TEMPE, Ariz. – On April 25, 1976, Rick Monday made a play that embodied who he is as a person and illustrated what Arizona State University stands for.
Monday was playing center field for the Chicago Cubs in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium during the United States Bicentennial when a pair of protesters ran onto the field in the fourth inning with matches, lighter fluid and an American flag. They intended to set the flag on fire, but Monday ran over to them and pulled the flag away unscathed.
Forty years after that fateful day, adidas and Sun Devil Baseball are celebrating Monday’s iconic play at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on April 26, 2016, against Arizona.