University of Arizona - Home to the Wildcats
The University of Arizona (UA) is a public institution for higher education and research located in Tucson. The University of Arizona was the first college in the state, founded in 1885 when it was still a territory. The University of Arizona includes Arizona’s only allopathic medical school.
Among the strongest academic programs at the University of Arizona are optical sciences, astronomy, astrophysics, and planetary science. The University of Arizona is awarded more NASA grants for space exploration than any other college nationally. The college also has a top tier law school and its undergraduate business school is ranked in the top twenty among all universities in the United States, both public and private.
The University of Arizona athletic teams are nicknamed the Wildcats and are included in the NCAA’s Division I-A in the Pacific Ten Conference.
The men’s basketball team has been a successful program in the nation since Lute Olson was hired as head coach in 1983. The team has collected nineteen consecutive twenty-win seasons and has reached the NCAA Tournament twenty-two consecutive years. Lute Olson has taken the Wildcats to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament in 1988, 1994, 1997, and 2001. In 1997, the University of Arizona defeated Kentucky, the defending national champions, to win the NCAA National Championship.
The football team began at the University of Arizona in 1899. The football team was notably successful in the 1990s under head coach Dick Tomey and his defense that was characterized by tough, hard-nosed tactics. In 1993, the team had its first ten-win season and defeated the powerhouse Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl. It was the bowl game’s only shutout in its twenty-three year history. In 1998, the team posted a 12-1 season (a school record) and made the Holiday Bowl in which it defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The University of Arizona ended that season ranked third nationally and second in several publications.
The baseball team had it’s first season in 1904. The baseball team has captured three national championship titles in 1976, 1980, and 1986, all coached by Jerry Kindall. UA baseball teams have appeared in the NCAA National Championship title series six times, including 1956, 1959, 1963, 1976, 1980, and 1986 (College World Series). The team is currently coached by Andy Lopez.
The UA softball team is among the top programs in the country and a perennial powerhouse. The softball team has won seven NCAA Women’s College World Series titles, in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2006 under head coach Mike Candrea (NCAA Softball Championship). UA defeated Northwestern in the 2006 National Championship series in Oklahoma City. The team has appeared in the NCAA National Championship in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2006, a feat second only to UCLA. Coach Mike Candrea, along with former UA pitcher Jennie Finch, led the 2004 United States Olympic softball team to a gold medal in Athens, Greece.
For more information about University of Arizona history, campus, community, activities, and academics, visit their website online.