Arizona Wildcats History

A timeline of Arizona Basketball History
1913-14
First season with intercollegiate opponent; games played in Herring Hall

1921-24
Harold Tovrea sets season and career scoring records that lasts for decades

1925
Fred Enke begins 36-year tenure as UA head coach

1926
UA Gymnasium and Armory opens

1927
"Bear Down" is painted on gymnasium roof; gym becomes known as Bear Down Gym

1942-44
Bear Down Gym becomes "U.S.S. Bear Down." U.S. Naval training facility; UA plays at Tucson High School.

1946
UA goes 25-5, wins Border Conference, goes to 8-team NIT in New York City.

1947
UA wins Border Conference, goes to NCAA Tournament for the first time. Linc Richmond becomes the first to score 400 points in a season.

1949
Linc Richmond becomes first to score 1,000 points in a career (1,246 total).

1951
UA goes 22-6, wins Border Conference, goes to NIT and NCAA Tournament. Roger Johnson is 1st to receive All-America Honors (3rd Team).

1945-51
UA wins 81 consecutive games in BEar Down Gym.

1954
Hadie Redd becomes UA's 1st African American basketball player.

1960
Ernie McCray becomes 1st to score 500 points in a season and passes Richmond as career scoring leader (1,349).

1961
Fred Enke retires with 512 college basketball wins, 11 Border Conference titles. UA alum Bruce Larson becomes head coach.

1965
Warren Rustand becomes 1st Academic All-American (2nd team).

1972
Fred Snowden becomes head coach, 1st African American head coach in Division I basketball. "Kiddie Korps" promptly reverses UA fortunes.

1973
McKale Center opens

1975
UA goes 22-7, finishes 2nd in 1st (and only) National Commissioner Invitational Tournament. Bob Elliott becomes 1st to score 600 points in a season, is named Academic All-America (and All-WAC).

1976
UA wins WAC title, goes to NCAA Sweet 16 for 1st time, Bob Elliott is 3rd Team All-America, 1st Team Academic All America (and All-WAC).

1977
Bob Elliott is 1st to score 2,000 points in a career, is All-WAC, 3rd Team All-America, and 1st Team Academic All-America.

1983-84
Lute Olson becomes UA's 11th head coach.

1985
UA wins 21 games in Olson's 2nd season, returns to NCAA Tournament.

1986
UA wins first Pac-10 title: Olson is Pac-10 Coach of the Year.

1988
UA goes 35-3, attains 1st #1 national ranking, wins Pac-10 title, goes to 1st NCAA Final Four. Sean Elliott and Steve Kerr named All-America, Kerr is named most Courageous Athlete in America. Olson is Pac-10 Coach of the Year, and Elliott makes All Final Four Team.

1989
UA goes 29-4, wins Pac-10 title, goes to NCAA Sweet 16. Sean Elliott is Consensus All-America and NCAA Player of the Year. Olson is Pac-10 Coach of the Year.

1987-92
UA wins 71 consecutive home games, 10th longest in NCAA.

1993
UA goes 24-4, wins Pac-10 title. Chris Mills is named All America. Olson is Pac-10 coach of the year.

1994
UA goes 29-6, wins Pac-10 title, goes to 2nd NCAA Final Four. Khalid Reeves is 1st Team All-America, Olson is Pac-10 Coach of the Year.

1995
UA goes 24-7, Damon Stoudamire is names Consensus All-America.

1996
Sean Elliott's jersey is retired.

1996
UA goes 27-6, advances to NCAA Sweet 16; Olson gains 300th UA win and 500th career victory.

1997
UA goes 25-9, comes back from 5th place Pac-10 finish to win its 1st NCAA National Championship. Miles Simon is Final Four MVP, Mike Bibby also makes All Final Four Team.

1998
UA goes 30-5, wins Pac-1o title, advances to Great Eight. Mike Bibby is Consensus All-America, Miles Simon makes 1st Team. Olson is Pac-10 Coach of the Year.

1999
Steve Kerr's jersey is retired.

Jim Click Hall of Champions

Designed architecturally by Tucson's IEF Group, the Athletic Heritage Center will contain 9,000 sq. ft. of floor space and, at its center beneath a ceiling 30 ft. high, a "Hall of Fame" mezzanine for special events. The Heritage Center will present to the mall a face entirely of glass. "'Spectacular' will be a fitting adjective to use to describe its outward appearance," states Tom Sanders, associate athletics director for Heritage. "One of our major objectives is to create interior exhibits and displays that are just as spectacular."

The Center will feature display cases for each of the University's intercollegiate sports and numerous other displays centered on outstanding student-athletes, performances, and events, tradition and spirit-related topics from more than 100 years of UA Athletics.

Although the Heritage Center's displays and exhibits will utilize UA Athletic Department memorabilia, the acquisition of historically-relevant items from private sources-principally from UA alumni-Letterwinners, other alumni, and friends of the University is imperative for the Heritage Center to reflect the richness of UA athletic history as fully as possible.

"We're especially interested in historical photographs, film and videotape, uniforms and other apparel, publications, and competition equipment of all kinds, from all sports," Sanders says. We'd like to encourage anyone and everyone who has interesting and relevant memorabilia to donate to contact us at their earliest convenience."

University of Arizona Songs

Bear Down Arizona

Bear Down, Arizona
Bear Down, red and Blue
Bear Down, Arizona
Hit 'em hard, let 'em know who's who;
Bear Down, Arizona
Bear Down, Red and Blue
Go, go, Wildcats, go;
Arizona, Bear Down



All Hail, Arizona (Alma Mater)

All hail, Arizona! Thy colors Red and Blue
Stand as a symbol - of our love for you.
All hail, Arizona! To thee we'll be true
We'll watch o'er and keep you, All hail! All hail!



Fight Wildcats, Fight

Hail Arizona Wildcats
Fighting for old UA.
A raging team of Wildcats
Growling for the fray
There's not a team can stop them
When the ball goes into play
So Fight! Team!
Fight with all your might
And win today.

Fight Wildcats, Fight for
Arizona
We're with you ever staunch
And true
This day we hail you and we
cheer you
They can't defeat the Red
And Blue
Circle the ends and crash
Through center
Hit hard and gain on ev'ry play
Fight Wildcats!
Fight! Fight! Fight!
We'll win today!