AS WE LOOK TO 2024, LET’S LOOK BACK AT OUR TOP 10 SPORTS STORIES FROM 2023
#1 – The SAP Center at San Jose – Where our champions were made with the U.S. Figure Skating and U.S. Gymnastics National Championships in San Jose
In 2023 San Jose became the first city to host both the US Figure Skating National Championships and the US Gymnastics National Championships in the same calendar year. A testament to our partnerships with the City of San Jose, SAP Center at San Jose, Sharks Ice, Tech CU Arena, Visit San Jose and the incredible Northern CA club programs for figure skating and gymnastics.
In addition to the championship competition on the ice at the SAP Center at San Jose, the US Figure Skating Championships also hosted their High-Performance Development Camp at Sharks Ice and Tech CU Arena which saw over 100 of the top junior skaters in the nation.
Approximately 150 of the nation’s best skaters at the juvenile, intermediate and novice levels were invited to the fourth National Development Camp in San Jose to receive instruction from experienced coaches, choreographers, and Team USA athletes. Each athlete is considered as one of the top developing athletes in their discipline. Participation at the camp puts you on the radar for becoming a future Team USA member and to someday represent the United States in international competition.
“The San Jose area has a longstanding history of partnering with our sport, and we can’t wait to return in 2023 with our season’s marquee event,” said USA Gymnastics President and CEO Li Li Leung. “The U.S. Gymnastics Championships are a prime opportunity for fans to get to know the gymnasts who hope to represent Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, while our annual National Congress and Trade Show brings together thousands of community stakeholders from around the country.”
#2 – Gymnastics Superstar Simone Biles
Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles named AP Female Athlete of the Year a third time after dazzling return at the 2023 US Gymnastics Championships at the SAP Center at San Jose where she went on to win her 8th US national title. In addition to her 8 US national all-around titles, Biles is a six-time World all-around champion (2013–2015, 2018–2019, 2023), six-time World floor exercise champion (2013–2015, 2018–2019, 2023), and a four-time World balance beam champion (2014–2015, 2019, 2023), two-time World vault champion (2018–2019) in addition to her SEVEN Olympic gold medals.
She’s just the sixth athlete to win the award three times, having previously won the honor in 2016 and 2019. The accolade caps off what has been a year of triumphant return for Biles, who made her comeback in competitive gymnastics in August at the US Classic in Chicago then to the US Gymnastics Nationals in San Jose dominating the competition which marked her remarkable return to competition in two years. By October, she was a world champion.
#3 – The 28th Annual San Jose Sports Hall of Fame
The 28th Class of Inductees for the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame was one for the record books. From record-setting goal scorers to franchise icons. The 2023 San Jose Sports HOF saw a record number of attendees on Wednesday, November 8 at the Induction Awards Dinner at the SAP Center at San Jose. The Inductee Class of 2023 featured an NCAA & World Cup Champion and US Sports Envoy Ambassador, Lorrie Fair, NHL all-time great & Mr. San Jose Shark, Patrick Marleau, All-Star Major League pitcher, Dave Stieb, and MLS All-Time leading scorer, Earthquakes record holder, Chris Wondolowski.
In addition to honoring these elite athletes, the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame is committed to supporting local sports at all levels. The Hall of Fame also recognized High School Athletes of the Year, from Archbishop Mitty McKenna Woliczko and Danny Scudero; Amateur Athletes of the Year from Stanford University, Rose Zhang and Tommy Troy and the Northern California Special Olympics Athlete of the Year Mathew Francavilla.
#4 – REACH Youth Scholarship Awards Breakfast
On May 19 we hosted our REACH Youth Scholarship Awards Breakfast presented by Heritage Bank of Commerce at the San Jose Marriott Hotel. The inspirational breakfast distributed over $70,000 in college scholarships to forty deserving Santa Clara County high school seniors. Our REACH honorees and their families were treated to an amazing program with emcee Robert Braunstein of 49ers CalHi Sports, a powerful keynote from Honorary Co-Chair Ronnie Lott with a message from Brandi Chastain, followed by messages of hope from Mayor Matt Mahan and inspiration from five-time Paralympian Matt Scott.
