Arizona Wildcats

I am back with the second of ten teams in my string of history exposes. Today is all about the Arizona Wildcats.

The Arizona Wildcats made their premier in 1899 with James "Pop" McKale as the first coach of Arizona football history. Their first years went down with a resounding thud, but were able to pick it up after they found their footing. Around 1914, Arizona received the name "Wildcats" after Bill Henry, a Los Angeles Times correspondent, wrote that "The Arizona men showed the fight of wildcats".

Over the next few decades, the Arizona Wildcats had many prosperous seasons. The Arizona Wildcats have also produced 13 All-American players and have gained six conference champions as a team. Their record today is 546–402–33 (.573).

In 1992 marked the begging of the Arizona Wildcat's "Desert Swarm" defensive era. Dick Tomey was head coach and his defense was a powerhouse with his All-American Rob Waldrop at nose guard. This lineup allowed Arizona to capture an undefeated season in 1993, and continue on to the Fiesta Bowl where the beat out the Miami Hurricanes 29 to zip. This marked the only shutout it the Fiesta Bowl's 23-year history.

The next few years would be filled with victories along with winning the National Championships and winning the Holiday Bowl. When the Arizona Wildcats hit a plateau for a few years, Dick Tomey decided to resign, bringing a large decline in the Wildcats success with him. Eventually Mike Stoops would join the team as head coach, who helped to improve the program, and brought them to their first bowl game since the Tomey era ten years prior.

With this amount of improvement, there's no telling how far the Arizona Wildcats can go! Make sure to keep an eye on them once the football season rolls around again. I am quite sure you'll be in for a pleasant surprise.