On Our Board:
Bill Gates

Looking back at 16 years of contributions to San Jose

Completing our annual report has made me reflect on the San Jose Sports Authority’s past and the realization we've been in existence for 16 years. While I confess to lacking any objectivity, I believe this organization has made a significant contribution over the years and has had a very positive impact on our city and its residents.

Considering the nearly 200 events we have brought to San Jose, now is also a good time to thank the many people and organizations that have worked so hard in helping the Sports Authority succeed.

We've had extraordinary leadership from our chairs and board members over the years, and we've been fortunate to have a gifted and dedicated staff. Our three major universities – San Jose State, Santa Clara and Stanford – have been exceptional allies and partners in hosting major events, especially the many NCAA Championships we have co-hosted. The same can be said for the San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau, HP Pavilion leadership and staff, its sister organization, Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, and the City of San José and its Office of Economic Development. Also, I can’t forget to mention the countless volunteers who have worked on the events that have been here, donating their time and energy to help our events succeed.

Thank you all for making such a difference.

Hope everyone has a very happy holiday season.

Dean Munro
Executive Director

The 2005-06 year was a big one for San Jose sports and the Sports Authority. The city hosted eight events and won the rights to host four new events in the future.

Complete details are covered in our annual report, now available online in PDF format for downloading and printing.

The top events of the past year in terms of financial impact and media exposure were the Canary Foundation Grand Prix of San José presented by Taylor Woodrow and the Dew Action Sports Tour Toyota Challenge. The race last July was televised in 180 countries. The Dew Action Sports Tour at HP Pavilion was seen in 141 countries.

The key new event is the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, which will bring eight teams to San Jose for the first two rounds with six games in HP Pavilion over two days.

The second annual Amgen Tour of California – the nation's top professional cycling stage race – returns to San Jose on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2007.

City Hall will be the finish line for Stage 3, a road race from Stockton to San Jose. The finish of last year's Martinez-to-San Jose stage drew more than 15,000 spectators downtown, and the eight-day event was seen in person by more than a million fans.

Three top pro teams have already committed to the second running of the tour including the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, Team CSC (last year's first-place team) and Predictor-Lotto.

The eight-day race, which begins Feb. 18 with a prologue in San Francisco and concludes Feb. 25 with a criterium in Long Beach, will be nationally televised on the Versus cable network, formerly the Outdoor Life Network.

More than 700 people attended the 12th annual San Jose Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner last month to honor inductees (L-R) Walt McPherson, Jennifer Azzi and Bill McPherson.

You can view and purchase photos from this gala evening at HP Pavilion and get the answers to the 2006 Hall of Fame trivia contest.

Nominate an athlete, coach or other person who made an extraordinary contribution to sports in Santa Clara County here for consideration for the 2007 Class of Inductees.

San Jose State has been invited to play in the inaugural New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque on Dec. 23, its first bowl trip since 1990 and its first ever bowl trip out of state.

The Spartans will play New Mexico in a game to be nationally telecast live at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN. The bowl invitation was extended after San Jose State defeated Idaho 28-13 on Nov. 25. to run its record to 7-4. The Spartans rank 17th nationally in rushing offense, and junior quarterback Adam Tafralis, left, has completed 66.38 percent of his passes, the best in school history.

The bowl invitation caps a comeback from a 3-8 season a year ago. The Spartans' most recent bowl appearance was a 48-24 victory over Central Michigan in the 1990 Raisin Bowl in Fresno. Overall, they have a 4-3 bowl record dating to their 1947 Raisin Bowl victory over Utah State.

Tickets can be purchased online here.

The Pete Newell Challenge made its first visit to San Jose on Sunday, and the two host teams split the college basketball doubleheader.

Stanford knocked off Texas Texas 70-59 with Brook Lopez coming off the bench to store 18 points in 17 minutes. The Cardinal is now 6-1. Cal fell 77-71 to Nevada, and the Bears record dropped to 6-2.

It was the 10th anniversary for the event honoring 90-year-old Newell, the Bay Area basketball legend who coached Cal to its only NCAA basketball title. As part of the festivities surrounding the doubleheader's first appearance in San Jose, Newell appeared along with Bob Knight (right), Texas Tech coach, and the coaches of the three other teams, Trent Johnson of Stanford, Ben Braun of Cal and Mike Fox of Nevada, at a VIP reception Saturday night at the Fairmont

The Sports Authority has submitted a bid to host the Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion for five years beginning in 2008, when the current contract at Los Angeles' Staples Center expires. The tournament has been held in LA since 2002, and it is considered likely to retain the tournament.

Fox Sports owns the rights to the tournament, which is being expanded from eight teams to the conference's full 10 teams this March. Fox just extended its contract for five years, also beginning in 2008.

The tournament runs four days each March with the first three days of competition televised on Fox Sports Net and the final day on CBS. There are several ancillary events including a golf tournament, luncheon, fan fest, 3-on-3 shootout competition and Hall of Honor Banquet. The tournament would fill a minimum of 515 hotel rooms per night.

Portland's Rose Garden, home to the NBA Portland Blazers, is also a bidder.