Jan. 18, 2012
SAs OF THE MONTH
Appreciation for much work accomplished outside competition is due a foursome of Wildcats, named Student Athletes of the Month for the November-December period. They are Michael Cooper of football, Margo Geer of swimming and diving, Kristin Griffin of soccer and Edgar Rivera-Morales of track and field. The C.A.T.S. Academics staff gives periodic citations to those who are making exemplary strides toward our No. 1 goal -- education. Kudos to these and all our competitors who are thriving in higher education. Bear Down!
NCAA CONVENTION
The 2012 NCAA Convention recently ended and there was some significant news that came out of the meetings. Last year there was a proposal from the NCAA and President Mark Emmert to allow up to a $2,000 annual stipend for full scholarship student-athletes based on your universities full cost of attendance calculation. There was an override attempt to defeat this proposal that was not approved during the convention.
We have some full cost of attendance calculation hurdles to address but we like the idea of being able to help the student-athlete with additional resources during their time at the University of Arizona.
PULLING THE ROPE
I think you might have heard me and Coach Rodriguez talking about "pulling the rope in the same direction" as it pertains to everyone working cooperatively on any quest or venture -- like a football program, for example. Too, we need all of you to pull the rope -- buy tickets to our events, wear white at 'whiteouts,' renew your tickets when they're up, support the Cats through any of our various Wildcat Club initiatives, talk up the Wildcats and the Bear Down tradition at every opportunity, wear the colors on Fridays, keep abreast of any rules or guidelines, and in general keep spreading the word. We owe you all for helping us move forward, and keep those hands on the rope!
THE TIP OF THE SHOVEL
The official groundbreaking for the North End Zone facility in Arizona Stadium will be this Friday at 3 p.m. (If you've been by, or seen photos, you've noticed that the ground is already pretty broken...) This is the ceremonial start of a new era for Arizona Football, and more of our continued thrust to be a conference and national leader with our program. The event will be open to Button Salmon level ($5,000 annually) and above Wildcat Club Members.  We will also be unveiling our anonymous family who has committed $11,000,000 to the project. Check out the video below for more info. It starts off the destruction of the old north end zone bleachers and scoreboard. It's worth noting that many of the materials from the old buildings and bleachers have been recycled and the value offsets some project costs.
WHITE OUT MCKALE
For Sunday's FSN nationally-televised 2:30 p.m. women's basketball game vs. Colorado, the Wildcats are hosting a White Out. The McKale faithful can wear their own white shirts or they can purchase an official aNIYAlator fan club t-shirt. Fans who would like to pre-order white aNIYAlator shirts can call 520-621-8405. Shirts are $10 (cash or check) and will be available for purchase or pick-up at the women's basketball game vs. Utah on Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. The shirts will be available until they are sold out. For tickets, visit the McKale Center Ticket Office, call 520-621-CATS (2287) or order online. Pack McKale and cheer on the Cats!
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And don't forget the men's basketball White Out is the following week, Saturday, January 28th vs. Washington. The official white out t-shirts will be available for purchase at the McKale Sports Stop starting tomorrow.
ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY LIVE FROM MCKALE
Next Saturday morning, January 28th, ESPN will broadcast its Saturday morning show live from Lute & Bobbie Olson Court here in McKale. Come out in support of Arizona Basketball and join Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Hubert Davis, Bob Knight and Digger Phelps as they breakdown college basketball's hot topics.  Doors will open for the free event at 6:00 a.m. Please use the ZonaZoo, northwest ground level doors, for entrance to the arena. General admission seats in sections 2, 3, and 4 (behind the stage) will be seated first. Concessions stands will be open and free parking will be available in Cherry garage and surrounding surface lots. Regular game day parking enforcement will go into effect at 1:00 p.m. The first show will air on ESPNU from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. The second show will be from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on ESPN.  ESPN will be giving away a series of prizes to the most spirited fans and one lucky fan will be selected to shoot a halfcourt shot for $18,000!  We hope to see everyone here on Saturday, January 28th representing Tucson on yet another national stage.
HEADED TO NATIONALS
In the opening weekend of collegiate track and field competition, junior Brigetta Barrett, the defending NCAA Indoor and Outdoor High Jump Champion, punched her ticket to the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships, in Boise, Idaho in March. Barrett cleared 6-2 to win the event at NAU's Lumberjack Invitational. There were many solid performances by the Cats and you can read all the details here.
CATS GIVING BACK
Throughout last week, Wildcat student-athletes participated in the third annual "Cats Give Back Week" where student-athletes from various teams start the semester by making a difference in the community.  Approximately 180 student-athletes volunteered more than 400 hour to make the community a brighter place! Below, members of the Track and Field/Cross Country team are pictured teaching elementary school students the basics of track and field and staying healthy.
TERRY FRANCONA COMES HOME
It is always great to have our letterwinners come back to campus for a visit. This past weekend Arizona Baseball welcomed back Terry Francona, who was recently inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame. Terry was able to speak to the team over at Hi Corbett on Saturday and take a tour of the new facilities. Look for some video highlights of Terry's visit on ArizonaWildcats.com sometime in the next few days. The energy and excitement for the upcoming baseball season is off the charts. Season tickets have been selling at a steady place with just under a month to go before the start of the season. There are still some great reserved seats available. Call the ticket office at 520-621-CATS (2287) or order online by clicking here. Opening Day is February 17th.Â
SCHEDULE NOTES...
The men's basketball team makes its first league trip to the mountain schools, Utah on Thursday and Colorado on Saturday... Our 13th ranked gymnastics team plays host to Oregon State at 7:00 p.m. Friday in McKale Center. It's the 2012 home opener for the gymnastics team. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for kids (season tickets are only $20). Call 520-621-CATS (2287) or order online.... Our highly ranked swimming and diving squads will be in the Bay Area for meets on Friday at Cal and on Saturday at Stanford... Men's tennis will play NAU and the women's team will meet UC Santa Barbara in matches at Tucson Country Club court at 11 a.m. Saturday...
WE LOOK FORAWRD TO HEARING FROM YOU
To help enhance our customer service and reach new heights as an Athletics Department, the Wildcat Club has created a survey for Alumni Letterwinners, Wildcat Club members, and Lapsed Wildcat Club members. Please be on the lookout for this survey via email or by direct mail. Your feedback is critically important to us and we look forward to hearing how we can improve. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us 520-621-CLUB (2582).
KIDS GET AN EARLY START
Below, Ella Andrea (left), daughter of alum Jeff Andrea and niece of alum Tim Andrea, and Jameson Turnbeaugh, nephew of alum Phil Clelland, are showing some Wildcat spirit.
 
 Continue to do what you can to help Arizona Athletics and:Â
- Join the Wildcat Movement
- Buy Season Tickets
- Wear the Colors (Especially on Friday)
- Get Others to Do the Same
Bear Down with Pride,
Greg Byrne
Director of Athletics
University of Arizona
uofaad@arizona.edu