REACH is an acronym for Recognizing Excellence, Adversity, Courage and Hard Work. The San Jose Sports Authority established the REACH scholarship program in 1996 and announced the first class of recipients in 1997, making this year’s recipients the 27th class of student-athletes to receive the honor. Since its inception in the 1996-97 school year, the REACH Youth Scholarship Program has provided over $500,000 in funding to Santa Clara County high school seniors that come from limited means and great adversity but continue to overcome and are pursuing a higher education.
#5 – Professional Women’s Soccer Returns to San Jose with the NWSL’s Bay FC
Women’s professional soccer is back! Bay FC, the NWSL’s newest expansion team, will play at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., when it joins the league with their home opener on Saturday, March 30, 2024.
“This is something we’ve been working on for almost three years, and to reach this point and officially be accepted into the NWSL is both a dream come true and a motivator, because now it’s time to start building,” said Danielle Slaton, Co-Founder of the Club, Santa Clara ’02, Olympic silver medalist, NCAA National Champion, 2003 U.S. Women’s World Cup defender, and Chair of the U.S. Soccer Yates Implementation Committee. “We are grateful, eager, and humbled by the chance to play an active role in shaping this league and leading our sport towards a brighter future of lasting growth and change.”
“The Bay Area is where this all began,” said Brandi Chastain, Co-Founder of the Club, Santa Clara ’90, two-time FIFA World Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist. “We are as excited about what this club will achieve on the field of play as we are for what it will represent for generations of women athletes and professionals yet to come. We look forward to the Bay fans embracing our team and celebrating the competitive spirit and talent we will put onto the field to continue the strong Bay tradition of playing to win championships.”
#6 – Ironman’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Street Races and Health Expo
Our 15th running of the Ironman Rock-n-Roll Races was back in stride on the streets of Downtown San Jose on Saturday, September 30th with the Kids Race and 5K and on Sunday, October 1st the 10K and Half Marathon. Vibrancy is defined as the state of being full of energy and life. I think this picture of Taylor running in our Ironman Rock-n-Roll Kids Rock Race the San Jose Sports Authority is hosting in Downtown San Jose sums that up best!
Taylor is just one of the over 11,000 runners that will take to our streets to show that we can produce a vibrant and energetic scene in Downtown San Jose despite what you may have read or heard from the naysayers. You want to make a change in your community, then be like Taylor and be active, dynamic, energetic, lively, spirited, vigorous, and vivid on your course and turn your passion into purpose. Just like the mural behind Taylor … the Future is Ours! Thank you to the Ironman Rock-n-Roll team and Ryan Bethke @rwbmultimedia for this amazing image of what our future can be.
#7 – Dwight Clark Legacy Series to benefit the Golden Heart Fund at the California Theater
Dwight Clark’s tangible contribution to the 49ers’ dynasty of the 1980s was his production as a wide receiver. Most notably, Clark authored the most famous play in franchise history, “The Catch,” which lifted the organization to its first Super Bowl in January of 1982. The Dwight Clark Legacy Series is an annual event featuring themed roundtable conversations with former and current 49ers, and the presentation of the Dwight Clark Award. 100% of the money the Dwight Clark Legacy Series raises will be donated to The Golden Heart Fund. The DCLS night consisted of a lively night of conversations with some of the most dynamic playmakers and game changers in 49ers history as we celebrated the legacy of Dwight Clark. Attention all members of the 49ers Faithful, this is a BUCKET LIST event to attend and more importantly – to contribute to a great cause. 2024 Save-the-Date – Thursday, May 16 at the California Theater in San Jose.
On May 10 at the California Theater, 49ers Head coach Kyle Shanahan, Jerry Rice, Christian McCaffrey, John Taylor, Fred Warner and more shared their stories that delighted the Faithful in attendance. The Dwight Clark Award was awarded to Warner who best exemplifies Clark’s spirit of teamwork and camaraderie.
