Saturday’s home opener is going to be a big deal.
Country music star Phil Vassar will play a pregame concert on the UA Mall. There will be rally towels (dubbed “Tucson Towels”), free Chick-Fil-A for the ZonaZoo and a new and improved game-day atmosphere.
But there’s one thing first-year UA coach Jedd Fisch knows will put fans in the stands.
“The No. 1 thing I’m looking for is winning,” he said. “That’s a tradition we’re going to start immediately, if at all possible.”
And part of winning, Fisch explained, is having an atmosphere that intimidates the other school while simultaneously creating an environment that Wildcats fans want to be a part of.
Many of the familiar game-day traditions will remain.
“Bear Down Fridays” will return, the pregame “Wildcat Walk” on Cherry Avenue isn’t going anywhere. Pregame hype videos will get the crowd into a frenzy before the Wildcats run onto the field from an oversized cage in the north end zone.
“That’s going to be an incredible area before they enter,” Fisch said. “We have a brand new intro video coming out.”
Fisch said the new hype video will blend past and present, honoring the accomplishments of previous Wildcat teams while highlighting the current players’ success.
Pregame festivities will spill over to “Red-Blue” and “U of A” chants leading up to kickoff.
An additional video has been created to play leading into the fourth quarter. Students from the School of Theatre will lead the crowd in singing “All Hail, Arizona,” the university’s alma mater.
Over 35,000 tickets have already been sold, according Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke. Walk-up ticket purchases on game day are expected to raise that total. Fisch has done his best to rally support on campus; he planned to drop off “It’s Personal” merchandise this week to UA fraternity houses to entice students to show up.
“It should be an unbelievable experience Saturday,” Fisch said. “And we’ve got to make it the greatest atmosphere we could possibly find.”
Fans ‘on the honor system’ when it comes to COVID-19
The athletic department finalized their health and safety stadium policies earlier this week, and Heeke released the full guidelines in his “Wildcat Wednesday” newsletter.
Arizona fans are expected to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a negative test within 72 hours of arriving at the stadium. Heeke said the policy is an expectation, not a requirement; fans do not need to bring proof of vaccination or a recent negative test to be admitted in.
“It’s on the honor system,” Heeke said. “I fully expect all of our fans to abide by that honor system.”
However, fans must bring masks with them to wear in indoor spaces such as restrooms, elevators and common areas. Masks do not need to be worn in the stands or outdoor concourses.
Heeke said the indoor mask policy will be enforced in the stadium.
Concessions and ticketing
Both the gate entrances to the stadium and the concession stands located throughout the concourses are staying with contactless procedures.
All tickets for entry into Arizona Stadium must be loaded onto a mobile phone to be scanned. Mobile ticketing was also utilized by the UA during home softball and baseball games. The McKale Center ticket office will be staffed to help those needing assistance with mobile ticketing.
Concessions in the stadium will be exclusively cashless. Vendors will accept all major credit/debit cards, plus Apple Pay and Google Wallet.
Kerr to address team
Former Arizona basketball great Steve Kerr is set to be an honorary captain for the UA football team Saturday, walking out with the players during the coin toss. Kerr, who will be at Sunday’s Lute Olson public tribute, is also giving a pregame speech to the football team.
Fisch called the Golden State Warriors coach two weeks ago to inquire about being an honorary captain for the home opener. When Fisch learned Kerr was already planning to be in town for the Olson tribute, the Arizona coach made it a priority to get the ex-Wildcat icon involved in the football festivities.
“The timing of it couldn’t have been better,” Fisch said.
