The Ring of Honor at Arizona Stadium will add three more names during the Wildcatsโ game against No. 12 USC on Oct. 29 for homecoming.
Arizona will add UA legends Vance Johnson, Ortege Jenkins and โBear Downโ creator John โButtonโ Salmon to the Ring of Honor, the program announced Thursday.
The UA said in a press release that all three inductees met the Ring of Honor qualifications for bringing โrecognition, distinction and honor to the sports program.โ
โArizona athletics regularly reviews and evaluates the criteria and candidacies for all departmental awards, inductions and recognitions based on new information, updated resources and reflections on historical context,โ the statement said. โA heritage committee, made up of current and former longtime athletics department staff, conducts these thorough reviews and makes recommendations based on all available information and considerations.โ
Johnson was a two-sport athlete at the UA from 1981-84. Along with earning All-Pac-10 honors as a running back in 1982, Johnson was an NCAA national champion long jumper for the Wildcats. Despite standing out as a rusher at Arizona, Johnson played in three Super Bowls for the Denver Broncos as a wide receiver.
Jenkins currently ranks 10th all-time in program history with 5,424 passing yards and 42 touchdowns. Jenkins and fellow Ring of Honor teammate Keith Smith split time at quarterback for the Wildcats and led Arizona to a 12-1 season and a win in the Holiday Bowl in 1998, marking the best season in program history. Jenkinsโ most memorable play was his game-winning rushing touchdown in the road win over No. 20 Washington โ also known as โThe Leap by the Lake.โ
Salmon was a UA student body president and the teamโs quarterback in 1924 and โ25. Before dying in an automobile accident in 1926, Salmon told UA athletic director J.F. โPopโ McKale, โtell them to bear down.โ The phrase Bear Down since then has served as the schoolโs rally slogan.
The Oct. 29 game begins at 4 p.m. and will air on Pac-12 Networks.