What do Barry Bonds, Kate Spade, and Jimmy Kimmel all have in common? That’s right, they were all Sun Devils and attended Arizona State University!
1. In 1885, the school was founded as the Arizona Territorial Normal School. If the date sounds confusing, that’s because the school was founded 27 years before Arizona actually became a state.
2. The ASU mascot, Sparky the Sun Devil, might look a bit familiar. In fact, the mascot was first created by a former Disney employee Bert Anthony.
3. Speaking of sports, Arizona State is a college baseball powerhouse, sending over 100 players to the MLB.
4. “A” Mountain has been around for a long time. Tempe Butte has been home to the school’s letters since 1918, but back then, it was a “T” and an “N” for Tempe Normal School. Since 1938, though, a large “A” has stood on the side of the mountain facing campus.
5. Across its four campuses, ASU sports a whopping 493 classrooms and has upwards of 75,000 students enrolled, making it one of the largest public universities in the country. A lot of space for a lot of students.
6. Arizona State creates jobs. Like, a lot of jobs. As of just a few years ago, ASU directly employs 20,000+ Arizonans and nearly $1B in wages.
7. ASU’s school colors are maroon and gold. And while there’s nothing particularly notable about the colors themselves, they’ve been the school’s official colors since 1896.
9. ASU’s faculty is held in high regard. Over the years, they’ve had multiple Nobel laureates, 6 Pulitzer Prize winners, 114 Fulbright Scholars, and 27 National Academy members.
10. The Sun Devil Marching Band is one of the best college marching bands. It’s only one of 28 bands to win the prestigious Sudler Trophy, and was one of the earliest winners as well.
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