, ASU will reimagine key sports complexes so we can offer even more unforgettable experiences and strengthen our community by creating a place to conduct business, athletics, and arts and entertainment in our hometown.
During the 2024 season, Sun Devil Football compiled a total attendance of 293,901, the highest mark for a season featuring six home contests since 2014, when the stadium’s capacity was more than 10,000 seats higher than present day.
As of the fall of 2022, the average GPA for a Sun Devil student-athlete was 3.3 with 76% of all student-athletes earning “Scholar Baller” status. 110 student-athletes achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Building the next generation of leaders
Through academic support, leadership development, and community engagement, Sun Devil Athletics continues to shape the next generation of leaders while uniting Sun Devil Nation.
“Our nearly 700 student-athletes represent 40 countries and compete in 26 varsity sports,” says Graham Rossini, athletics director at Sun Devil Athletics. “And we don’t just focus on them as athletes, we think about the whole human being and what will set each of them up for success long after graduation.”
Sun Devil Athletics prioritizes holistic development through programs like Tip of the Fork, which provides student-athletes with leadership training, career preparation, mental health resources, and community service opportunities. These initiatives empower studentathletes to become lifelong ambassadors of ASU, engaged citizens, and future leaders in their professions and communities.
Through mentorship programs, youth engagement, and outreach efforts, ASU student-athletes serve as role models who inspire the next generation. These efforts reinforce ASU’s commitment to access, inclusion, and innovation, ensuring that every student-athlete has the opportunity to thrive.
Through Changing Futures, we will empower Sun Devils to reach their full potential – on the field, in the classroom, and in life.
As financial pressures and evolving regulations reshape college athletics, ASU is proactively addressing the challenges surrounding scholarships, student-athlete benefits, and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities. By staying ahead of these changes, Sun Devil Athletics ensures that studentathletes receive the support and resources necessary to thrive in this new era of collegiate sports.
Sun Devil Athletics: pioneering solutions
Shaping the future of Sun Devil Athletics, where innovation meets impact.
Sun Devil Athletics is committed to leveraging cuttingedge technology, strategic partnerships, and forwardthinking initiatives to enhance the student-athlete experience, elevate performance, and drive impactful change for the university and beyond.
Revolutionizing Sports Medicine & Performance – Sun Devil Athletics has forged relationships with industry leaders, providing ASU with an inside connection to medical device innovation that benefits not only studentathletes but also the broader community. Additionally, ASU is at the forefront of exploring the impact of extreme heat on human performance, utilizing a state-of-the-art thermal manikin to develop groundbreaking solutions that enhance athlete safety and optimize performance in hightemperature conditions.
Advancing Sports Media & Production – With ASU’s transition to the Big 12 Conference, the university is taking on full ESPN-quality production of athletic events. To meet this demand, ASU will develop state-of-the-art production studios, creating a hub for innovation and collaboration between Sun Devil Athletics, the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. This initiative not only ensures top-tier broadcasts of Sun Devil Athletics but also provides unparalleled experiential learning for students, preparing them for careers in sports media and production.
Change futures by supporting
Because they must balance rigorous academic and athletic schedules, our student-athletes need customized support to ensure they are fully prepared for a bright future after graduation. Our student success initiative will help every studentathlete become educated, skilled, and workforce-ready at ASU through a tailored combination of resources that will offer academic support, leadership development, mentorship and career development.
community
The construction of the Novus Innovation Corridor, a major development project to enhance ASU’s surroundings, requires the relocation of university athletic facilities, including Whiteman Tennis Center, the Sun Devil Football practice facility and Sun Angel Stadium. ASU can leverage this opportunity to make major athletic facility enhancements that will strengthen Sun Devil Athletics and make a positive economic impact across our Tempe community.
Increasing global temperatures pose unique challenges for athletes and the facilities where they perform. ASU’s exploration of the impact of heat on human performance will leverage a state-of-theart manikin to develop innovative solutions for athletes to elevate their performance safely in extreme heat. The Global Center for Sustainable Golf Futures will drive principled, inclusive, sustainabilityoriented innovation to advance golf into its next evolution through cutting-edge research and community action.
Sun Devil Athletics
Inspire tomorrow’s game changers
Sun Devil Athletics faces increasing financial pressure and evolving regulations around how studentathletes receive benefits through scholarships and monetizing their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). Endowments for leadership positions and operational programming will play a vital role in supporting the growing needs of our athletic department by sustaining our work in perpetuity while NIL and scholarship funding will enable ASU to recruit top-level studentathletes, enhancing ASU’s visibility and reputation for the benefit of our entire university community.
Build the future of health Advance technology for good
Collegiate athletes need holistic care as they continually push the boundaries to improve their competitive edge while also engaging in rigorous coursework to earn an academic degree. Sun Devil Athletics is investing in major efforts to enhance human performance that will provide our student-athletes with optimal nutritional support for training and competition, wearable technologies to analyze performance and prevent injury and mental and behavioral health guidance that will support their well-being as they juggle responsibilities on and off the field.
With ASU’s shift to the Big 12, our university must now handle full ESPN-quality production for our athletic events. To achieve this, we will build out stateof-the-art production studios for our athletic events and bring together students and faculty from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts to broadcast our athletic events. This offers students real-world sports media production experience and enables us to showcase our athletic programs like never before.
About Us
Welcome to a new era for ASU Sun Devil fans, students, student-athletes and coaches. As we embark on our journey into the Big 12, the Sun Devils are guided by new leadership and a mission focused on creating deeper, more meaningful connections across the Sun Devil Nation.
ASU Athletics has a rich history of tradition and excellence that continues to be focused on a future centered on innovation and success on and off the field of play.
With every competition, ASU Athletics is committed to creating electric environments and fan experiences that start long before the games and last for lifetimes. We believe that we can unite students, alumni and our communities through sport to create Sun Devil fans who are proud to root for our studentathletes as they push themselves to new levels of accomplishment.
ASU’s tradition of excellence is fueled by those who believe in the power of intercollegiate athletics to change lives and create future leaders!
ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.
ASU Charter