A nearly 110-year-old tradition is making its way back to 蜜柚直播 this week and it鈥檚 bound to be a wild time, if you catch our drift.
This week marks the 108th University of 蜜柚直播 homecoming celebration.听
UA homecoming week officially kicks off Thursday, Oct. 27 with the "A" Mountain lighting ceremony, which you catch watch at 5 p.m. at the MSA Annex, located at .听
Throughout the end of the week and the weekend, you can expect to see social mixers, luncheons celebrating past alumni, a pep rally in Main Gate Square (the #ThisIs蜜柚直播 team will be there, so come say hi!), a bonfire, homecoming court and, of course, a football game聽at 蜜柚直播 Stadium.
There will also be聽discounted聽$5 tickets at the from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28.
Unlike previous years, there won鈥檛 be a homecoming parade with student-made floats this year due to a 鈥渓ack of participation鈥 and 鈥渟tudents actively engaging with Homecoming now in other ways (which) contributed to a change in direction,鈥 according to a statement from the UA's Office of Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement.
鈥淔or example, 45 student organizations will be participating in our annual Club Olympics on the Mall this week and we have many student performances planned for the mainstage during the Wildcat for Life Tailgate on Saturday,鈥 the statement from the UA's Office of Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement said. 鈥淲e will continue planning Homecoming programming that engages students and alumni in Homecoming traditions and university life in a way that welcomes and unites our community in campus activities.鈥
Here is when and where you can show your Wildcat spirit for homecoming week:
The 鈥淎鈥 on A Mountain is lit with flares signaling the start of University of 蜜柚直播 Homecoming week in 蜜柚直播 on Oct. 22, 2017.
"A" Mountain lighting ceremony
When: 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27.
Where to see it: MSA Annex, .
Bear Down Friday pep rally
A snapshot of Bear Down Fridays in 2019.
When: 4-6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. (The pep rally officially starts at 6 p.m.)
Where: Main Gate Square, University Boulevard.
Homecoming bonfire and royalty crowning
Jaymin Patel, a graduate student, flashes the "Wildcat" hand sign during the 2017 University of 蜜柚直播 Homecoming bonfire and crowning of the king and queen in front of Old Main on Oct. 27, 2017, in 蜜柚直播, Ariz.
When: 7 p.m. (after Bear Down Friday) Friday, Oct. 28.
Where: Old Main fountain.
鈥淲ildcat for life鈥 tailgate
Arthur Rodriguez, left, and Steven Escobedo whip skillet fulls of breakfast burritos as the Fired Up Tailgaters tent before 蜜柚直播 against Oregon State at 蜜柚直播 Stadium, 蜜柚直播, Ariz., Nov. 2, 2019.
When: Starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.
Where: UA Mall.
UA Homecoming football game vs. USC Trojans
蜜柚直播 defensive lineman Paris Shand (95) celebrates after sacking Southern California quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
When: 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.
Where: 蜜柚直播 Stadium, .听
The history of UA Homecoming and its traditions.
Possibly the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority at the 1937 UA Homecoming. The Wildcats defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 9-7 on November 20, 1937.
The first UA homecoming celebration was held over 100 years ago in the fall of 1914, defeating Pomona College 7-6.
About two weeks before the UA hosted its first homecoming football game on Thanksgiving Day in 1914, they played a game against the Occidental College Tigers on Nov. 7.
Although the UA lost that game 14-0, the match against Occidental College had a significant impact on the university and its future legacy as the Wildcats.
A day after the loss, a Los Angeles Times journalist reported that the 鈥溍坭种辈 men showed the fight of wild cats.鈥
鈥淢embers of the 蜜柚直播 student body read the report. By the end of that school year, the students put to a vote the idea of 鈥榃ildcats鈥 as the new nickname for the school鈥檚 teams. 蜜柚直播鈥檚 nickname has been Wildcats since,鈥 according to .
Wilbur T. Wildcat officially replaced the original school mascot, a real-life desert bobcat named 鈥淩ufus 蜜柚直播,鈥 in November 1959. Wilbur鈥檚 girlfriend, Wilma, was created in 1986 and the couple eventually married later that year on Nov. 21, 1986.
University of 蜜柚直播 mascot Wilbur the Wildcat tries to lead cheers at a 1980 Homecoming Pep Rally on the UA Mall. Under the Wilbur head? Sophomore Nancy Benedict.
The UA鈥檚 homecoming celebrations have been a tradition in the Old Pueblo since 1914, but there have been a few years where the celebrations had to be suspended聽mostly due to聽World War I in 1918 and World War II from 1942 to 1945.听
One of the biggest traditions that grew out of UA homecoming was the homecoming parade, which had its first run in 1929.听
The parade featured handcrafted floats and displays from students at various colleges, sororities, fraternities and clubs. The parade route changed over the years from around the track at 蜜柚直播 Stadium to downtown 蜜柚直播 in the 1940s and eventually to the UA Mall, according to the .
Another tradition that stems from the homecoming parade is the bonfire held in front of Old Main and the crowning of homecoming royalty.
This photo from 1966 shows UA cheerleaders riding in the back of a 1955 Chevy Bel Air during the UA Homecoming football game against BYU at 蜜柚直播 Stadium.
This Homecoming parade attracted around 40,000 people, according to an 蜜柚直播 article from 1966.
Photo credit:聽Dave Action, 蜜柚直播 Citizen.
It鈥檚 not entirely clear when the first UA homecoming bonfire was held, but it鈥檚 estimated that the tradition could have started as early as the 1920s, according to an old .
As for homecoming royalty, that鈥檚 been a tradition since 1947 when 蜜柚直播an Ruth Tackett was crowned the first homecoming queen, according to the .
鈥淭he queen did not have a king until 1983. Since 1988, the king and queen have been crowned at a pep rally and bonfire the Friday before the Homecoming game,鈥 the UA Alumni Association鈥檚 states.
Plus, you can't forget the traditional tailgate the day of the homecoming game.
But no matter how the community celebrates, UA Homecoming week has brought together current students, alumni and faculty together over the last 100 years for one main purpose: to show off that Wildcat pride.听
For more information about UA Homecoming week, visit the .