Sun Devil Vault

September 29, 1967: Manzanita Hall opens in Tempe. Built in just 16 months as an 800-student women’s dorm, it became Arizona’s tallest building at the time. “Manzy” went co-ed in the 1970s and is still an iconic landmark on @ASU’s Tempe campus. #SunDevilVault

@CactusSportsAZ 🏆!

@SunDevilVault 1986

#SunDevilVaultTrivia - The historic W.A. Moeur House in Tempe was built in 1910. In 1973 the property was converted into a restaurant under the literal name "9th and Ash,” as shown on the wooden signage with the Porsche Speedster out front. The 9th and Ash restaurant would later become a popular Tempe haunt ’til this day… Casey Moore's Oyster House. Q: What year did 9th & Ash become Casey Moore’s?

Younger fans, this is why “The Catch” holds such a special place in Sun Devil lore. ASU entered this game 10-0. Arizona was 9-1. Beyond the Territorial Cup trophy, the winner would claim the Western Athletic Conference championship, earn a Fiesta Bowl berth, and position themselves as one of the nation’s elite teams. Jefferson’s catch completely flipped the momentum of what many consider the biggest Territorial Cup game ever played, and players from that team often say it was the emotional turning point that changed everything.

Tempe, November 1975 | Arguably the most iconic play in Arizona State football history 🔱 No 8 @ASUFootball trailed No 12 Arizona 14–3 late in the first half. With 0:30 on the clock Sun Devil QB Dennis Sproul threw an 8-yard pass toward the back of the end zone, where a fully-extended John Jefferson made a spectacular catch for a score. Kush’s @TheSunDevils then fought back in the second half to secure a 24–21 #TerritorialCup win | #SunDevilVault

#SunDevilVault Arizona State HC Dixie Howell’s 1939 Bulldogs fielded one of the greatest defenses in school history. On Oct. 7, 1939 the Bulldogs defeated Cal Poly 35–0 for its third straight shutout to open the season. (See Billboard promoting the game 📸). They finished the year allowing just 56 points in 11 games (5.1 PPG), capturing the Border Conference championship and earning the program’s first-ever bowl berth (1940 Sun Bowl). More on Dixie Howell… He arrived in Tempe after leading Alabama to a national championship in 1934 at halfback. His resume included Consensus All-American, SEC Player of the Year (1934) and a two-time First Team All-SEC selection (1933–34). Howell is still considered one the greatest players in Crimson Tide history.

@ASUFootball @TheSunDevils @KennyDillingham @CoachBC_ @aguanos @mvp84hinesward @CoachOmura @RisingSunDevils

MR. SUN DEVIL From the Bulldogs days to the rise of the Sun Devils, Bill Kajikawa (1912–2010) truly embodied the nickname “Mr. Sun Devil.” A three‑year Arizona State football letterman from 1934–1936 and an All‑Border Conference fullback, he returned to Tempe as a multi‑sport coach in football, basketball, and baseball, and as a professor shaping generations of students. He even stepped away from campus during World War II to serve in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated combat unit in U.S. Army history. Quietly, Kajikawa built the culture that later legends like Frank Kush would inherit, with Kush himself saying Kajikawa epitomized what Sun Devil Athletics stands for. Over 40+ years in Tempe (retiring in 1978), he helped lay the foundation for ASU’s identity — proof that this program’s history is built on teachers, soldiers, and mentors who did the work when nobody was watching. Bill Kajikawa. #SunDevilForLife

@danspence2006 @ASUFootball @TheSunDevils 🏆

@SunDevilVault @ASUFootball @TheSunDevils My first year at ASU😎 Spagnola was awesome, especially in Peach Bowl Fans chanting Ah You Ah You Ah You Fabulous environment 🤩

