Athletics Director Greg Byrne's weekly email discussing Wildcat Athletics
Athletics Director Greg Byrne
Feb. 2, 2011
This is a reposting of the Wildcat Wednesday weekly email sent by Athletic Director Greg Byrne to all the wildcat fans around the country. If you would like to sign up to receive the email directly please sign up here.
FOOTBALL SIGNING DAY, PLAYER DEVELOPMENT STARTS ANEW
Head coach Mike Stoops and staff signed their 2011 recruiting class today, announcing it in a news conference and featuring it in a Signing Day event this evening as this email goes out. Coach Stoops is pleased with the group and is eager to turn the page and get on with the business of 2011 football. He and his staff have been outstanding in signing quality young student-athletes who bring solid citizenship standards along with their physical potential. It's that day each year when the anticipation of a new season is widespread nationally. All I can say is, Bear Down! You can watch an archive of today's news conference here. New2011 football season tickets are on sale now.
Renewal statements for 2011 football season tickets and/or 2011-12 Wildcat Club charitable gifts (including men's basketball priority seating) will post online on Saturday, Feb. 5. I encourage you to renew online to reduce costs and the high volume of paper use associated with mailing renewal invoices. To encourage you to renew online we are offering the following per-order early renewal benefits - waiving the $10 order service fee, a $20 Arizona Athletics Gift Card good for ICA tickets, and a $10 credit for the Arizona Online Store (min. purchase of $50). These benefits are only available to those who renew online and by Feb. 28!
2010 football season ticket holders with a current email address in their account will receive a renewal reminder email on Feb. 4. This email will include a link to detailed instructions for how to renew online. Update or confirm your current email address using our online account management toolMy Account Manager, or call the McKale Ticket office at 520-621-2287 (M-F, 9am-5pm).
We understand the economy may be a factor in your decision to renew, so we will again offer a renewal payment plan. A Renewal Payment Plan Authorization Form will be available online on Feb. 5. With this payment plan your renewal invoice can be divided into as many as four equal installments with one charge immediately, then automatic charges on March 2, April 2, and May 2. The final 2011 season ticket renewal deadline is May 2.
CONGRATULATIONS TO FRANK AND PATTY BUSCH
By now you may know thatUniversity of Arizona swimming and diving head coachFrank Buschhas accepted a position with USA Swimming as its National Team Director. A six-time NCAA Coach of the Year, Busch will continue his coaching duties at Arizona through the end of this season before beginning his new role with USA Swimming in May.
We are excited for the tremendous honor that USA Swimming has bestowed upon Frank. Both he and Patty, his wife, will be missed by our swimming and diving community, athletics department, and University. Thanks to Frank, our swimming and diving programs are strong and it will continue to be so. It is a great reflection on Frank and Arizona to be given this responsibility.
WILDCAT CLUB THANK-A-THON
Last night and tonight, a total of 106 of our student-athletes have participated in our first ever Wildcat Club Thank-a-Thon. By the end of tonight, they will have reached out to over 1,000 of our Wildcat Club members who make charitable contributions of $100 or more to Arizona Athletics. Their efforts were meant to convey one simple message - "THANK YOU." Here's a picture of star men's basketball player Derrick Williams in action:
HOOP LEGACY UP FOR STATE HALL OF FAME
Arizona's 1997 men's basketball team -- NCAA Champions -- is among state teams up for induction into the state's Arizona Sports Hall of Fame. There are some very tough competitors -- the World Series winning Diamondbacks of 2001, the Phoenix Suns NBA finalists of 1992-93, and our neighbors to the North's 11-0 football squad of 1975, among others. UA fans can cast their votes in favor of Lute Olson's '97 Cats here.
THROWING, JUMPING AND RUNNING IN FAYETTEVILLE
Our women's and men's track teams had an outstanding weekend in Fayetteville, Ark., a few days ago. In a meet that wasn't scored, both squads had enough firepower to potentially win such a meet. Just a few of the outstanding performers, among many, were sophomore Julie Labonte in the shot put, Brigetta Barrett in the high jump, Hannah Moen in the 500 meters, Edgar Rivera-Morales in the high jump, James Eichberger in the 800 meters and Lai Lalang in the 3,000 meters. Coach Fred Harvey called it the greatest meet (the Razorback Invite hosted by one of the top programs in the nation) of his career. The women entered ranked No. 19 with the men unranked, but expect those to climb. Our teams are shaping up well. Go Cats!
KEEPING UP WITH THE WILDCATS
We trust you're familiar with the calendar menu on www.arizonaathletics.com, the tab choice in the middle of the home page, which gives you a quick view (see the screen shot below) of all the competition for the coming days. Don't forget to check this whenever you wonder when the Wildcats, in any sport, are next in action - especially at this time of the year, when more than a dozen teams are active. The purpose for reminding you about this is twofold: the online ease in finding out what's going on, and to get as many fans and supporters as we can at our events. You may have heard Coach Miller on the radio after the games last week, asking forenergy when we play in McKale Center (or at home in any sport). We need you here... It's a matter of getting ready to Bear Down!
STATEWIDE AND BEYOND
Gerald Olson (second from left), sent the photo below, taken on Interstate-40 about eight miles east of the Arizona state line, with a group of 4-H Club youth returning from a leadership retreat. All of these young men and women are prospective University of Arizona students, and while they're in their 4-H gear it won't be long until they potentially sport the colors. Send your pictures to facebook@arizona.edu, and maybe you'll see them under the photos tab on our official Facebook page. Go Cats!
NOTES...
This week's home-event schedule includes the women's basketball team at home at 7 p.m. Thursday against California and at 2 p.m. Saturday against No. 4 Stanford in McKale Center... The men's tennis squad will host Pacific at 1 p.m. Friday at the Robson Center, and NAU at noon on Sunday... The women's gymnastics team will play host to Illinois-Chicago in McKale at 7 p.m. Friday, and the women's golf team will host the Wildcat Invitational Sunday through Tuesday at Arizona National... Our men's basketball team re-entered the rankings this week at No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 22 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Cats are on the road in key games at Stanford Thursday and Cal on Saturday... Women's tennis is on the road this week in California and the track squads will have athletes in competition at Albuquerque... Baseball and softball are entering the final weeks of preparation for their seasons, both filled with promise...
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