Arizona Wildcats football

Early history (1899–1951)

Coach Skinner

The varsity football program at the University of Arizona began in 1899, though the Wildcats nickname was not adopted until later.^[3][4] Stuart Forbes became the first head coach of Arizona football history and the team compiled a 1–1–1 record.^[5] From 1900 to 1901, William W. Skinner served as head football coach at the University of Arizona.^[6] While there, he also studied geology. He guided Arizona to 3–1 and 4–1 records, respectively.^[6] On November 7, 1914, the team traveled to the west coast to play Occidental, then one of the reigning gridiron powers in California. Occidental won 14–0. Arizona later received the name "Wildcats" after a Los Angeles Times correspondent, Bill Henry, wrote that "The Arizona men showed the fight of wildcats".^[7] Pop McKale was a very successful high school coach in the Tucson area when he was hired at UA.^[8] In 1921, Drop-kicker/receiver Harold "Nosey" McClellan led the nation in scoring with 124 points. Wildcats finished the regular season 7–1, and were invited to UA's first bowl game, the East-West Christmas Classic in San Diego, to play powerhouse Centre College of Kentucky; Arizona lost the game 38–0. The Wildcats did not compete in football in 1918 due to World War I. On October 18, 1926, UA quarterback and student body president John "Button" Salmon died from injuries sustained in a car wreck. His final words, spoken to coach "Pop" McKale, were: "Tell them.....tell the team to Bear Down."^[9] Soon thereafter, the UA student body adopted "Bear Down" as the school's athletic motto. On October 18, 1929, Arizona opened up Arizona Stadium for college football play. They won their first game against Caltech with a shutout score of 25–0. McKale retired after sixteen seasons at Arizona. The McKale Center, the University of Arizona's home basketball venue, was opened in 1973 and named in McKale's honor.^[8]

Fred Enke replaced McKale as head coach of the Wildcats and in one season as head coach, he posted a record of 3–5–1^[10] before getting demoted to assistant coach. Gus Farwick served as the head football coach at the University of Arizona in 1932, compiling a record of 4–5^[11] before his resignation. Tex Oliver coached the Arizona Wildcats to a 32–11–4 record in five seasons.^[12] During that stretch, his teams never had a losing season.^[12] Oliver's "Blue Brigade" played an expanded, more nationwide schedule, and Arizona produced their first All-Americans under Oliver. The team's 1938 record of 8–2 was a school best to date.^[12] Oliver resigned after the 1937 season to accept the head football coach position at Oregon.^[13]

Orian Landreth replaced Oliver and struggled in his one season as head coach, compiling a 3–6 record^[14] before he was fired. That season was the first losing season for the Wildcats in several years. Mike Casteel came to Arizona from his post as an assistant coach at Michigan State. In his eight seasons (Arizona did not field football teams in 1943 or 1944 due to World War II), Casteel compiled a 46–26–3 record and led the Wildcats to the first bowl berth in three decades in his final season, a loss in the 1949 Salad Bowl to Drake.^[15] Robert Winslow served as Arizona's head football coach for three seasons, posting a record of 12–18–1, with the team improving every year under his tutelage, going 2–7–1, 4–6 and 6–5 in Winslow's three years.^[16] Winslow resigned after three seasons.

Warren Woodson (1952–1956)

In 1954, under coach Warren Woodson, who came to Arizona from Hardin–Simmons, the Wildcats were led by starting halfback Art Luppino. He went on to lead the nation in rushing, scoring, all-purpose running, and kickoff returns.^[17] Luppino became the first player in NCAA history to lead the nation in rushing twice.^[17] He also tied for the national title in all-purpose running and was third in scoring.^[17] Woodson was replaced after five seasons and a 26–22–2 record^[18] and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1989.

Ed Doherty (1957–1958)

Ed Doherty came to Arizona from his post as an assistant coach for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.^[19] In two seasons, Doherty compiled a record of 4–15–1^[20] before getting fired. Doherty is the only person to serve as head football coach at both Arizona and archrival Arizona State.

