Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl holds kickoff luncheon, CFP Executive Director Rich Clark featured guest | News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre & Snoop held its kickoff Luncheon Thursday.

Roughly 900 people gathered at the Westin La Paloma to kick off the bowl’s 10th season in Tucson. 

It’s a new era for the bowl, as it added iconic rapper Snoop Dogg and his brand Gin & Juice as the sponsor.

“We’re so excited,” Arizona Bowl VP of Communications Eric Rhodes said. “Snoop brings a whole new level of energy and excitement. This room is buzzing. It’s a fun thing and it’s a great thing for our community.”

Snoop Dogg wasn’t at the luncheon, but he will be at the game. He’ll serve as an analyst during part of the broadcast. 

During the luncheon, the Arizona Bowl honored Edmund Marquez with the Heather and Jon Volpe Tucson Strong Award. It also recognized new Reds manager Terry Francona with the Dick Tomey Arizona Strong Award. 

One of the highlights of the event: a fireside chat with Rich Clark. He’s a retired Air Force Lieutenant General turned Executive Director of the College Football Playoff (CFP). 

“For 38 years, I talked about war fighting and war,” he said. “Now I wake up and think about football. I love it. I’ll be honest, the pressures are kind of similar because people love football. I love this job. I feel like I’ve been given a great gift.”

“We’ve had Rob Gronkowski and Tedy Bruschi here, but if there’s ever a year to have the Executive Director of the CFP here, it’s this year,” Rhodes said.

Clark’s committee has big decisions to make in the CFP’s first 12-team playoff, but he’s excited for the first year of the expanded playoff. 

“This format is spectacular,” he said. “I think it already has made the season more exciting. It’s going to be exciting right up to the end when we make the final selections. I’m fired up about this. Teams that we’ve never seen in the hunt have a real shot. That makes it even better for all fans.”

The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl kicks off December 28th at Arizona Stadium. You can buy tickets for the game here.