April 12, 2002

Head Football Coach Tom Craft, Head Men's Basketball Coach Steve Fisher, Baseball Coach Tony Gwynn, and Head Women's Basketball Coach Jim Tomey joined SDSU Executive Director of Athletics and Special Assistant to the President Rick Bay as the keynote speakers at the Kick-off Rally for "The Drive 2002" held at the Aztec Athletic Center on Thursday, April 11th.

The Kick-off Rally marks the official beginning of the AAF's annual campaign to raise funds for student-athlete scholarships at SDSU. Locally based teams of volunteers from throughout San Diego and Orange Counties will compete against each other for the right to be the Aztecs top fundraising group in 2002, as well as great prizes for individual and team results. This year's goal is to raise $1.1 million during the ten-week campaign, which would eclipse last year's record of $960,000.

"To have those five gentlemen take time out of their busy schedules to thank us and send us off into the campaign is truly amazing," said "The Drive 2002" Chairman Craig Nelson. "There's so much positive energy surrounding Aztec Athletics at the moment, and the evening was truly spectacular. Our volunteers are definitely ready for the task at hand, and can't wait to get out into the community and spread the news about Aztec Athletics."

"It was a great evening to kick off our campaign," said AAF Director Pat Kreger. "It was a high energy night, and our volunteers really appreciate seeing the support of our coaching staff and administration. There's no doubt our volunteers left the building last night on a high note, and are ready to capitalize on the momentum our Athletic Department is creating. This is just the start of the journey to a championship level, and it's going to be a fun ride!"

You can help the Aztecs and the AAF reach their ultimate goal of $3 million support for student-athlete scholarships at SDSU, by far the biggest challenge facing the athletic department. Contact Pat Kreger at the AAF at (619) 594-6444 to get in contact with the team in your area as a volunteer fundraiser, and find out more on how you can become an integral part of building a successful Division I athletics program at San Diego State University. It's a great way to get involved with the Aztecs, meet coaches, student-athletes, and athletic department personnel, and join other loyal Aztecs to help build a championship level program in the Mountain West Conference. Be a part of the winning team at SDSU, as the AAF looks to build on the record-setting campaign in 2001, and the momentum created by Steve Fisher's squad appearance in the 2002 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

The teams will again meet at the Aztec Athletic Center on Thursday, April 25th at 6 PM for Report Night #1 to track progress toward the $1.1 million goal. You can track progress on the campaign by frequently checking updates at the SDSU Athletics website, www.goaztecs.com.