Jim LaRue (1959–1966)

Jim LaRue, formerly running backs coach at Houston, was hired to take over the program as head coach after Doherty's firing. LaRue's 1961 team finished 8–1–1 and finished the season ranked #17 in the final AP Poll.^[21] After that season, Arizona joined the Western Athletic Conference and LaRue's teams posted records of 5–5, 5–5, 6–3–1, 3–7 and 3–7 before LaRue was fired, largely because of the sub-par on-the-field performances but also pressure from fans and alumni.^[21][22]

Darrell Mudra (1967–1968)

Coach Mudra

Darrell Mudra came to Arizona from North Dakota State.^[23] His first team posted a record of 3–6–1 but in his second year, Mudra's Wildcats posted a record of 8–3, capped with a loss in the 1968 Sun Bowl, only the Wildcats third bowl appearance in school history and first since 1949.^[24] Mudra left Arizona after two seasons to accept the head football coach position at Western Illinois.^[25] His final record is 11–9–1.^[23] Mudra was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2000.^[23]

Bob Weber (1969–1972)

Bob Weber was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach following Mudra's departure.^[26] Under Weber, the Wildcats were 16–26, with their best season being a 5–6 1971 season.^[27] Weber failed to post a winning season as Arizona's head coach and was fired after four seasons.

Jim Young (1973–1976)

Jim Young, formerly defensive coordinator at Michigan, was hired to turn around the downtrodden Wildcats football program.^[28] Improvement came immediately, as Young's team surprised the nation with an 8–3 record in his first season.^[29] Young's Wildcats went on to post records of 9–2 in 1974 and 1975, the latter ending with a #13 and #18 ranking in the Coaches' and AP Polls, respectively.^[29] In a rebuilding year, Young's team posted a 5–6 record in 1976 to cap Young's mark of 31–13 in four seasons.^[29] Young departed Arizona after the 1976 season to accept the head football coach position at Purdue.^[30] He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1999.

Tony Mason (1977–1979)

Tony Mason came to Arizona from Cincinnati.^[31] Under Mason, the Wildcats went 5–7, 5–6 and 6–5–1 for a grand total of 16–18–1.^[32] In Mason's third and final season, the Wildcats played in the Fiesta Bowl, a game they lost.^[32] Mason retired as head coach after three seasons.^[33]

Larry Smith (1980–1986)

Larry Smith, previously head coach at Tulane, was hired to take over the Arizona football program after Mason's retirement.^[34] His first season was Arizona's third in the Pac-10 Conference. Smith put great emphasis on in-state recruiting, built up the rivalry game with ASU, and focused the team on what he called "running and hitting". His first team went 5–6, including a 44–7 blowout loss to ASU; it would be his only losing season at Arizona. The highlight of the season was a 23-17 upset of 2nd ranked UCLA (the Bruins were poised to become #1 as top ranked Alabama had lost earlier in the day).^[35] The team improved to 6–5 during his second season, highlighted by a major 13–10 upset of #1 USC on the road.^[36] Under his leadership, the Wildcats became competitive in the conference, began dominating the rivalry with the Sun Devils, and culminated with consecutive bowl appearances in the 1985 Sun Bowl, where a tie with Georgia gave the Wildcats an 8–3–1 record, and the 1986 Aloha Bowl, where a victory over North Carolina allowed the Wildcats to finish with a 9–3 record in his final season.^[35] Smith's tenure with the Wildcats ended with a 48–28–3 record. Seven Arizona players earned All-America honors during his tenure, including two-time consensus All-American linebacker Ricky Hunley and All-Americans linebacker Lamonte Hunley (Ricky's younger brother), Morris Trophy-winning center Joe Tofflemire, safety Allan Durden, placekicker Max Zendejas, linebacker Byron Evans, and safety Chuck Cecil. Over twenty of Smith's Wildcats players went on to play professionally.^[35] Smith departed after the 1986 season to accept the head football coach position at USC.^[37]

Dick Tomey era (1987–2000)

Coach Tomey circa 1973

Dick Tomey came to Arizona from Hawaii.^[38] During his tenure, he coached five future NFL first-round draft choices, 20 All-Americans, and 43 Pac-10 first team players.

