Follow Dave Heeke on Twitter | Sign Up for the Wildcat Wednesday

What a privilege and honor to be on the field at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night for our football program's marquee win over No. 9 UCLA, which was a testament to all the hard work and dedication our student-athletes, coaches and staff have been putting in. 

Winning historic games on the road in front of thousands of supporters, fans and alumni creates memories that last a lifetime. Saturday was a fantastic day to be a Wildcat, and this weekend will be another outstanding weekend at Arizona Stadium. 

Saturday's kickoff versus Washington State is scheduled for 12 p.m. (MST) on Pac-12 Networks, and it is our annual Military and Veteran Appreciation Game. We will pay tribute to the outstanding men and women who are currently serving our nation and those who have already served. Honoring servicemen and women is a marquee celebration for our entire athletics department as we thank those who serve our country. You can purchase "Tickets for Troops" for $15 dollars that will be donated to veterans and active military personnel and their families in Southern Arizona. Pregame festivities will include a flyover from the Air Force's 162nd Wing, presentation of colors by soldiers from Fort Huachuca and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base as well as a special rendition of the national anthem. 

  

  

Saturday is also the annual Tour de Tucson bike race throughout town, so please head to Arizona Stadium a little earlier than usual and be aware of closures around town due to the race. This will be our final Saturday home game before next Friday's Territorial Cup, so let's create another awesome atmosphere for our student-athletes, coaches and staff inside Arizona Stadium. I can't wait to see the Wildcat Family on Saturday afternoon as we honor our veterans and active military personnel. 

  

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE 

The NCAA released its most recent Graduate Success Rate data earlier this week, and our athletics department made academic history once again. We matched our department record with a score of 87 percent, which is yet another milestone of excellence in the classroom. The sustained academic success of Arizona student-athletes has been unrivaled for the better part of a decade. We've broken numerous semester GPA and APR records as all 500 of our Wildcat student-athletes continue to live the Wildcat Way. 

  

Our mission as an athletics department is to provide student-athletes with the opportunities to become academic, athletic and life champions. The outstanding young women and men in our programs are fulfilling this mission in historic fashion. Bear Down and Go Cats! 

   

  

  

  

UPCOMING EVENTS  

• Men's Basketball plays Utah Tech tomorrow at 7:00 PM. It's a BLUE-out, so support Men's Basketball by wearing blue to the game! Click here to purchase tickets. 

• Women's Basketball vs. Loyola Marymount is this Friday, November 18th at 6:30 PM. This is Native American heritage night, where if you click this link and purchase tickets, a portion of all sales will benefit UA American Indian Alumni Scholarship Fund (AIA). 

• Football will be having their second-to-last home game vs. Washington State this Saturday, November 19th at 12:00 PM. It is Military and Veteran Appreciation Day, which includes an F-16 fly over! Click here to purchase! 

• Women's Basketball will play Long Beach on Sunday, November 20th at 2:00 PM. Click here to purchase tickets! 

  

WILDCAT HEADLINES  

• Arizona women's Basketball signs No.1 recruiting class in the country, while Arizona Softball signs the nations 9th ranked class. For more signing day information, check out Arizonawildcats.com. 

• Volleyball Beat No.20 Washington with a score of 3-2.  

• Congratulations for Arizona Football alum Ka'Deem Carey on being named a CFL All-Star as league's leading rusher for the Calgary Stampeders. 

• Tip of the cap to Arizona Men's Tennis head coach Clancy Shields on his recent Hall of Fame induction 

• Our student-athletes have been living the Wildcat Way with some great work with key civic engagement initiatives.  

• Arizona Women's Basketball beat CSUN 87-47 and NAU 56-113 

• Baseball released their 2023 Schedule. 

• Linebacker Jacob Manu was named Pac-12 freshman of the week. 

• Cate Reese placed on the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 watch list. 

• Assistant Coach Jimmie Doughtery is nominated for Broyles award. 

• Arizona Cross country finished 14th for mens and 20th for womens at the NCAA Western Regional Championship. 

SHOW YOUR COLORS  

  

Sarah Schiffer (MSN Leadership U of A Alumni 2018) and John Schiffer enjoying their vacation in Puerto Rico during fall break representing U of A.  

  

  

My Daughter, Bonnie Abelson, on a recent trip to England which coincided with the passing of Queen Elizabeth. Here she is in front of Buckingham Palace (showing the colors) a day before the crowds enveloped the entire city of London. - Todd Abelson 

Send us your photos of you wearing the colors!  

  

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.  

  

Bear Down and Go Cats!  

  

Dave Heeke  

Vice President and Director of Athletics  

University of Arizona  

uofaad@arizona.edu