A nearly 110-year-old tradition is making its way back to Tucson this week and itβs bound to be a wild time, if you catch our drift.
This week marks the 108th University of Arizona homecoming celebration.Β
UA homecoming week officially kicks off Thursday, Oct. 27 with the "A" Mountain lighting ceremony, which you catch watch at 5 p.m. at the MSA Annex, located at 267 S. Avenida del Convento.Β
Throughout the end of the week and the weekend, you can expect to see social mixers, luncheons celebrating past alumni, a pep rally in Main Gate Square (the #ThisIsTucson team will be there, so come say hi!), a bonfire, homecoming court and, of course, a football gameΒ at Arizona Stadium.
There will also beΒ discountedΒ $5 tickets at the Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28.
Unlike previous years, there wonβt be a homecoming parade with student-made floats this year due to a βlack of participationβ and βstudents actively engaging with Homecoming now in other ways (which) contributed to a change in direction,β according to a statement from the UA's Office of Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement.
βFor example, 45 student organizations will be participating in our annual Club Olympics on the Mall this week and we have many student performances planned for the mainstage during the Wildcat for Life Tailgate on Saturday,β the statement from the UA's Office of Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement said. βWe will continue planning Homecoming programming that engages students and alumni in Homecoming traditions and university life in a way that welcomes and unites our community in campus activities.β
Here is when and where you can show your Wildcat spirit for homecoming week:
The βAβ on A Mountain is lit with flares signaling the start of University of Arizona Homecoming week in Tucson on Oct. 22, 2017.
"A" Mountain lighting ceremony
When: 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27.
Where to see it: MSA Annex, 267 S. Avenida del Convento.
Bear Down Friday pep rally
A snapshot of Bear Down Fridays in 2019.
When: 4-6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. (The pep rally officially starts at 6 p.m.)
Where: Main Gate Square, University Boulevard.
Homecoming bonfire and royalty crowning
Jaymin Patel, a graduate student, flashes the "Wildcat" hand sign during the 2017 University of Arizona Homecoming bonfire and crowning of the king and queen in front of Old Main on Oct. 27, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz.
When: 7 p.m. (after Bear Down Friday) Friday, Oct. 28.
Where: Old Main fountain.
βWildcat for lifeβ tailgate
Arthur Rodriguez, left, and Steven Escobedo whip skillet fulls of breakfast burritos as the Fired Up Tailgaters tent before Arizona against Oregon State at Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., Nov. 2, 2019.
When: Starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.
Where: UA Mall.
UA Homecoming football game vs. USC Trojans
Arizona defensive lineman Paris Shand (95) celebrates after sacking Southern California quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
When: 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.
Where: Arizona Stadium, 1 N. National Championship Dr.Β
The history of UA Homecoming and its traditions.
Possibly the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority at the 1937 UA Homecoming. The Wildcats defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 9-7 on November 20, 1937.
The first UA homecoming celebration was held over 100 years ago in the fall of 1914, defeating Pomona College 7-6.
About two weeks before the UA hosted its first homecoming football game on Thanksgiving Day in 1914, they played a game against the Occidental College Tigers on Nov. 7.
Although the UA lost that game 14-0, the match against Occidental College had a significant impact on the university and its future legacy as the Wildcats.
A day after the loss, a Los Angeles Times journalist reported that the βArizona men showed the fight of wild cats.β
βMembers of the Arizona student body read the report. By the end of that school year, the students put to a vote the idea of βWildcatsβ as the new nickname for the schoolβs teams. Arizonaβs nickname has been Wildcats since,β according to All Sports Tucson.
Wilbur T. Wildcat officially replaced the original school mascot, a real-life desert bobcat named βRufus Arizona,β in November 1959. Wilburβs girlfriend, Wilma, was created in 1986 and the couple eventually married later that year on Nov. 21, 1986.
University of Arizona mascot Wilbur the Wildcat tries to lead cheers at a 1980 Homecoming Pep Rally on the UA Mall. Under the Wilbur head? Sophomore Nancy Benedict.
The UAβs homecoming celebrations have been a tradition in the Old Pueblo since 1914, but there have been a few years where the celebrations had to be suspendedΒ mostly due toΒ World War I in 1918 and World War II from 1942 to 1945.Β
One of the biggest traditions that grew out of UA homecoming was the homecoming parade, which had its first run in 1929.Β
The parade featured handcrafted floats and displays from students at various colleges, sororities, fraternities and clubs. The parade route changed over the years from around the track at Arizona Stadium to downtown Tucson in the 1940s and eventually to the UA Mall, according to the UA Alumni Association.
Another tradition that stems from the homecoming parade is the bonfire held in front of Old Main and the crowning of homecoming royalty.
This photo from 1966 shows UA cheerleaders riding in the back of a 1955 Chevy Bel Air during the UA Homecoming football game against BYU at Arizona Stadium.
This Homecoming parade attracted around 40,000 people, according to an Arizona Daily Star article from 1966.
Photo credit:Β Dave Action, Tucson Citizen.
Itβs not entirely clear when the first UA homecoming bonfire was held, but itβs estimated that the tradition could have started as early as the 1920s, according to an old UA News release.
As for homecoming royalty, thatβs been a tradition since 1947 when Tucsonan Ruth Tackett was crowned the first homecoming queen, according to the UA Alumni Association.
βThe queen did not have a king until 1983. Since 1988, the king and queen have been crowned at a pep rally and bonfire the Friday before the Homecoming game,β the UA Alumni Associationβs website states.
Plus, you can't forget the traditional tailgate the day of the homecoming game.
But no matter how the community celebrates, UA Homecoming week has brought together current students, alumni and faculty together over the last 100 years for one main purpose: to show off that Wildcat pride.Β
For more information about UA Homecoming week, visit the UA Alumni website.
