From Super Bowl Glory to a Salute to Service: Jim McMahon Named Phoenix Parade Celebrity Grand Marshal

Super Bowl XX champion quarterback Jim McMahon is the Celebrity Grand Marshal as Honoring America’s Veterans 30th Anniversary Phoenix Veterans Day Parade

PHOENIX, AZ, UNITED STATES, September 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Twenty. Thirty. Two hundred fifty. It’s no ordinary quarterback’s cadence—it’s a lineup of milestones. Super Bowl XX champion Jim McMahon will serve as celebrity grand marshal of the 30th annual HAV Veterans Day Parade in Phoenix on November 11, celebrating “250 Years of Freedom, 30 Years of Honor.”

HAV Phoenix Veterans Day Parade Details:
• Wednesday, November 11, at 11 a.m.
• New route: Third Street, from McDowell Road to Indian School Road
• Theme: “250 Years of Freedom, 30 Years of Honor” tying the parade’s three-decade legacy to the country’s semiquincentennial milestone

McMahon will serve as Celebrity Grand Marshal, joining Honoring America’s Veterans in thanking the men and women who have served our nation through the Uniformed Services.

“Since my retirement from the NFL, I have devoted my time to thanking and honoring the men and women who have courageously served our nation. Their sacrifices have ensured our freedom, and for that I am forever grateful,” said McMahon.

“For 30 years, veterans have come down the parade route and seen people standing along the streets applauding them, thanking them and teaching their children what service means. That matters,” said Paula Pedene, Executive Director of Honoring America’s Veterans and a Navy veteran who founded the parade in 1997.

Jim McMahon built a football legacy that spans four decades. At Brigham Young University, he set 73 NCAA records and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998. He went on to a 15-year NFL career with seven organizations — the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and Green Bay Packers — earning NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1982, a Pro Bowl selection in 1985, and the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 1991.

McMahon won two Super Bowl championships: as starting quarterback of the 1985 Chicago Bears (Super Bowl XX) and as a member of the 1996 Green Bay Packers (Super Bowl XXXI). He is the father of four children, two daughters and two sons, and grandfather to seven.

Since 1997, the HAV Phoenix Veterans Day Parade has grown into one of the largest Veterans Day tributes in the nation, presented by Honoring America’s Veterans, a nonprofit dedicated to honoring, connecting, and serving veterans and their families.

The parade is supported by Medal of Honor-level sponsors USAA, University of Phoenix, TriWest, and Spencer’s TV, along with other community partners.

About Honoring America’s Veterans
Honoring America’s Veterans is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring, connecting, and serving military veterans and their families. The Phoenix Veterans Day Parade is one of the nation’s largest Veterans Day tributes, drawing tens of thousands of spectators each year.

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Media Contact:
Paula Pedene, Executive Director
Honoring America’s Veterans
(480) 772-2934
paula.pedene@honoringamericasveterans.org

Paula Pedene
Honoring America’s Veterans
+1 480-772-2934
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