Ryan Hatch grew up in Utah chasing a dream familiar to many young athletes: competing at the next level. His sport of choice was tennis, and by the early 1990s, he appeared destined for a scholarship. Injuries, however, forced him to change course to broadcasting.
“I found that the only thing I loved more than playing sports was talking about them,” Hatch says.
At the time, sports talk radio was still in its infancy. When his home state prepared to launch its first station dedicated to the all-sports format, Hatch persuaded the management team to give him a chance despite still being in high school.
“By the time I graduated in 1997, I was in management, helping build the station’s presence across Salt Lake,” says Hatch.
He left the field temporarily to pursue a political science degree at the University of Utah, but by 2001, he was back behind the microphone, hosting his own show on the station while serving as the organization’s program director. During his time as an on-air host, his alma mater earned a Fiesta Bowl berth.
Hatch traveled to Arizona to cover the game in 2005 and noticed a group of volunteers in bright yellow jackets. They were members of the Fiesta Sports Foundation’s prestigious Yellow Jacket Committee, and their commitment to service left a lasting impression.
“Outside of the Olympics and the Karl Malone-John Stockton Utah Jazz era, the Fiesta Bowl was the biggest thing to happen in Utah sports history,” Hatch says. “The only thing as cool as the Utah win was connecting with the Yellow Jackets.”
Though he returned to Utah to become the state’s first-ever Major League Soccer play-by-play announcer, in 2006, Bonneville approached him to help establish a local sports talk radio station in the Valley. That same year, Hatch and his wife welcomed their first child.
“That year changed the trajectory of my entire life,” he says. “Not only did I become a father, but we made Arizona our home.”
By January 2007, Hatch had launched Sports 620 KTAR, introducing local programming and game coverage. New to the market, he spent his early years getting to know leadership at such organizations as the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, and, of course, the Fiesta Bowl. He and his wife later added two more children to their family, and by 2011, Hatch was promoted to vice president of content and operations for Bonneville Phoenix.
Among his key projects was migrating KTAR from the AM dial to FM in 2014, rebranding it as Arizona’s Sports 987. The station became the flagship home of the Cardinals, Suns, Diamondbacks, and Sun Devils. Throughout, the Fiesta Bowl and its foundation remained a key partner in coverage.
In 2016, Hatch formally joined the Yellow Jacket Committee, more than a decade after first noticing them on the sidelines at the Fiesta Bowl. He advanced quickly, serving in roles including Futures assistant chair in 2018, fundraising assistant chair in 2019, sales coach in 2020, recruiting assistant chair in 2021, and fundraising chair in 2022. By 2024, Hatch had ascended to one of the most meaningful positions of his career as the 2024-25 chair of the Fiesta Sports Foundation Yellow Jacket Committee. He also joined the board of directors while continuing to lead Bonneville Phoenix as senior vice president and market manager.
In his role, Hatch has been busy.
“In August, we announced the Fiesta Sports Foundation grant recipients, awarding financial support to 16 Arizona nonprofits,” says Hatch. “This year's nonprofit organizations are spread across the state, including the Valley of the Sun, Flagstaff, Bisbee, and other regions with projects that will provide impact through the Foundation's pillars of youth, sports, and education.”
Through the grant cycle alone, the nonprofit organizations are projected to impact more than 100,000 Arizonans.
Hatch and the Foundation continue their financial support in the community when, on Nov. 18, the Palo Verde Fiesta Sports Foundation Wishes for Teachers Draft Day returns for its 10th year.
“Wishes for Teachers is Arizona's largest direct support initiative for teachers,” says Hatch. “This year, we are giving a record total of $1.5 million in funding to directly benefit classrooms across the state.”
This year's increased program funding will support 540 Arizona teachers, each receiving a $2,500 grant to bring a classroom wish to life. Past program wishes have included robotics kits, musical instruments, adaptive learning tools, classroom libraries, athletic gear, and a variety of other resources to enhance the learning experience for students.
“Leading into the holidays, we have some other community surprises planned as well, not to mention the historic game in early January,” says Hatch.
For more information, visit FiestaSportsFoundation.org.
"The only thing I loved more than playing sports was talking about them."—Ryan Hatch