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Students will often replace a portion of the lyrics, "Hit 'em hard, let 'em know who's who", with "Beat the shit out of [[Arizona State University|ASU]]!", when a University of Arizona athletic team is playing against the school's bitter in-state rivals, the [[Sun Devils]] of [[Arizona State University]].
Students will often replace a portion of the lyrics, "Hit 'em hard, let 'em know who's who", with "Beat the shit out of [[Arizona State University|ASU]]!", when a University of Arizona athletic team is playing against the school's bitter in-state rivals, the [[Sun Devils]] of [[Arizona State University]].


"[[Bear Down, Chicago Bears]]" is the fight song of the [[Chicago Bears]] of the [[National Football League]].
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<!-- for the record, I just added links to that last bit. My agreement with it is only partially related. There was a need for some sort of redirect to the Chicago Bears, though. -->



Revision as of 17:41, 11 February 2007

"Bear Down" is the official motto of the University of Arizona (UA), located in Tucson, Arizona. It is the basis of Bear Down, Arizona!, the unofficial fight song of the school's Arizona Wildcats. The official fight song is "Fight, Wildcats, Fight!" written by Douglas Holsclaw.

For the phrase's more general use as an idiom, see Wiktionary:bear down.

History

The battle cry was created in 1926 by a popular student athlete, John "Button" Salmon. Salmon was the student body president, as well as the starting quarterback for the Wildcat football team and the catcher for the Wildcat baseball team.

The day after the first game of the 1926 football season, Salmon and two guys were involved in an automobile accident, in which their vehicle flipped over in a ravine. Although Salmon's friends were not injured, Salmon suffered a severe spinal cord injury. In the aftermath of the accident, football coach Pop McKale visited him in the hospital every day. During McKale's last visit, Salmon's last message to his teammates was, "Tell them...tell the team to bear down." John Salmon died on October 18, 1926.

The following year, The University of Arizona student body approved that "Bear Down" would be the new slogan for all Wildcat athletic teams. In 1939, the Arizona state legislature issued a decree that "Bear Down" would be the exclusive property of The University of Arizona.

Fight Song

The song Bear Down, Arizona! was written by Jack K. Lee, the university's band director, in 1952, and performed by the UA band for the first time publicly in September 1952.

Lyrics

Let's Cheer for Arizona
Let's raise our voices high
Let's Cheer for Arizona the Bear Down Battle Cry
Let's Cheer our team to victory
Let's Cheer our team to fame
Let's Cheer for Arizona for spirit wins the game

Bear Down Arizona
Bear Down Red and Blue
Bear Down Arizona
Hit 'em hard.
Let 'em know who's who
Bear Down Arizona
Bear Down Red and Blue
Go! Go! Wildcats go!
Arizona Bear Down

Students will often replace a portion of the lyrics, "Hit 'em hard, let 'em know who's who", with "Beat the shit out of ASU!", when a University of Arizona athletic team is playing against the school's bitter in-state rivals, the Sun Devils of Arizona State University.


MP3 of Bear Down, Arizona from http://www.fightmusic.com

Notes

  1. University of Arizona, Bear Down Arizona "Bear Down Arizona"
Google Maps Satellite View of the Bear Down Gymnasium

Template:University of Arizona athletics