June 2, 2010

SERIES BOUND, AGAIN

Coach Mike Candrea is taking our softball team to the Women's College World Series this week for the 22nd time. That is an incredible program accomplishment. It just doesn't happen at many schools. The team has a good chance at winning Arizona's ninth NCAA Championship in softball.

The Wildcat baseball team is also participating in postseason play again. They are off to Fort Worth this weekend for the first round of the NCAA Baseball Championships. They face Baylor on Friday at noon Tucson time.

In another couple of weeks, we'll be sending 11 student-athletes with coach Fred Harvey to the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene after some fine work in preliminary meets. Congratulations to all three teams, and Bear Down.

FOOTBALL'S IMPACT... 

We will have a diverse and progressive coeducational intercollegiate athletics program. However, there is no doubt that in the next several years our projected revenues hinge on the potential that football offers. It gives us the largest opportunity for financial growth.  

Head Coach Mike Stoops expects a good team to hit the field in September and his enthusiasm and optimism need to be a part of the athletic department's thinking in our daily interactions with the people who can help get things done - ticket buyers. Along with our donors, they're the royalty in the realm of college sports. As football season approaches -- it's less than 100 days away -- we'll be encouraging our staff to remind everyone they encounter that during game weeks, if you don't have a ticket, you need one! 

Season tickets, including 7 home games, start at just $92 for adults and $52 for youth (high school age or younger)... that's $13 per game for adults and $7 for youth!   We also offer a season ticket discount for UA faculty and staff, “Family” area seats, A-Club, active duty military, and UA young alumni. 

FOOTBALL IN PHOENIX? 

The Alumni Association and Wildcat Club were nice enough to have me in Phoenix last week and one of the questions asked was whether we would ever play a football game in Phoenix.  The answer is a definite maybe. First and foremost, we want to have a very attractive home schedule for our games in Tucson.  That has to be top priority.   But we want to expand our reach into the rest of the state and Phoenix will be a key component of that. Other teams (Alabama vs. Virginia Tech, Illinois vs. Missouri, Texas A&M vs. Arkansas, Texas vs. Oklahoma) are playing neutral site games, so there are models out there that have worked quite well. There are issues but we're looking at everything possible to keep our alums in Phoenix as well as potential student-athletes from that area that we will recruit as a major part of our thinking.

In the end, we don’t know if it will work for us, but we want to at least explore it and we want to be open and transparent with you in the process.

LEAGUE GOES EAST

The Pac-10 Conference plans to take its football coaches to New York City in late July for a Football Media Day-East swing that's designed to spread the word to the eastern media. Coaches will meet with ESPN College Game Day talent, ESPN executives, FOX executives and staff from various media outlets such as the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, CBS, NBC, Associated Press, etc. Then, they'll take a day in Bristol, Conn. at ESPN’s headquarters campus for a close look at the operation and more media contact. They'll be back in Los Angeles the following day for the traditional meeting with league media, but this year that will be moved from an LAX hotel to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Commissioner Larry Scott has made these and several other moves in order to maximize exposure and keep the word out there -- that this is a quality conference for football (and other sports too).

EXPANDING OUR REACH

One thing we will try to do in the coming months and years is expand the reach of Arizona Athletics, including our radio broadcasts. The Pac-10's leadership is taking a hard look at its media partnerships and considering all the options to strengthen the Pac-10's reach and national brand.

Currently, you can follow Arizona's flagship sports of football and men's basketball through a statewide radio network that we want to widen in order to reach every corner of the state. Those same broadcasts are often on satellite radio (as part of the league's Sirius XM deal) and also through live audio links at www.ArizonaWildcats.com as part of All-Access subscriptions. Additionally, other sports have All-Access live video streams.

FATHER’S DAY

This Father’s Day you can win your dad an Ultimate Arizona Sports Pass. This sports pass includes two (2) season tickets to all ticketed sporting events: volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, softball and baseball. Nine other lucky fathers will win an Arizona Prize Pack containing items such as free t-shirts, an autographed ball, two (2) season tickets to a specific Arizona Sport, or a $25 gift card which can be used to purchase tickets, media guides, or other items sold through the McKale Ticket Office.

It’s easy to enter. All you have to do is visit our website, www.ArizonaWildcats.com and enter your contact information along with your father’s name. Winners will be selected June 15 and announced on Father’s Day, June 20.

The best way to guarantee dad a great Wildcat Father’s Day is to purchase tickets!

RED AND BLUE IN THE WORK PLACE

Red and blue looks great at work!  UA alum Eric Snelz will have on his Arizona gear on Wildcat Fridays, as will all of his 20 plus employees at Defero in Phoenix. Post your stories and photos in your red and blue on our official Facebook page.  As a thank you for wearing your red and blue and supporting the Wildcats, we will highlight an Arizona fan each week.

Break out your Arizona red and blue early this week in support of the softball team’s CWS opening game tomorrow against Tennessee. Thursday's game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT start time (4 p.m. Tucson time) on ESPN2.  And wear your Wildcat colors again for Friday’s baseball game against Baylor.  All Arizona Baseball games at the regional will be broadcast live KCUB 1290-AM in Tucson with Brian Jeffries describing the action.

Bear Down,

Greg Byrne
Director of Athletics
University of Arizona
uofaad@arizona.edu