Urban Meyer named guest speaker at Fiesta Bowl Kickoff Luncheon

The Fiesta Bowl is starting to ramp up preparations for its annual Kickoff Luncheon on Aug. 20, and as part of that, they announced on Thursday that former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer will be the special guest speaker for the event.

The Kickoff Luncheon is held to celebrate the beginning of the Fiesta Bowl season of events, which includes the game itself and the Cheez-It Bowl, among others.

Past guest speakers at the luncheon include Bob Stoops, Lou Holtz and Jake Plummer.

“The Fiesta Bowl has been fortunate to host Urban Meyer several times in his career, watching him evolve into one of the best to ever coach,” Executive Director Mike Nealy said in a press release.

“Urban is one of the most decorated coaches in college football’s storied history and we are excited to have him in Arizona to visit with our fans and share his coaching stories.”

Meyer is no stranger to the Fiesta Bowl, as he had a 3-1 record in four appearances in the game as a head coach. His first Fiesta Bowl win came in 2007 while coaching Utah, and he followed that up with victories in 2007 at Florida and in 2015 at Ohio State.

“I have fond memories of the Fiesta Bowl after winning here early in my career with Utah, a national championship with Florida and then in front of Buckeye Nation, which loves coming out to the Fiesta Bowl,” Meyer said.

“The Fiesta Bowl is one of the premier bowl games in college football and that is a testament to the warm hospitality shown during each of my visits and I am excited to kick off college football with the great people of this organization and of Arizona.”

The Kickoff Luncheon will happen at the Arizona Biltmore, and tables are open to the public at $2,000 for 10 people. A meet-and-greet session for four with Meyer is also being offered at $8,000.