Arizona Wildcats

Institution	University of Arizona
University of Arizona Wildcats
Colors	Cardinal Red & Navy Blue
Mascot	Wildcats
Fight Song	Bear Down, Arizona!
Athletic Director	Jim Livengood
Stadium	Arizona Stadium
Basketball Arena	McKale Center
Baseball Field	Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium
Softball Field	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium
NCAA Men's Basketball National Championships	1997
NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four Appearances	1988, 1994, 1997, 2001
NCAA Baseball National Championships	1976, 1980, 1986
NCAA Baseball National Title Appearances	1956, 1959, 1963, 1976, 1980, 1986
NCAA Softball National Championships	1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2006
NCAA Softball National Title Appearances	1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2006
NCAA Men's Golf National Championships	1992
NCAA Women's Golf National Championships	1996, 2000
NCAA Individual National Championships	104
NCCH/ACHA Men's Hockey National Championships	1985
AIAW Synchronized Swimming National Championships	1980, 1981, 1984
PAC-10 Men's Basketball Titles	1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005
PAC-10 Women's Basketball Titles	2004
PAC-10 Baseball Titles	1980, 1989, 1992
PAC-10 Softball Titles	1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005
PAC-10 Men's Cross Country Titles	1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2000
PAC-10 Men's Golf Titles	1987, 1991, 2004
PAC-10 Women's Golf Titles	1992, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002
PAC-10 Football Titles	1993
PAC-10 Women's Swimming & Diving Titles	2000
PAC-10 Women's Volleyball Titles	2000
PAC-10 Women's Soccer Titles	2005

The athletic teams at the University of Arizona are known as the Arizona Wildcats, a name derived from a 1914 football game with then California champions Occidental College, where the L.A. Times asserted that Arizona "showed the fight of wildcats."

Athletic program

The University of Arizona participates in the NCAA's Division I-A in the Pacific Ten Conference. Arizona joined the PAC-10 in 1978 along with Arizona State University, bringing the conference to its current 10 teams. The school colors are cardinal red and navy blue, and the fight song is "Bear Down, Arizona!"

Mascot

The University mascot is an anthropomorphized wildcat named Wilbur. The identity of Wilbur is kept secret through the year as the mascot appears only in costume. In 1986, Wilbur married his longtime wildcat girlfriend, Wilma. Together, Wilbur and Wilma appear along with the cheerleading squad at most Wildcat sporting events.

Rivalries

A strong athletic rivalry exists between the University of Arizona and Arizona State University located in Tempe. Rivalries have also been created with other Pac-10 teams, especially University of California, Los Angeles which has provided a worthy softball rival and was Arizona's main basketball rival in the early and mid-1990s. UCLA fell off somewhat over the next decade, while Arizona maintained its basketball prowess, appearing most recently in the Elite Eight of the 2005 NCAA tournament. With UCLA's 2006 Final Four appearance, the rivalry will likely be revitalized in the near future.

Sports

Varsity teams

The University of Arizona fields 18 intercollegiate varsity teams that compete in the NCAA. These teams include:

Baseball, Men's & Women's Basketball, Men's & Women's Cross Country, Football, Men's & Women's Golf, Gymnastics, Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's & Women's Swimming/Diving, Men's & Women's Tennis, Men's & Women's Track & Field, and Women's Volleyball

Men's Basketball

The men's basketball team has been one of the nation's most successful programs since Lute Olson was hired as head coach in 1983. As of 2006, the team has amassed 19 consecutive 20-win seasons, and reached the NCAA Tournament 22 consecutive years, which is the longest streak in NCAA history. Lute Olson has taken the Wildcats to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament in 1988, 1994, 1997, and 2001. In 1997, Arizona defeated the University of Kentucky, the defending national champions, to win the NCAA National Championship. Prior to winning the championship in 1997, UA won a thriller game in the Elite Eight in double overtime to take them to the Final Four (NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship).

Football

The football team began at the University of Arizona in 1899 under the nickname "Varsity" (a name kept until the 1914 season when the team earned the name "Wildcats"). The football team was notably successful in the 1990s under head coach Dick Tomey and his "Desert Swarm" defense that was characterized by tough, hard-nosed tactics. In 1993, the team had its first 10-win season and drubbed the powerhouse University of Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl by a score of 29-0. In 1998, the team posted a school-record 12-1 season and made the Holiday Bowl in which it defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Arizona ended that season ranked 3rd nationally and 2nd in several publications.

Baseball

The baseball team has captured three national championship titles in 1976, 1980, and 1986. Arizona baseball teams have appeared in the NCAA National Championship title series a total of six times, including 1956, 1959, 1963, 1976, 1980, and 1986 (College World Series).

Softball

The Arizona softball team is among the top programs in the country and a perennial powerhouse. The softball team has won seven NCAA Women's College World Series titles, in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001 and 2006 under head coach Mike Candrea (NCAA Softball Championship). The team has appeared in the NCAA National Championship in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, and 2006 a feat second only to UCLA. Mike Candrea also led the 2004 U.S. Olympic softball team to a gold medal in Athens, Greece.

