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ARIZONA FOOTBALL IN 2021

What a privilege to be a part of and speak at Arizona Football's first official team meeting on Friday afternoon, in a safe and physically distanced fashion, inside the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center. I continue to be impressed by Coach Fisch's process and approach to building our football program, and his message of being proficient, resilient and original continues to connect with our program, fan base and community.


 
You may have seen members of Coach Fisch's staff speaking to the media over Zoom, which was a great experience for media members and fans to get to know the outstanding coordinators and assistant coaches. You can visit our YouTube channel to catch any of the interviews you may have missed. The building of engagement from the entire football coaching staff in Tucson is an important component of the program that we continue to see play out with each of our outstanding coaching staff members.
 
It's never too early to Bear Down with Coach Fisch and Arizona Football. You can make your deposit for 2021 season tickets now for just $75.
 
BLACK STUDENT-ATHLETE SUMMIT



This year, C.A.T.S. Student-Athlete Development had the opportunity to register six student-athletes and a pair of staff members for the 2021 Black Student-Athlete Summit that took place virtually on January 6-8.  The Black Student-Athlete Summit is an opportunity for student-athletes, coaches, staff, and administrators to come together and engage in meaningful programs that are focused on creating solutions to the challenges that black student-athletes experience. This year's theme was "Woke! Now What!". Throughout the three-day summit, there were daily welcome sessions, conversations with greatness, featured speakers, and topic-specific sessions for staff members. Student-athletes also engaged in programs with peers and current industry professionals and had the opportunity to earn a certificate in transformational leadership. 
 
Even though the entire experience was online, there were several ways for student-athletes and staff to make connections with peers across the country. Jaden Mitchell from Arizona Football was one of those in attendance.
 
"At the summit, I saw that there are so many careers to have, so many different outlets, and different people that I can look up to or who can become my mentor," Mitchell said. "We are excited to continue to have conversations about the summit and hopefully be able to send representatives to the in-person event next year!"
 
COACH MILLER AND THE WILDCATS



Last week's 34-point victory at Oregon State featured another notable performance. Freshman Bennedict Mathurin scored 31 points in the victory at Corvallis, which made Arizona the only program in the nation to have three different players score 30 or more points in a game this season.
 
After a change in scheduling, the Wildcats will now face Arizona State twice in the next week. Coach Miller and company will play in Tempe on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. (MST) on ESPN before hosting the Sun Devils in McKale Center on Monday, Jan. 25 at 9 p.m. (MST) on ESPN2. With the fluidity of the basketball schedule this season, we want to continue urging fans to use the official ArizonaWildcats.com schedule for the most up-to-date information.
 
We want to wish the team good luck ahead of their two games in five days against our in-state rivals. Bear Down and Go Cats!
 
ARIZONA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HOMESTAND



Coach Barnes and the Wildcats swept the Oregon schools last week for the first time in a decade. These notable wins, including a dominating win over the 10^th ranked Ducks, earned national accolades as Coach Barnes was named ESPN's National Women's Basketball Coach of the Week.
 
The homestand for the Cats continues this week as we welcome Utah and Colorado, beginning with a Friday afternoon match-up with the Utes at 4 p.m. (MST) on the Pac-12 Networks.
 
TEACHER OF THE YEAR



For over 25 years, Arizona Athletics has recognized outstanding teachers and excellence in the classroom with participating Southern Arizona school districts through the University of Arizona Online Amazing High School Teacher of the Year Award program. Each year a committee selects nine local high school teachers as finalists. Each finalist is awarded $500, with the winner being announced at the end of the season and awarded a total of $2,500, courtesy of the University of Arizona Online. We believe that the partnership between higher education and public education is an important way to recognize teachers for their outstanding efforts on behalf of students.  
 
We look forward to celebrating these outstanding teachers in our community and invite you to meet our first three finalists:

• Jeffrey Mann | Flowing Wells High School 
• Nancy Webber-Graff | Andrada Polytechnic High School 
• Jeremy Samoy | Tanque Verde High School 

 
COMPLIANCE CORNER
A quick reminder to our fans regarding prospects and social media. We know that you love your Wildcats, and we always appreciate your support. Please remember that boosters may not engage in recruiting activities on behalf of the University of Arizona. This includes interactions on social media! Boosters should not use Twitter, Instagram, or other social media platforms as a way of reaching out to prospects and encouraging them to attend the University of Arizona. We are all responsible for making sure we are compliant with NCAA rules and we appreciate your cooperation. Please check out the guidelines on the Compliance website for more information. If you have any questions, please contact our office at (520) 621-4796 or ica-compliance@email.arizona.edu.
 
WEAR THE COLORS – SHARE THE PHOTOS

Send us your photos of you wearing the colors while staying safe!

Thank you for wearing the colors and sharing your Arizona pride! Make sure to take a picture the next time you are wearing the colors and send it to us, we just might include it in next week's Wildcat Wednesday! And even if your photo submission doesn't make  next week's edition, please check our "Wear the Colors" album at facebook.com/ArizonaAthletics on Fridays.
 
NOTE: Please submit photos for Wildcat Wednesday with an original email to uofaad@arizona.edu using the subject line 'Wildcat Wednesday photo.' Also, please ensure all submissions are clear and properly lit. We also ask that you identify everyone in the photo so we can highlight them accordingly.

Stay Safe, Bear Down and Mask Up!
 
Dave Heeke
Director of Athletics
University of Arizona
uofaad@arizona.edu