Schedule/results for Frank Kush’s 1970 undefeated WAC Champion Sun Devils: Sep 19: Colorado State 38–9 (H) Sep 26: Kansas State 35–13 (H) Oct 3: Wyoming 52–3 (A) Oct 10: Washington State 37–30 (H) Oct 17: BYU 27–3 (A) Oct 24: UTEP 42–13 (N) Nov 7: San Jose State 46–10 (H) Nov 14: Utah 37–14 (H) Nov 21: New Mexico 33–21 (H) Dec 5: Arizona 10–6 (A) Dec 30: North Carolina 48–26 (Peach Bowl, N) 1970 Final AP Poll: 1. Nebraska (11-0-1) 2. Notre Dame (10-1) 3. Texas (10-1) 4. Tennessee (11-1) 5. Ohio State (9-1) 6. Arizona State (11-0) Pictured: #11 Joe Spagnola (QB), #82 Junior Ah You (DE), #30 Calvin Demery (WR), #53 Bob Davenport (DT), #61 Gary Venturo (G), Others-unidentified.

Tempe Normal School welcomed its first 33 students in a single four-room schoolhouse in 1886. During World War II, enrollment fell to just 553 students in Fall 1945 before surging as veterans returned to campus. Arizona State’s transformation into a university in 1958 coincided with explosive postwar growth, reaching approximately 26,000 students by 1970. Enrollment over the next four decades more than doubled to about 70,000 in 2010. Since then, fueled largely by the expansion of @ASU Online, the university has experienced its steepest growth yet. ⏬ How steep? Fall 2026 enrollment reached 160,114 students (half in person, half online), making Arizona State University the largest public university in the United States. #SunDevilVault

74,963. 📈 The largest crowd in Sun Devil Stadium history witnessed absolute magic. On Nov 9, 1996, undefeated @ASUFootball crushed the Cal Bears 35–7 to punch their ticket to the Rose Bowl. Lightning had struck twice: It was the second time in a decade a home win over Cal sent the Devils to Pasadena (1986)🌹 @TheSunDevils

Most modern accounts list it as the school's first mascot, but some archivists argue "Owls" was never an official nickname and that the story gained traction through a well-known team photo and decades of repetition! The retelling of the story over the years even found its way into ASU athletic history materials. Real or not, the owl is the perfect mascot for a teachers college. Great🔱trivia.

@SunDevilVault @ASUFootball @TheSunDevils It was actually just someone's pet in the picture. I was schooled on this before. I always liked the thought we were The Owls for a brief moment. 😭

127 years ago, November 30, 1899. Pictured with the owl mascot and the original Territorial Cup trophy, the Tempe Normal School (ASU) football team pose to celebrate their 11-2 victory over U of A in the inaugural rivalry game. @ASUFootball @TheSunDevils #TerritorialCup #SunDevilVault

@ProducerWes @ASUFootball @TheSunDevils Research incoming!

@MattyInSedona ✅

WOW!! AWESOME HISTORY LESSON!! 👊🔥🔱.... MIGHT Be Wrong, but I Think it's the Oldest Rivalry Trophy in College Football...The "Territorial Cup"

@BWard1966 💪 newspapers.com/article/tucson…

@SunDevilVault Does anyone have a picture of the ASU-Arizona football game MVP Trophy, which is an abstract sculpture by Ben Goo, previously used as the game trophy, before the Territorial Cup was found? Former Arizona coach Tony Mason once said that the trophy should be given to the loser.

🏆 LOST FOR 84 YEARS - On November 26, 1983, hours before the latest ASU–Arizona showdown, a remarkable piece of Sun Devil history resurfaced. The trophy from the very first football game between Arizona State’s predecessor school and Arizona in 1899 was discovered in a closet at Tempe’s First Congregational Church. The tarnished trophy had apparently sat unnoticed for decades before being identified and returned to ASU. #SunDevilVault @ASUFootball #TerritorialCup

October 26, 1971: @ASUFootball QB Danny White poses for a photo after a remarkable week. Three days earlier, the future 1973 All-American threw SIX touchdown passes in a 60-28 victory over New Mexico. Originally signed by ASU on an @ASU_Baseball scholarship, White finished his Sun Devil football career with a 32-4 record as a starter and three Fiesta Bowl wins. A true ASU icon. #SunDevilVault