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Fiesta Bowl CEO Erik Moses brings leadership, representation from NASCAR to college football
Moses is one of the most influential Black execs in college sports: ‘I’m not going to shy away from holding up that mantle’
He’s been the CEO of the Fiesta Bowl for just over a year, and as the head of a once-a-year event this is a question that Erik Moses hears often:
What’s day-to-day the other 11 months?
“I get asked that all the time,” Moses said, laughing. “Our motto, or tagline: We’re more than just a game.”
That’s because as the CEO and president of the Fiesta Bowl featuring No. 8 Oregon vs No. 23 Liberty (Jan. 1, 1 p.m., ESPN), Moses is actually the head of the Fiesta Bowl Organization which includes a second bowl game (the Guaranteed Rate Bowl which featured Kansas and UNLV on Dec. 26) as well as a multitude of other events including the Fiesta Bowl parade.
“There’s a golf challenge, a kickoff luncheon and other initiatives that bring attention to high school athletes,” Moses said. “There’s also a charitable extension that gives between $1 [million] and $3 million dollars a year to nonprofits serving youth sports and education and grants to teachers.”
Moses’ position as one of the most influential African Americans in college sports follows a two-year stint as the President of Nashville Superspeedway, where he helped reopen a dormant track (it closed in 2011) as it returned to hosting NASCAR series events in 2021.
As a Black man leading a southern NASCAR racetrack in a predominantly white sport, Moses clearly had an interest in motorsports, right?
“At the time, I wasn’t a fan,” Moses admits. “I didn’t know the ins and outs of NASCAR and of motorsports, generally.”
Yet Moses’ qualifications to do the job in Nashville were impeccable with his venue management stint as the CEO of the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission as well as his role as senior vice president of Events DC.
Fiesta Bowl
As the first Black NASCAR track president, Moses’ biggest challenge was winning over the local motorsports lifers who were critical of the return of NASCAR series races at the Nashville Superspeedway, about 20 miles east of downtown. Those critics preferred the races be held at the Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, located just outside of Nashville’s bustling downtown.
“A lot of people were upset including people like Dale Earnhardt Jr.,” Moses said of the stock car racing driver who is the son of Dale Earnhardt, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. “But the race turned out to be a huge success. So successful that Dale, who was on the broadcast team of the race, texted me with a full-throated mea-culpa.”
“The text said: ‘I’m sorry, I was wrong,’ Moses added. “To have someone like that make note of what we were able to accomplish, that’s one of the highlights of my career.”
That success in Nashville put Moses in the crosshairs of the Fiesta Bowl, which was seeking a new president/CEO following the 2022 departure of Mike Nealy after eight years. Moses entered the job with bowl experience having helped develop the Military Bowl (formerly the EagleBank Bowl, the first NCAA-sanctioned bowl game in Washington, D.C.) as well as the AT&T Nation’s Classic (one of the many classics featuring HBCU teams).
“It was important to identify the right executive who could guide the future of the Fiesta Bowl, and also help build innovative ways to engage our fans, community, stakeholders and partners at every touchpoint,” said Randal Norton, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Fiesta Bowl. “Erik is a dynamic leader with deep community ties, a strong professional network across industries, and we are proud to have him leading our organization.”
With his previous bowl experiences, Moses understood the nuances of putting on once-a-year events.
“A lot goes into putting on bowls: the mix and pecking order for choosing teams, and having your contractual ties and backup ties with conferences,” Moses said. “You also have to factor in which teams are going to travel better and which ones have a larger alumni base in your region.”
Moses envisions taking some of what he’s learned from his previous bowl experiences, and implementing some of those elements in the events surrounding the Fiesta Bowl.
“If you saw Alabama State leading the Macy’s Day parade, I’d like to inject some of that energy (into the Fiesta Bowl parade),” Moses said. “It would be nice to bring some of those traditions to people here in the southwest, a part of the country where you don’t have HBCUs.”
The Fiesta Bowl hosted last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal game between TCU and Michigan. With the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams next season, Moses is excited to see the bowl be a part of the CFP on a more regular basis.
“Given all of the rapidly changing aspects and elements of college athletics, I’m trying to look around corners and figure out what happens in the next media deal, and what the College Football Playoff looks like,” Moses said. “How do we ensure that we remain not only prominent, but that we also help bring positive economic impact to Arizona and the valley?”
The more the Fiesta Bowl plays in determining future college football champions, the brighter the spotlight on Moses as one of few African Americans to be president and CEO of one college football’s biggest showcase events.
“I don’t set out to be any kind of pioneer or trailblazer or anything like that, but I’m not going to shy away from holding up that mantle,” Moses said. “Representation matters, and I’m going to do my part to make certain that people know things like this are possible.”
Even before the Fiesta Bowl crowns its winner on Jan. 1, Moses is already thinking about the 2025 game.
“This is a 12-month-a-year job, and we’ll continue to work to improve our events,” Moses said. “I stand on the shoulders of many people who have, for decades, made this an event the entire state can be proud of. I want to continue that legacy.”