Rossi Ralenkotter, the driving force behind the creation of the Las Vegas Bowl, died Friday after a long illness at the age of 78.

In 1992, Ralenkotter (RAHL-in-KOT-er) led a team that successfully lured the now-defunct California Raisin Bowl to relocate from Fresno, California, to Las Vegas. Soon to play its 33rd installment this December, the Las Vegas Bowl has become one of the premier stops on the annual bowl calendar and has produced many elite matchups while also driving hundreds of millions of dollars into the Southern Nevada economy.

“No one person has been more important to the Las Vegas Bowl than Rossi,” said John Saccenti, executive director of the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl. “Not only was it Rossi’s foresight that brought a major sports event to Las Vegas during a slow season for tourism, but his dedication to the game and its continued success helped kickstart the great sports explosion that we’ve seen in Las Vegas over the past 25 years. Our prayers go out to his wife Mary Jo, his children, grandchildren and all of the people he touched throughout his hall of fame life.”

In 2011, Ralenkotter was part of the inaugural class for the Las Vegas Bowl Hall of Fame along with legendary USC, UNLV and NFL coach John Robinson, Oregon State running back Steven Jackson and Utah State quarterback Anthony Calvillo. In 2014, the champion’s trophy was named in Ralenkotter’s honor. Four years later Ralenkotter was elected to the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame along with five others.

Ralenkotter spent 45 years as an executive for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, including his final 14 as President and CEO. During his tenure, Ralenkotter also helped secure other notable sporting events such as the National Finals Rodeo, NASCAR, Pac-12, Mountain West and WCC college basketball tournaments, major boxing and UFC fights and helped lay the groundwork for the valley’s first major professional franchise – the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. Ralenkotter also was instrumental in his efforts to support the creation of major sports facilities such as Allegiant Stadium, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Ballpark and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.