His best teams were in the mid-1990s, highlighted by a tenacious "Desert Swarm" defense. He led Arizona to the only two ten-win seasons in school history, highlighted by a 12–1 campaign in 1998, in which they finished fourth in both major polls, the highest ranking in school history. Unfortunately, the Wildcats were drubbed in the 1999 season opener against Penn State and never recovered; Tomey resigned after the 2000 season.^[39] His 95 wins are the most in Wildcats history.

In 1992, Coach Tomey's "Desert Swarm" defense was characterized by tough, hard-nosed tactics. UA led the nation in scoring defense and nose guard Rob Waldrop is a consensus All-American. In 1993, the team had its first 10-win season and beat the Miami Hurricanes in the 1994 Fiesta Bowl by a score of 29–0. It was the bowl game's only shutout in its then 23-year history. In 1994, Arizona was ranked #6. However, Arizona was stunned by Colorado State and the rest of the season went down along with it.

In 1998, the team posted a school-record 12–1 season and made the Holiday Bowl in which it defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers.^[40] Arizona ended that season ranked fourth nationally in the coaches and Associated Press poll. The 1998 Holiday Bowl was televised on ESPN and set the now-surpassed record of being the most watched of any bowl game in that network's history.

In 2000, Tomey's Wildcats suffered a season-ending 30–17 loss to Arizona State, the Wildcats' primary arch-rival. Dick Tomey resigned under pressure after fourteen seasons as head coach of the Wildcats.^[41] The Wildcat football declined in wins and went on a bowl game drought over the next several years.

John Mackovic (2001–2003)

Former Illinois and Texas head coach John Mackovic was hired to replace Tomey.^[42] Mackovic was a college football analyst at ESPN at the time of his hiring.

Mackovic's tenure was turbulent, as he alienated his players, failed to post a winning record in two and one-half seasons in Tucson, and finished with a 10–18 record (a .357 winning percentage).^[43] Midway through the 2002 season, Mackovic told tight end Justin Levasseur that he was a disgrace to his family.^[44] Levasseur was arrested later that year with 87 pounds of marijuana^[45] This and other incidents led 40 players (including future Pro Bowler Lance Briggs) to hold a secret meeting with school president Peter Likins. The players complained about Mackovic's constant verbal abuse, such as an ugly tirade after a loss to Wisconsin. Mackovic offered a public apology to his players, the university and fans.^[46][47]

However, whatever goodwill that he'd managed to restore quickly evaporated a season later; quarterback Nic Costa said that despite a very talented roster, many players had lost their love for the game due to Mackovic's brusque manner. Five games into the 2003 season, Mackovic was fired and replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz.^[48] School officials said they had to act because it was obvious the Wildcats would not win with Mackovic at the helm.^[49]

Mike Stoops (2004–2011)

