A look at Wildcat history from the University's founding up to Homecoming 2021

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Dating back more than a hundred years, the University's Homecoming is a time to welcome alumni and Wildcat families to campus to celebrate the school's past, present and future.

"It's about connecting Wildcats to their past," said Jamie DeConcini, an instructional specialist in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Department of Agricultural Education, Technology and Innovation.

DeConcini teaches a course about the University's rich heritage and traditions, including Homecoming, every fall and spring.

"We recently began offering the course online, hoping to continue cultivating awareness and pride in the University of Arizona among UA students, alumni, and employees," she said.

Understanding University pride begins with the land-grant mission, which was born out of a vision for a more equal future. 

"In the early 1800s, higher education was largely private and reserved for the upper class," DeConcini said. "Vermont Senator Justin Morrill envisioned a brighter future, both socially and economically, which he believed could be attained by making higher education accessible to the children of America's working families."

The Morrill Act was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on July 2, 1862, granting states public lands to be sold or used for profits to establish at least one college that would teach agriculture and the mechanical arts.

The University of Arizona came to call Tucson home following the contentious 13th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly in 1885. As the story goes, becoming the state's land-grant university wasn't Tucson's first choice at that historic legislative meeting and the city's representative returned to a slew of profanity and a shower of rotten vegetables.

Despite the initial upset, the University would open its doors to an inaugural class of 32 students in 1891.

"At the time, there were no high schools in Arizona, so only six of the students were able to begin as freshmen, while the other 26 were enrolled in preparatory courses," DeConcini said. "The University continued to provide preparatory courses until 1913."

Pride runs wild, from live bobcats to lighting the 'A'

Since the University's founding, each president has shaped campus culture. But it wasn't until the third president, Millard Mayhew Parker, that athletics became a tradition. Both his children enrolled in the University and his son, George Parker, was elected captain of the football team.

The team played the University's first intercollegiate game against Tempe Normal School, which later became Arizona State University, on Thanksgiving Day 1899. Tempe won 11-2 and was awarded the Territorial Cup. To this day, the cup is awarded to the winner of each Arizona-ASU football game and is recognized by the NCAA as the oldest award given for a rivalry game in the nation.

Although a fierce rivalry had been sparked, school pride as we know it today didn't begin to take shape until 1904, when the University of Arizona Student Body Constitution established the block A as the school emblem, and cardinal red and navy blue as the school colors.  In 1970, then-University President John P. Schaefer sent a letter throughout campus stating, "The official emblem of the University of Arizona shall be a single letter, free-standing block 'A'." In 1982, the University unveiled its first complete set of symbols and seals. The familiar design, with one "A" inside another, debuted in 1989.

The University's athletics teams didn't have a name until 1914, after a game against the Occidental College Tigers. In a breakdown of the game, the Los Angeles Times reported the team "showed the fight of Wildcats." Later that same year, the University cemented its Wildcat reputation in a narrow victory (7-6) against Pomona College in its first Homecoming showdown. 

University pride ran wild in Tucson following the first homecoming. Fueled by the new nickname, the freshman football team purchased a live bobcat, later named Rufus Arizona, to serve as the school's first mascot in 1915. Wilbur Wildcat didn't make his debut until 1959, with Wilma following in 1986.

"There is conflicting information regarding how the A on 'A' Mountain came about, but most agree that the idea also arose after the football victory against Pomona College," DeConcini said. 

The construction of the A began Nov. 13, 1915.  A site was selected and cleared of shrubbery, and 70-by-160-foot trenches were dug in the shape of an A, then filled with basalt rock. The final step of the project, painting the A white, was completed March 4, 1916.

To this day, to signal the beginning of Homecoming week, there is a lighting of the A event. Traditionally, it is lit with flares. This year, it will be lit with LED lights.

Whether you are an alumnus or not, show your Wildcat pride by participating in some of this week's events, which include:

• Bear Down Friday at Main Gate Square | Nov. 5, 4 p.m.  (Pep Rally at 6 p.m.)
• Bonfire and crowning of royalty at Old Main fountain | Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m.
• Wildcat for Life Tailgate Party on the Mall | Nov. 6, 8 a.m.
• Arizona Wildcats vs. California Golden Bears | Nov. 6, noon