The Drive 2004 Reaches $ 724,453 After Third Report Night

SAN DIEGO - Volunteers from around San Diego County gathered at the Aztec Athletic Center to report their progress on "The Drive 2004 - Rising to a New Level" on May 20th for Report Night No. 3.

The third report night was the last group session for volunteers during the 10-week campaign prior to the Victory Celebration on June 24th. At the end of the night, AAF Director Bob Moosbrugger announced a total of $724,453 through six weeks of the campaign.

"The AAF volunteers rallied to surpass our total from last year at this point" said Moosbrugger. "With a month of successful contacts, we will surpass last year's total of $1.26 million while pushing towards our ambitious goal of 1.5 million".

"The Drive 2004 - Rising to a New Level" is 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 2004, as well as great prizes for individual and team results.

"The Drive 2004 - Rising to a New Level" point of emphasis was for benefactors of the AAF to increase their giving as the Aztecs continue to strive for greater success on and off the field. Thus far, the plan has been successful with 418 donors increasing their pledges.

"I believe the loyal fans and contributors of Aztec Athletics understand the need to raise more dollars for student-athlete scholarships," said AAF President Craig Nelson. "As the cost of a SDSU education rises, the cost of providing scholarships to our fine student-athletes, who work extremely hard to represent SDSU, also increases.".

Individually, Ben Bagnas solidified his place at the top of the individual fund raising raise by securing $62,755. In second place, Cliff Bee reported $47,625. Rounding out the top five were Todd Nielsen, $43,689, Bob McCray, $37,592 and Sharon Burgreen with $36,013.

In the team competition, standings are based on the percentage renewed and/or increased from the previous year. Leading the way are the I-15 Aztec Road Warriors, led by individual leader Ben Bagnas with 91 percent renewed. The Beach Bum Border Patrol team, which spans from Pacific Beach to the Border, secured 78 percent renewed while the East County Aztecs led by Captain Rodney Winter cracked the Top 3 with 77 percent.

For more information on how to join a fundraising team in your area or how to make a tax-deductible contribution to the AAF, contact Bob Moosbrugger at the Aztec Athletic Foundation at (619) 594-6444 or email at bmoosbru@mail.sdsu.edu. Also, for the first time, Aztec fans can contribute to the AAF by visiting www.goaztecs.com and clicking on "The Drive 2004".