Polk, family honored at Fiesta Bowl

The crowd at the Fiesta Bowl was electrified from the start thanks to the opening kickoff return for a touchdown by Oregon.

The energy was palpable throughout the entire first half. Well, almost entirely.

At the end of the first quarter, the crowd shifted to part silent, part reverent cheering as four fallen service members were honored — including Yuma-area firefighter Anthony Polk.

Polk's family was brought on to the field and honored alongside the family of the other service members.

Bowl officials did not make the family available for comment.

Polk, 30, was killed in a vehicle accident while responding to the Montezuma Fire near Sells in June. He served eight years with the BIA-Fort Yuma.

Others honored were Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Ivie, 30, who was shot and killed on patrol near Bisbee; Maricopa County Sheriff's Deputy William Coleman, 50, who was shot and killed in Anthem on Jan. 8 while approaching a suspect's vehicle; and Maricopa County Sheriff's Deputy David Wargo, 39, who died as a result of severe head injuries sustained nine years earlier when he was dragged by a vehicle in a 2003 traffic stop.

“The Fiesta Bowl is about more than just football. We are a part of the community and with the community we grieve the loss of these four heroes,” said Fiesta Bowl Executive Director Robert Shelton. “We are honored by the chance to take some time during the 2013 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl to remember not only these brave men, but also the families they left behind.”