Coach Shanahan’s interview on stage, his honesty in sharing his coaching philosophy on player development and why Brock Purdy is the starter over Trey Lance was incredible, completely changed so many people’s thoughts on Shanahan. The interview of TJ Rogers and Mike Holmgren by Brent Jones was fascinating. TJ Rogers shared how his business philosophy was shaped by the coaching principles of Vince Lombardi and he follows those to this day.
Holmgren shared great lessons learned from Bill Walsh and his experience in coaching Joe Montana, Steve Young and Brent Favre was riveting and Brent was awesome, humble and the perfect host for the topic. What more can be said about Bryant Young, so fitting for him to present Fred Warner with the Dwight Clark Award and that was such a special moment and great onstage interview. The final session with Christian McCaffrey, Jerry Rice and John Taylor was great, and JT stole the show with his candor, humor and humility. The G.O.A.T Jerry Rice and Christian McCaffrey were great, but Taylor was the real deal. For more info on the 2024 Golden Heart Fund Dwight Clark Legacy Series, visit https://goldenheartfund.org/.
#8 – NCAA Men’s Golf Regional Championship at The Institute
We were thrilled to join our host partners San Jose State and The Institute Golf Club to host the NCAA Men’s Golf Regional Championship at the spectacular Institute Golf Club May 14-17. The field included Florida State, Mississippi State, Arizona, Louisville, Baylor, Missouri, BYU, NC State, California, Charlotte, Grand Canyon and Northern Colorado plus ten individual golfers that included Julien Paltrinieri of Santa Clara and Caleb Shetler of San Jose State. Mississippi State punched its ticket to the 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship on Wednesday after winning the Morgan Hill Regional as the only team below par.
Joining Mississippi State in advancing were BYU, Florida State, Baylor and Pepperdine. Caleb Shetler closed out his time at the NCAA Morgan Hill Invitational on Wednesday, shooting a final-round 74 (+2) for the second day in a row. Of the six NCAA Men’s Golf Regionals, the Institute Golf Club proved to be the ultimate test of championship golf with the lowest score for a championship at -1 under par.
A special thank you to our amazing partners behind the ropes that made the NCAA Regional Championship such a success. First to our co-hosts San Jose State with the Men’s Golf Head Coach John Kennaday, Golf Director of Operations Eileen Sandoc Yen, Athletics staff of Amy Villa, Sky Kerstein, Scott MacDonald and Stephen Bartlinski and to the Institute’s Jeffrey Sanchez, Greg Fitzgerald, Tyler Ward and Superintendent Juan Altamirano. A special thanks to the NCAA Rules Official Jim Moriarty and our NCAA Director of Golf John Baldwin and NCAA Golf Committee member Michael Levy of TCU.
#9 – Bay Area Panthers win the Indoor Football League Championship
In 2022, the Bay Area Panthers played their inaugural IFL season at the SAP Center finishing with a 1-15 record. Lessons learned and challenges accepted as they moved forward to year number 2, and what a year it was. In 2023, the Panthers physical brand of football led them to a 13-5 record with an incredibly strong finish, winning their last five games and capturing the IFL National Championship. They are the second team in two years to go from one win to champions. The Panthers trio of Justin Rankin, JT Stokes and IFL National Championship MVP, Dalton Sneed, made up one of the best offenses in the league. 2024 Save the date – Sunday, March 31 as the defending IFL Champions open the season versus their rival the Arizona Rattlers at the SAP Center. Visit https://bayareapanthers.com/ to get your tickets for the 2024 season!
#10 – Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic ends their run of 50+ years as the longest continued women’s professional tennis tournament with their departure from the Bay Area
After the successful 2022 tournament at the San Jose State Tennis Complex, the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic had decided to combine their women’s tournament with the ATP’s Citi DC Open in Washington DC to create the Mubadala Citi DC Open, the only 500-level combined event on tour. Absolutely devastating to our tennis community to have the longest running women’s professional tournament, founded by tennis icon Billie Jean King and hosted in the Bay Area for over 50-years relocate to the East Coast. The San Jose Sports Authority thank the incredible efforts of San Jose State University, Visit San Jose and the City of San Jose for their support of the tournament over the years.