Men's and Women's Golf

The university's golf teams have also been notably successful. The men's team won a national championship in 1992 (NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships), while the women's team won national championships in 1996 and 2000 (NCAA Women's Golf Championship).

Other

Three championships for synchronized swimming were won in 1980, 1981, and 1984, though these championships were in the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, and not the NCAA.

Although surprising to some, the University of Arizona has a strong history in ice hockey. The school's team, known as the Icecats, has won over 520 games since its inception in 1978. The Icecats defeated Penn State for the National Collegiate Club Hockey National Championship in 1985. More than 100,000 fans attend Icecats home games each year, the third largest draw in all of college hockey. It should be noted, however, that the Icecats do not compete at the NCAA level.

Individual National Championships

A number of notable individuals have also won national championships in the NCAA. These include Amanda Beard in 2001 for swimming and Annika Sörenstam in 1991 in golf. The men's cross country has also produced two individual national titles in 1986 (Aaron Ramirez) and 1994 (Martin Keino) (NCAA Men's Cross Country Champions). The women's cross country also produced two individual national titles in 1996 and 2001 (NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship).

Notable athletic venues

McKale Center, opened in 1973, is currently used by men's and women's basketball, women's gymnastics, and women's volleyball. The official capacity has changed often. The largest crowd to see a game in McKale was 15,176 in 1976 for a game against the University of New Mexico, a main rival during that period. In 2000, the floor in McKale was dubbed Lute Olson Court, for the basketball program's winningest coach. During a memorial service in 2001 for Lute's wife, Bobbi, who died earlier that year after a battle with ovarian cancer, the floor was renamed Lute and Bobbi Olson Court. In addition to the playing surface, McKale Center is host to the offices of the UA athletic department. McKale Center is named after J.F. Pop McKale, who was athletic director and coach from 1914 through 1957.

Arizona Stadium, built in 1928, seats over 56,000 patrons. It hosts American football games and has also been used for university graduations. The turf is bermuda grass, taken from the local Tucson National Golf Club. Arizona football's home record is 258-139-12. The largest crowd ever in Arizona Stadium was 59,920 in 1996 for a game against Arizona State University.

Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium hosts baseball games.

Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium hosts softball games.

Traditions

At the beginning of each school year, freshmen repaint the "A" on "A" Mountain, a Tucson and Wildcat landmark just west of campus.

One of the two bells rescued from the USS Arizona after the attack on Pearl Harbor has a permanent home in the clock tower of the Student Union Memorial Center on campus. The bell first arrived on campus in July 1946. The bell is rung seven times on the third Wednesday of every month at 12:07 p.m. to honor the achievements of the UA, as well as after football victories over all schools located outside of Arizona.

The University of Arizona marching band, named The Pride of Arizona, played at the halftime of the first Super Bowl. The band plays at most of the university's athletic events.

History of Bear Down, Arizona!

In 1952 Jack K. Lee, an applicant for the UA's band directorship, departed Tucson by air following an interview with UA administration. From his airplane window, Lee observed the huge letters on the roof of the UA gymnasium reading "BEAR DOWN". Inspired, Lee scribbled down the music and lyrics to an up-tempo song. By the time his plane landed, he had virtually finished it. A few weeks later Lee was named the UA band director, and in September 1952, the UA band performed "Bear Down, Arizona!" in public for the first time. Soon thereafter, "Bear Down, Arizona!" became accepted as UA's fight song.

History behind the motto Bear Down

The battle cry was created by a popular student athlete, John "Button" Salmon, who was the student body president, as well as the starting quarterback for the Wildcat football team and the catcher for the Wildcat baseball team.

The day after the first game of the 1926 football season, Salmon and three friends were involved in an automobile accident and their vehicle flipped over a ravine. Although Salmon's friends were not injured, Salmon suffered a severe spinal cord injury.

In the aftermath of the accident, football coach Pop McKale visited him in the hospital every day. During McKale's last visit, Salmon's last message to his teammates was, "Tell them...tell the team to bear down." John Salmon died on October 18, 1926.

The following year, the University of Arizona student body approved that "Bear Down" would be the new slogan for all Wildcat athletic teams. In 1939, the Arizona state legislature issued a decree that "Bear Down" would be the exclusive property of the University of Arizona. (Bear Down)

Miscellaneous

The current school colors are cardinal red and navy blue. Before 1900, the colors were sage green and silver. The switch was made when an extremely lucrative discount on red and blue jerseys was made available.

Arizona's first mascot was a real desert bobcat named "Rufus", introduced in 1915.

The first sport to bring national recognition to UA was Polo. The 1924 UA Polo Team captured the Western Collegiate Championship, and traveled to the east coast to present U.S. President Calvin Coolidge with a cowboy hat. The UA Polo team faced Princeton University for the intercollegiate title and lost 6-2 and 8-0. With the onset of World War II, the UA was unable to continue sponsoring a Polo team.

Notes

University of Arizona History & Traditions "History & Traditions"

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