In 2004, Arizona hired Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, brother of famed Oklahoma head football coach Bob Stoops, to take over the program.^[50] Under Stoops, Arizona started 6–18;^[51] his job was in critical danger and his margin for error was very thin. However, in his third season in 2006, Stoops led the Wildcats to an improved 6–6 record,^[51] the first non-losing season for the school since 1999 when the Wildcats went 6-6^[52]. In 2008, the Wildcats earned their first bowl berth in a decade, defeating BYU by a score of 31–21.^[53] In 2009, the Wildcats earned their second straight bowl berth and a second straight eight-win season.^[51] On November 21, 2009, the Oregon Ducks came to Arizona Stadium in a game that would decide which team went to the Rose Bowl. ESPN's College GameDay crew dubbed it as the game of the week and ventured down to Tucson to cover it. After a back and forth battle, the Oregon Ducks won in double overtime 44–41 to clinch the Rose Bowl bid.^[54] Arizona was defeated 33–0 by Nebraska in a rematch of the 1998 Holiday Bowl.^[51][55] Following the Holiday Bowl, offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes left the Wildcat program to become the head coach at Louisiana Tech,^[56] and defensive coordinator Mark Stoops, a brother of Mike, became the defensive coordinator at Florida State.^[57] To replace them, Mike Stoops promoted Bill Bedenbaugh and Seth Littrell to co-offensive coordinators, while promoting Tim Kish to be co-defensive coordinators with Greg Brown, who was hired from Colorado. Midway through his eighth season, Stoops was fired as head coach on October 10, 2011, after starting the season 1–5 (the sole victory was against FCS Northern Arizona).^[58] Including the prior season, the Wildcats under Stoops had lost 10 consecutive games against FBS opponents, with their last victory over a FBS team taking place nearly a year earlier on October 30, 2010, against UCLA. Tim Kish, the team's defensive coordinator, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.^[59] (Stoops returned to the Sooner program soon thereafter as defensive coordinator; Kish, who had known the Stoops brothers for many years, followed Stoops and joined the Sooner staff as the linebackers coach.)^[60]

Rich Rodriguez (2012–2017)

Coach Rich Rodriguez

On November 21, 2011, Arizona announced the hiring of Rich Rodriguez, at that time a CBS Sports college football analyst and formerly head coach at Michigan and West Virginia, to replace Stoops.^[61] Rodriguez is considered a pioneer of a no huddle, run-oriented version of the spread offense, although a pass-first version was already being implemented by others.^[62][63][64]

Rodriguez' hiring ended a 41-day search for a head coach which started after Mike Stoops was dismissed after eight seasons as Wildcat head coach. Following West Virginia's victory in the 2012 Orange Bowl, Mountaineers defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel, who coached under Rodriguez during his tenure there, departed WVU's staff to join Rodriguez' staff as the Wildcats' defensive coordinator.^[65] An official announcement, and Casteel's formal introduction to the Tucson media, was made on January 13, 2012. Casteel is considered one of the top defensive coaches in the nation, and considered master of the 3–3–5 "odd stack" defense.^[66]

In his first season, Rodriguez took the Wildcats to the 2012 New Mexico Bowl, where they defeated Nevada.^[67] The Wildcats finished the 2012 campaign with a (8–5, 4–5 Pac-12) record.^[67]

In his second season, Rodriguez took the Wildcats to the 2013 AdvoCare V100 Bowl, where they defeated Boston College.^[68] The Wildcats finished the 2013 campaign with a (8–5, 4–5 Pac-12) record.

In 2014, Rich Rodriguez led the Wildcats to a 10-3 regular season, behind generally solid team performance, including efforts from freshman QB Anu Solomon, sophomore LB Scooby Wright (who earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year among other honors), senior RB Terris Jones-Grigsby and freshman RB Nick Wilson. The Wildcats won the Pac-12 South Division, the first divisional championship in program history, advancing to the 2014 Pac-12 Football Championship Game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, where they were defeated by the Oregon Ducks, 51-13.^[69] The Wildcats earned a berth in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl, the school's third major-bowl appearance, where they faced the Boise State Broncos. Arizona lost the game to Boise State, 38–30. The Wildcats finished the 2014 season with a record of 10–4 (7–2 Pac-12), achieving only the second 10-win regular season in program history; the Wildcats also finished the season ranked #17 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and #19 in the AP Poll.

In his fourth year as the head coach, Rodriguez's Wildcats finished with a record of 7–6 (3–6 Pac-12);^[70]the Wildcats defeated the New Mexico Lobos, 45–37, in the 2015 New Mexico Bowl.

In 2016, the Wildcats finished with a record of 3–9 (1–6 Pac-12).

