Update from Michele Holyoak

Michele Holyoak

(From Facebook)
July 2, 2024

What do we have… SUN DEVIL PRIDE!

Come and show your Sun Devil Pride and honor Coach’s life with us.

As a family, we feel the very best way to honor his life is by spending time together, reliving old memories with friends and making great music.

You are all invited to attend the

UCF vs. ASU game on November 9, 2024 (game time tbd) where we will commemorate his legacy.

It won’t be the same without each of you! We are grateful to Jim “Hud” Hudson and the University for putting a great deal of effort into honoring him with the entire SDMB Family both past and present. We hope you will help us create the largest Alumni Band in school history. Wouldn’t it be awesome to play some of Coach’s favorite songs with a field completely full from endzone to endzone?

He would want us to catch up, laugh, be together, put on a great show and hug it out. We know this involves travel plans for many of you so we wanted to get this on your calendar.

More details to come, but here is a tentative outline:

Friday- November 8th- Rehearsal with the current SDMB on the band field to prepare for the game. Rehearsal starts at 4pm. Check in will start earlier based on the number of people.

Saturday- November 9th- Game time is TBD and may not be known until the week prior to the game. Other activities that day may include another rehearsal, a pre-game tailgate and, of course, the concert on the stairs.

Sunday- November 10th- Family picnic to allow everyone to share stories, catch up with each other, and honor Coach.

A few answers to questions you may have:

Why aren’t we doing this on ASU Homecoming?

There are a lot of logistical factors that play a part in making this a true celebration of life and honoring the legacy that Coach created here at Arizona State. Please know that the university has been incredibly supportive and eager to make this celebration the best that it can be. Some of the logistics are just exceptionally difficult on a game like Homecoming. Moving to a different game will help make the experience easier and more about Coach than about all the other things that go into a campus-wide event like Homecoming. Among the Homecoming concerns were seating in the stadium and the current SDMB hectic Homecoming schedule. Additionally, this game is on a 3 day weekend which will allow for an extra day of travel and it doesn’t interfere with Thanksgiving travel plans.

There isn’t a day that would be perfect for everyone. It’s an impossible part of planning, but if you can’t make it, know that we will feel your presence and Sun Devil spirit.

Reach out to your squad members and get them all to come! Hope to see you there!

How will I hear about the final details when they are ready?

Well, obviously, if you are on Facebook, we can reach you with details through our Living Tribute page or through the Devil’s Horns Facebook group.

Do you keep in touch with SDMB Alums who aren’t on Facebook? We want to reach as many people as possible. ��Are you thinking about attending? We need to start planning for numbers now.

Help us out by completing this link. You can both update your contact information and let us know if you are able to make it (no commitment yet, registration will be active in early August). But this will help us better communicate with the masses.

I can’t march, but I want to still play. I can’t play my instrument, but I want to be included. I need an instrument. How much will it cost to participate in the Alumni Band festivities?

All great questions. We are working those plans out and will get the information put together as soon as we can. Just mark the weekend down. Make your plans to be there. We will take it from there.

What do we have… SUN DEVIL PRIDE!

~The Fleming Family

Brenda “Mama Coach”, Brian, Michele and families