Bear Down
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Bear Down" is the official motto of the University of Arizona (UA), located in Tucson, Arizona. It is the basis of Bear Down, Arizona!, the unofficial fight song of the school's Arizona Wildcats. The official fight song is "Fight, Wildcats, Fight!" written by Douglas Holsclaw.
For the phrase's more general use as an idiom, see Wiktionary:bear down.
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[edit] History
The battle cry was created in 1926 by a popular student athlete, John "Button" Salmon. Salmon was the student body president, as well as the starting quarterback for the Wildcat football team and the catcher for the Wildcat baseball team.
The day after the first game of the 1926 football season, Salmon and two guys were involved in an automobile accident, in which their vehicle flipped over in a ravine. Although Salmon's friends were not injured, Salmon suffered a severe spinal cord injury. In the aftermath of the accident, football coach Pop McKale visited him in the hospital every day. During McKale's last visit, Salmon's last message to his teammates was, "Tell them...tell the team to bear down." John Salmon died on October 18, 1926.
The following year, The University of Arizona student body approved that "Bear Down" would be the new slogan for all Wildcat athletic teams. In 1939, the Arizona state legislature issued a decree that "Bear Down" would be the exclusive property of The University of Arizona.
[edit] Fight Song
The song Bear Down, Arizona! was written by Jack K. Lee, the university's band director, in 1952, and performed by the UA band for the first time publicly in September 1952.
[edit] Lyrics
Let's Cheer for Arizona
Let's raise our voices high
Let's Cheer for Arizona the Bear Down Battle Cry
Let's Cheer our team to victory
Let's Cheer our team to fame
Let's Cheer for Arizona for spirit wins the game
Bear Down Arizona
Bear Down Red and Blue
Bear Down Arizona
Hit 'em hard.
Let 'em know who's who
Bear Down Arizona
Bear Down Red and Blue
Go! Go! Wildcats go!
Arizona Bear Down
Students will often replace a portion of the lyrics, "Hit 'em hard, let 'em know who's who", with "Beat the shit out of ASU!", when a University of Arizona athletic team is playing against the school's bitter in-state rivals, the Sun Devils of Arizona State University.
[edit] External link
MP3 of Bear Down, Arizona from http://www.fightmusic.com
[edit] Notes
- University of Arizona, Bear Down Arizona "Bear Down Arizona"
[edit] External Links
Google Maps Satellite View of the Bear Down Gymnasium
| The University of Arizona | |
| Athletics & traditions |
Wildcats • Bear Down • The Pride of Arizona • U of A/ASU Big Game • Arizona Stadium • McKale Center • Lute Olson • Wilbur the Wildcat • "A" Mountain |
| Fight Songs of the Pacific Ten Conference |
|---|
| All Right Now (Stanford) • Bear Down Arizona (Arizona) • Bow Down to Washington (Washington) • Fight for California (California) • Fight On (Southern California) • Hail to Old OSU (Oregon State) • Maroon and Gold (Arizona State) • Sons of Westwood and Mighty Bruins (UCLA) • Mighty Oregon (Oregon) • WSU Fight Song (Washington State) |
