Homecoming 101: Know Your History
Oct. 7, 2015
Today’s Homecoming events attract tens of thousands of exuberant participants.
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One long-established tradition is that student organizations compete in a tug-of-war battle, in mud.
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More than 50 are nominated for Homecoming queen, and they are narrowed to five finalists through a campuswide vote. For the last quarter-century, the crowning of the king and queen has been part of the Homecoming bonfire celebration on Friday night.
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Homecoming weekend starts on the eve of the game. Earlier that day, students from Bobcats Senior Honorary collect wood pallets from local businesses and UA Facilities Management preps the ground for the bonfire. At nightfall, crowds converge on Main Gate Square to follow Wilbur, Wilma, and the UA marching band and cheerleaders to Old Main, where everyone gets fired up.
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The UA’s first football team was established in 1899. The team wore sage green and silver uniforms for its Thanksgiving Day game against Tempe Normal School. But the colors changed the next year when the team was offered blue jerseys with red trim at a discount.
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Today’s games are widely televised, so Wildcats fans throughout the country can root for their team.
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In 2004, UA Reunions became an official part of Homecoming weekend. The annual event observes the 50-year reunion and includes special celebrations for classes graduating in every decade thereafter.
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During Homecoming, there is an abundance of Wildcat spirit.
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The very heart of Homecoming — and how it got its name — is the enthusiastic welcome of returning alumni. It’s a celebration of shared experience, with former and current students, teachers, coaches and mentors all united by their connection to the UA.
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No one knows exactly when the UA bonfire and pep rally began, but the exhilarating lead-in to Homecoming festivities may have started as early as 1920, predating the parade and other traditions. Back then, the University’s original cactus garden occupied the area in front of Old Main, where the bonfire is held today.
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Proposed by UA football player and civil engineering student Albert H. Condron and built by UA students at a cost of $397, Sentinel Peak’s prominent “A” has proclaimed Wildcat spirit across the miles since 1916. Ever since, students from Bobcats Senior Honorary light the letter with flares in preparation for a fresh whitewash, making it one of the University’s oldest traditions.
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In addition to the UA Alumni Association, the University's colleges honor the contributions and achievements of individuals who have earned their degrees from the institution.
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One of the nation’s largest homecoming processions, the parade is also a major Tucson event, drawing thousands of fans and families from the community.
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Part of Homecoming for close to three decades, Tents on the Mall begins several hours before the game on Saturday and has become the go-to place for students and alumni to meet friends. This year, more than 60 campus and alumni groups have reserved tents.
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As Wildcats gather for fun and football, the UA’s impressive legacy in many realms comes into focus.
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Homecoming is not only a tribute to the University of Arizona's rich past. It is a celebration of our shared connections over the years and what it means to be a Wildcat.
The UA's first Homecoming — the fifth to be launched in the nation — was in 1914. Since then, various traditions have been added, altered or expanded as the UA has changed with the times and grown from an institution of 308 students to one with more than 40,000.
Because universities both reflect and respond to the times, Homecoming is not only a chance to revive happy personal memories, but also to track the cultural, social and technological changes that have occurred in the world and at the UA during the past century.
Reviewing the UA Homecoming annals is much like leafing through a family album, where the big group portrait and the intimate snapshot seem to tell the story best. Homecoming captures them both.
By Roxane Ramos, with photography by Jacob Chinn/UA Alumni Association