In 2017, they lost to the Purdue Boilermakers in the Foster Farms Bowl, the Wildcats 21st bowl game.^[71]The Wildcats finished with a record of 7–6 (5–4 Pac-12). During the season, the performance of sophomore QB Khalil Tate was especially impressive; after an injury to starter Brandon Dawkins in the October 7 road game at Colorado, Tate took over and proceeded to run for 327 yards, a single-game FBS record for quarterbacks, breaking the previous record of Northern Illinois' Jordan Lynch set in 2013^[72]. Tate was awarded the Pac-12 Offensive player of the week and would be named the starting quarterback. Tate then led the Wildcats to consecutive victories over UCLA, Cal, and Washington State. Tate was named Pac-12 Offensive player of the week for four consecutive weeks - setting a conference record, and leading to his briefly being spoken of as a candidate for the Heisman Trophy^[73].

Rodriguez was relieved of his duties on January 2, 2018, in the wake of an internal university investigation of sexual harassment claims made by Rodriguez' former administrative assistant.^[74]

Kevin Sumlin era (2018–present)

After a nationwide search and much media speculation, Kevin Sumlin was hired on January 14, 2018 as the new Wildcats head football coach. Sumlin was previously head coach at Texas A&M University and the University of Houston.^[75][76] Sumlin, the first African-American coach to lead the Wildcat football program, has a record of 4–3 in seven bowl appearances during his head coaching career to date.

Conference championships

Arizona has claimed at least a share of six conference titles.^{[78]:149–150}

Season	Conference	Coach	Conference Record	Overall Record
1935	Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association	Tex Oliver	4–0	7–2
1936	Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association	Tex Oliver	3–0–1	5–2–3
1941	Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association	Miles W. Casteel	5–0	7–3
1964	Western Athletic Conference	Jim LaRue	3–1	6–3–1
1973	Western Athletic Conference	Jim Young	6–1	8–3
1993	Pacific-10 Conference	Dick Tomey	6–2	10–2

Denotes co-champions

Division championships

The Wildcats claimed the South Division title of the Pac-12 in 2014.

Arizona State

The primary rival of the Wildcats is Arizona State. Both teams are members of the South Division of the Pac-12. The annual matchup the two schools is known as the "Duel in the Desert." The winner receives the Territorial Cup trophy. Originating in 1899, the Wildcats lost the first game by a score of 2–11. Arizona currently leads the series at 49–41–1.

New Mexico

A major rival of the Wildcats in the 1900s was against the New Mexico Lobos. The series was intense until the annual matchup was canceled after the 1990 season. Arizona won the 2015 meeting 45-37 at 2015 New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque. Arizona leads the head-to-head series at 44–20–3.

Arizona Stadium

Arizona plays its home games at Arizona Stadium, located on the campus in Tucson, Arizona. The stadium capacity is 55,675 as of 2016.^[77]

Lowell-Stevens Football Facility

The 187,000 square foot facility houses the football programs weight room, locker room, medical treatment room, players lounge, cafeteria, coaches' offices, auditorium for team meetings, as well as a media room.^[79] The facility also offers 4,200 chair seating, as well as 500 premium seating.^[80]

National winners

Conference awards

Heisman voting

Arizona has had two players finish in the top 10 of the Heisman Trophy voting as of 2017.

Canadian Football Hall of Fame

There are two former Wildcat players inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

College Football Hall of Fame

Arizona has four former players and three former coaches who have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as of 2017.^[78]:63

Non-division conference opponents

Arizona plays each of the other 5 schools in the South Division annually, and 4 of the 6 schools from the North Division. Each season Arizona will "miss" two schools from the Pac-12 North division: either Cal or Stanford and one of the four northwest schools. This scheduling cycle repeats after eight seasons.^[94]

Non-conference opponents

Announced non-conference schedules as of January 3, 2018.^[95]

• Neutral site game
• The 2021 game against BYU will be part of the Catcus Kickoff held at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada^[96]
• (P5) Is to denote if a schools is a Power 5 Conference/Notre Dame opponent.
• (FCS) Is for Football Championship Subdivision Teams.